ML201: Steven Pressfield on Overcoming Resistance, The War of Art & Finding Your Creative Voice

Kevin Kelly is the co-founder of Wired magazine and author of sveral books including his latest, Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I’d Known Earlier. In this episode we discuss: The nature of good advice and who is really worth listening to Why your goal should be to become the "only" not the best in what you do What it means to live in perpetual disequilibrium and why that fuels growth We also talk about the balance between exploring new possibilities and exploiting what you’ve already learned and the nature of forgiveness.

Steven Pressfield is the bestselling author of The War of Art, Gates of Fire, and The Legend of Bagger Vance. In this episode we discuss: How shame, honour, and resistance shape the creative life The ancient idea of the "daimon" and its role in artistic destiny Lessons from decades of rejection, hard work, and his eventual breakthrough We also talk about Steve’s unconventional path to success which involved him working 21 different jobs in eleven states and his reflections from writing his memoir Government Cheese.

In this episode Nasos & Andrea discuss: closing the gap between knowing & doing, the challenge of living your values and the path to human progress.

In this episode Nasos & Andrea discuss: how to ask great questions, the role of curiosity in progress and the impact of modern media and technology on expertise, sensemaking and democracy.

In this episode Nasos & Andrea discuss: the importance of creativity for individuals and society, the process of discovering your genius and the difference between the gift and market economies.

In this episode Nasos & Andrea discuss: how to understand your emotions, the patterns driving human behaviour and why mental health culture isn't improving mental health. 

In this episode Nasos & Andrea discuss: how to focus in a world full of distractions, the challenges of ADHD and how to deal with it and why myths about attention are harming you.

Andrea Domenichini is a media producer and podcaster who runs his own show Voices in the Dark, and has been helping me with the latest episodes of the MetaLearn podcast. In this episode we discuss: - How to apply Robert Greene’s 48 Laws of Power in practice- Avoiding manipulation and how to defend against people using power plays- The true nature of power and how we misunderstand it in modern society So whether you want to become a modern Machiavelli, realise your true potential or stop being the victim of other people's games, this episode will give you everything you need and more.

Raoul Pal is the CEO of Real Vision, a cutting edge financial media company and also runs his own macro research business, Global Macro Investor. In this episode we discuss: - Raoul's 3 scenarios for how the war between Russia & Ukraine plays out - The outlook for different asset classes including stock & bonds, commodities & crypto - Why the tokenisation of culture through communities like Bored Ape Yacht Club are so significant We also talk about the practical implications of potential social unrest and how people should be thinking about their life choices in that context as well as Raoul's philosophy of living in the future.

Visakan ‘Visa’ Veerasamy is a creator, marketer and the author of two books, Friendly Ambitious Nerd and Introspect. In this episode we discuss: - How to navigate the hero’s journey of developing self awareness- Confronting your inner tyrant so you can do the work you were built for- Becoming friends with yourself and earning your own self-respect and admirationThis was a special conversation that will leave you with the mindsets and skillsets to better understand yourself, win your inner battles and realise your potential in all areas of life.