#133 — Pursuit of Clarity — Shapel Lacey

Bestselling author Steven Pressfield joins James Beshara on Magic Minds for a compelling discussion about overcoming creative blocks and achieving flow state. Pressfield, known for his influential book "The War of Art," shares invaluable insights for creators facing resistance, all in the vibrant setting of Venice Beach. Dive into "Magic Minds" with host James Beshara, where wisdom and innovation meet comedy and storytelling from the world's most brilliant minds. From the heart of startup culture to the depths of philosophy, James engages with thinkers, doers, and artists to uncover secrets of creativity, productivity, and personal well-being. Inspired by his own transformative journey and the creation of Magic Mind, this podcast is a beacon for anyone looking to enhance their mental performance, self-growth, and perspectives. Join us to elevate your morning ritual and unlock your highest potential. James Beshara (https://www.twitter.com/jamesbeshara) is a renowned startup founder of multiple companies, a prolific startup investor in 200+ others including some of the biggest startup names on the planet, a husband and father of three little girls, and philosophy student and teacher in Los Angeles. James also co-hosts Yoga For Your Intellect (https://www.YFYI.co), a biweekly long-form conversational podcast with his teacher Joseph Emmett ( https://www.instagram.com/yogaforyourintellect ) and a daily podcast and Youtube channel dedicated to the timeless wisdom of the Upanishads (https://www.thedailyvedantic.co).

In this thought-provoking episode of Magic Minds, James Beshara jumps into the fascinating work of Dr. Donald Hoffman, a visionary challenging the very fabric of our perceived reality. With groundbreaking mathematical and scientific models, Dr. Hoffman proposes that our perceptions of reality are fundamentally flawed, sparking a captivating discussion on the nature of existence and our understanding of the world around us. Dive into "Magic Minds" with host James Beshara, where wisdom and innovation meet comedy and storytelling from the world's most brilliant minds. From the heart of startup culture to the depths of philosophy, James engages with thinkers, doers, and artists to uncover secrets of creativity, productivity, and personal well-being. Inspired by his own transformative journey and the creation of Magic Mind, this podcast is a beacon for anyone looking to enhance their mental performance, self-growth, and perspectives. Join us to elevate your morning ritual and unlock your highest potential. James Beshara (https://www.twitter.com/jamesbeshara) is a renowned startup founder of multiple companies, a prolific startup investor in 200+ others including some of the biggest startup names on the planet, a husband and father of three little girls, and philosophy student and teacher in Los Angeles. James also co-hosts Yoga For Your Intellect (https://www.YFYI.co), a biweekly long-form conversational podcast with his teacher Joseph Emmett ( https://www.instagram.com/yogaforyourintellect ) and a daily podcast and Youtube channel dedicated to the timeless wisdom of the Upanishads (https://www.thedailyvedantic.co).

In this inspiring episode, James Beshara sits down with Talitha Phillips, CEO of Claris Health, to explore the transformative power of support and service. Talitha's journey from receiving help to leading an organization dedicated to aiding impoverished mothers in Los Angeles is a testament to the impact of compassion and community. Dive into "Magic Minds" with host James Beshara, where wisdom and innovation meet comedy and storytelling from the world's most brilliant minds. From the heart of startup culture to the depths of philosophy, James engages with thinkers, doers, and artists to uncover secrets of creativity, productivity, and personal well-being. Inspired by his own transformative journey and the creation of Magic Mind, this podcast is a beacon for anyone looking to enhance their mental performance, self-growth, and perspectives. Join us to elevate your morning ritual and unlock your highest potential. James Beshara (https://www.twitter.com/jamesbeshara) is a renowned startup founder of multiple companies, a prolific startup investor in 200+ others including some of the biggest startup names on the planet, a husband and father of three little girls, and philosophy student and teacher in Los Angeles. James also co-hosts Yoga For Your Intellect (https://www.YFYI.co), a biweekly long-form conversational podcast with his teacher Joseph Emmett ( https://www.instagram.com/yogaforyourintellect ) and a daily podcast and Youtube channel dedicated to the timeless wisdom of the Upanishads (https://www.thedailyvedantic.co).

In a delightful blend of humor and depth, James Beshara chats with comedian Pete Holmes, a Magic Mind enthusiast who brings a unique fusion of comedy, philosophy, and theology. Discover how Pete's quest for meaning and his love for Magic Mind have intertwined, making for an episode that's as enlightening as it is entertaining. Dive into "Magic Minds" with host James Beshara, where wisdom and innovation meet comedy and storytelling from the world's most brilliant minds. From the heart of startup culture to the depths of philosophy, James engages with thinkers, doers, and artists to uncover secrets of creativity, productivity, and personal well-being. Inspired by his own transformative journey and the creation of Magic Mind, this podcast is a beacon for anyone looking to enhance their mental performance, self-growth, and perspectives. Join us to elevate your morning ritual and unlock your highest potential. James Beshara (https://www.twitter.com/jamesbeshara) is a renowned startup founder of multiple companies, a prolific startup investor in 200+ others including some of the biggest startup names on the planet, a husband and father of three little girls, and philosophy student and teacher in Los Angeles. James also co-hosts Yoga For Your Intellect (https://www.YFYI.co), a biweekly long-form conversational podcast with his teacher Joseph Emmett ( https://www.instagram.com/yogaforyourintellect ) and a daily podcast and Youtube channel dedicated to the timeless wisdom of the Upanishads (https://www.thedailyvedantic.co).

In today's episode James discusses his next chapter, The Daily Vedantic. The Daily Vedantic is a daily podcast and YouTube channel dedicated to the timeless wisdom of the Upanishads (thedailyvedantic.co). Dating back to over 5,000 years ago, the source of nearly all Eastern Philosophy, and loved by Western giants from Emerson to Thoreau to Carl Jung and Alan Watts, studied daily by Joseph Campbell to Aldous Huxley to Arthur Schopenhauer and countless others, The Daily Vedantic aims to make this ancient philosophy as modern and accessible as it is simple, practical — and profound. James Beshara (twitter.com/jamesbeshara) is a renowned startup founder of multiple companies, a prolific startup investor in 200+ others including some of the biggest startup names on the planet, a husband and father of three little girls, and philosophy student and teacher in Los Angeles. James also co-hosts Yoga For Your Intellect (YFYI.co), a conversational podcast with his teach Joseph Emmett with episodes every two weeks (instagram.com/yogaforyourintellect). James is a student of Swami Parthasarathy, the acclaimed author of Vedanta Treatise (Vedanta Treatise – The Eternities)  and teacher at Vedanta Academy in Malavli, India. As James says often, when you’re ready for the real thing, Swami’s daily lectures are where the true wisdom and systematic discovery of the world’s oldest continually studied philosophy resides: vedantaworld.org You can watch and listen to The Daily Vedantic on your favorite podcast platform here: thedailyvedantic.co

A friend’s brother died by suicide last week. There are many resources online about how to avoid a mental health tragedy, but after losing my sister to major depression and suicide nearly twenty years ago, I’ve never come across a resource on how to navigate life after such a tragedy. And with estimates suggesting 1 in 5 people are suffering from a mental illness at any given point in time, and 1 in 20 suffering for a major mental illness (bipolar, schizophrenia, etc.), that means nearly all of us will either be directly or indirectly affected in one way or another by the tragic nature of mental illness. So at the request of another family member, I’ve decided to record what I often tell people that find themselves in this tragic and familiar situation. Here are some of the resources and citations for some of the data I point to and links for more information: https://www.nami.org/nami/media/nami-media/infographics/generalmhfacts.pdf https://afsp.org/story/if-someone-tells-you-they-re-thinking-about-suicide-a-realconvo-guide-from-afsp/ https://twitter.com/jamesbeshara/status/1606051266680934402?s=20&t=K8zXPfi-_x_9MeigUooBRQ

https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine  Dr. John Vervaeke is an associate professor at the University of Toronto, where he teaches courses on thinking, reasoning, problem solving, and cognitive development. He also frequently teaches a course on neuroscientific cognitive scientific theories of consciousness. In addition to his work in cognitive science, Vervaeke is also interested in bridging the gap between spirituality and science. He has created several video series on these topics, including Awakening from the Meaning Crisis and To Awakening from the Meaning Crisis Round Two. Awakening from the Meaning Crisis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncd6q9uIEdw&list=PLND1JCRq8Vuh3f0P5qjrSdb5eC1ZfZwWJ&ab_channel=JohnVervaeke "The mind is between you and the world in a fundamental way. And that you shouldn't think of your mind just as between your brain and the world. But the way in which your brain is in your body is fundamentally relevant to the way in which your brain connects to the world. And you have to understand your mind as the intersection of those two connectivities, how you are connected to your body and how you're connected to the world. And that's where the mind actually is." John Vervaeke, PhD believes that the mind is not just between the brain and the world, but also between the brain and the body. He says that the mind is a dynamic, self-organizing process that is constantly adapting to its environment. He also believes that the separation of cognition and emotion is a false dichotomy, and that both are deeply interwoven. Finally, he believes that the mind is perpetually susceptible to self-deception, and that wisdom is the ability to overcome this self-deception. In this episode, you will learn the following: 1. The mind is not just in the brain – it is also between the brain and the body, and between the individual and the world. 2. Emotions and cognition are deeply intertwined, and neither can be understood in isolation from the other. 3. Most of our knowing is non-propositional – it is knowing how to do something, rather than knowing that something is true. 4. A rapid fire summary of some of the greatest philosophical minds of the last 2500 years including Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Buddha, Jesus Christ, St. Augustine, Plotinus, Henry Corbin, Carl Jung, and more. Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at [email protected] or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline  Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind https://magicmind.co About your host, James: James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line. “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.

https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine On today's show, James Beshara is joined by friend and fellow founder/investor Ajay Mehta to play some word association and share what comes to mind when they hear the words, 'ETH', 'GPT3', 'Recession', 'India', 'Failure', and 'Elon'. Follow Ajay: https://twitter.com/ajaymehta GPT3 Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind https://magicmind.co Chargebee https://chargebee.com/partners-signup and use promo code BTL Shopify https://Shopify.com/BelowtheLine About your host, James: James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line. “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.

https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine  On today's episode, James is joined by Dr. Dan Engle. Dan Engle is a psychiatrist with a clinical practice that combines aspects of regenerative medicine, psychedelic research, integrative spirituality, and peak performance. Dan was also a Co-Author on James' book, Beyond Coffee. James and Dr. Dan dive deep into Neurological Healthcare, concussions, and what the future looks like with new research and medicines. Enjoy! More Dan Engle: https://fullspectrummedicine.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Dose-Hope-Story-MDMA-Assisted-Psychotherapy/dp/1544521022/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 https://drdanengle.com/ https://www.instagram.com/drdanengle/ Concussion Testing: Testing: https://www.cnsvs.com/RemoteTest.html Disclaimer - The information provided in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical recommendation, diagnosis, or treatment. The use of information in this podcast is at one’s own discretion, and is not an endorsement of use given the complexity inherent in these medicines, and the current variable widespread illegality of their usage.   00:18 Intro 03:40 Dr. Dan’s Career Path  25:36 Neurologic Ramifications of Concussions  46:33 Psychedelics Use in Neurological Care  59:58 Resources with Dr. Dan 1:22:35 Medical Practices Continued 1:32:10 Magic Mind 1:53:33 The Future of Health Care Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at [email protected] or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline  Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind https://magicmind.co Chargebee https://chargebee.com/partners-signup and use promo code BTL Shopify https://Shopify.com/BelowtheLine About your host, James:  James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line. “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.

https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine    Vance Roush is the Co-Founder and CEO at Overflow, an app that helps nonprofits and churches accept donations of publicly-traded stock. Vance talks with James about being a pastor and how initially he would avoid talking about his faith when looking for investors but eventually saw the benefits when he embraced it. They talk about some stats underlying charitable giving, and dissect some of the technicalities on how Overflow helps people and companies give in the most efficient way.   More Vance Roush: https://twitter.com/vanceroush https://www.instagram.com/vanceroush/?hl=en https://twitter.com/Overflow_app https://www.overflow.co/ Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at [email protected] or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline    Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind https://magicmind.co Chargebee https://chargebee.com/partners-signup and use promo code BTL Shopify https://Shopify.com/BelowtheLine About your host, James:  James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line.  “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.