Emad Mostaque joins me to explore one of the most confronting questions of our time: what happens when human intelligence is no longer economically valuable? We unpack how rapidly advancing AI is moving toward a world where cognitive labor becomes obsolete, and why this shift may happen much sooner than most people expect. Emad shares how we’ve already built systems that can replicate human thinking, decision-making, and creativity, and how the next phase is not about new breakthroughs but simply scaling what already exists.

In this conversation, we explore what this means for identity, purpose, and the future of society. If so much of our sense of self is tied to what we do, what happens when that disappears? Emad lays out the possible paths forward, from centralized control of intelligence to more open and collaborative systems, and why the stories we choose to believe in now may determine whether we move toward collapse or abundance. This episode is an invitation to rethink work, meaning, and what it truly means to be human in a world where intelligence is no longer scarce.

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___________

0:00 Intro

01:17 The Last Economy

02:03 The Race Toward AGI and Human Obsolescence

07:50 Why AI Will Reshape Work Within 800 Days

14:36 The Collapse of Work as Identity

18:22 How Far Ahead Private AI Really Is

21:24 The Three Futures of AI

32:52 When the Economic Loop Breaks

37:38 Ad: Based Body Works

38:07 What AI Changes About Intelligence

40:50 When AI Replaces Human Worth

48:44 Ad: BON CHARGE

48:46 Industrializing Self-Deception

55:55 When AI Knows You Better Than You Do

1:08:23 What Utopia Could Still Look Like

1:20:20 How to Use AI Without Losing Yourself

1:30:59 Can AI Become Conscious?

1:46:29 What Makes Us Human?

1:57:08 Longevity, Transhumanism, and the Future of the Body

2:03:51 The Practical AI Tools to Start Using Now

2:14:43 The End of Human-Only Discovery

2:17:22 What Parents Should Teach Their Kids Now

2:23:39 Happiness, Agency, and the Final Message

___________

Episode Resources:

https://x.com/EMostaque

https://x.com/ii_posts

https://ii.inc/web

Emad's Book: http://thelasteconomy.com

https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/

https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast

https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com

Listen to the show:

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4bZMq9l

Apple: https://apple.co/4iATICX

Shi Heng Yi joins me to explore the path of self-mastery through the lens of the Shaolin tradition, and why, despite having more comfort and convenience than ever before, so many people still feel a deep sense of inner lack. We unpack the idea that external success, wealth, and achievement cannot replace a missing sense of inner stability, and how the constant search outside of ourselves often leads us further away from what we are truly looking for.

In this conversation, we explore the relationship between mind, body, and energy, and why true mastery begins with learning how to regulate and understand oneself rather than trying to control the external world. Shi Heng Yi shares how thoughts shape reality, why discipline and consistency are essential for growth, and what it means to become “transparent” by letting go of identity and the need to be someone. This episode is an invitation to shift from reacting to life toward consciously creating it from within.

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André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

___________

0:00 Intro

1:11 The Root of Suffering: Becoming Someone

1:50 Why Comfort Doesn’t Create Peace

4:56 The Inner Void Beneath External Success

9:16 The Path of Self-Mastery

16:04 Mastering the Mind, Not the World

21:07 Where Attention Goes, Energy Flows

27:21 Ad: OneSkin

28:43 The Essence of the Shaolin Spirit

36:29 Living with Intention and Integrity

44:14 Service Beyond the Self

46:34 The Freedom of Being No One

57:14 Ad: Mud/Wtr

58:56 Trust, Discipline, and the Inner Path

1:05:24 Strength Without Suppression

1:10:20 The Middle Way of Emotion

1:13:11 Structure as the Gateway to Freedom

1:19:00 Returning to the Body

1:35:36 The Body as a Tool for Awareness

1:42:32 Breath as the Bridge to Presence

1:46:38 Seeing Clearly: The End of Suffering

1:54:31 From Endless Seeking to Direct Experience

1:59:27 The Mind’s Five Obstacles

2:08:07 Turning Awareness Inward

2:11:20 Beyond the Illusion of Separation

2:14:25 Nothing to Gain, Nothing to Lose

2:15:30 Closing Thoughts

___________

Episode Resources:

https://www.shihengyi.online/

https://www.instagram.com/shihengyi.online

https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/

https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast

https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com

Dr. Nicole LePera joins me to explore how our childhood experiences shape the nervous system, emotional patterns, and identities we carry into adulthood. We unpack how many of the reactions, habits, and relationship dynamics that feel automatic today were once adaptations we developed to maintain connection and safety early in life. Nicole explains how emotional attunement in childhood forms the internal “home base” we return to, often recreating familiar patterns even when they no longer serve us.

In this conversation, we explore attachment styles, people-pleasing, parentification, and the unconscious roles we adopt in order to belong. Nicole also introduces the practice of reparenting—learning how to meet our own emotional needs through awareness, nervous system regulation, and body-based practices. This episode offers a grounded path toward understanding where our patterns come from and how we can begin to create a deeper sense of safety and home within ourselves.

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André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

___________

00:00 Intro

03:30 Unearthing What We Buried to Survive

09:12 The Childhood Roots of Our Coping Strategies

15:59 The Importance of Emotional Attunement

19:52 Understanding Attachment Styles

28:33 Ad: LMNT

30:35 From Seeking Love to Finding Home Within

34:54 Meeting Needs With Compassion

41:06 Ad: Mudwtr

42:29 The Impact of Status-Oriented Parenting

51:34 The Body as the Foundation of Healing

1:04:19 Simple Practices for Nervous System Regulation

1:12:07 Growing When Your Partner Isn't

1:26:07 Vulnerability as the Path to Connection

1:42:15 Healing the Need to Be Perfect

1:50:55 The Power of Inner Child Awareness

___________

Episode Resources:

https://www.instagram.com/the.holistic.psychologist

https://theholisticpsychologist.com/

https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/

https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast

https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com

Zen teacher and author Henry Shukman offers a clear and grounded introduction to the heart of Zen practice. We explore how awakening is not an escape from life, but a deeper participation in it — a realization that dissolves the illusion of separation and reveals a boundless field of awareness and love.

Henry shares his own spontaneous awakening experience at 19, the profound insight that life is not divided between self and world, and the difficult healing journey that followed. From mindfulness and meditation to flow states, jhanas, koans, and the role of trauma in spiritual growth, this conversation maps out a path that integrates awakening with emotional healing.

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André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

___________

00:00 Intro

01:26 An Introduction to Zen

13:10 The Premise of Original Love

17:14 Training the Mind Like the Body

20:54 Freedom From Identification With Thought

27:50 What Are the Jhanas?

32:50 Ad: Saily

33:54 Tasting Awakening for Yourself

45:17 Awakening vs Psychological Healing

50:17 Awakening as an Ongoing Path

54:54 The Distinct Path of Zen

59:13 Koans as a Path to Insight

1:13:53 The Enlightenment of the Mundane

1:20:07 The Freedom of Emptiness

1:26:16 The Necessity of Meditation Practice

1:34:32 Sweeping the Yard (A Zen Poem)

1:43:33 Beauty, Ethics, and Interconnection

1:47:33 The Journey to a Whole Heart (A Poem on Heartbreak)

2:02:58 Original Love in a Fragmented World

___________

Episode Resources:

https://www.instagram.com/henryshukman/

https://www.instagram.com/theway_app/

https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/

https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast

https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com

Dr. Sue Morter returns to explore what it truly means to awaken — not as a concept, but as a lived, embodied experience. Beneath our protective personality and performance-driven identity lies a deeper intelligence — an electromagnetic master system that governs healing, perception, and consciousness itself.

In this conversation, we explore how nervous system regulation opens the doorway to higher awareness, why triggers are invitations to reclaim lost parts of ourselves, and how building energetic circuitry transforms reactive patterns into creative power. From subtle anatomy and the Shoshumna channel to the relationship between consciousness and matter, this episode bridges science and spirituality in a grounded, practical way.

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André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

___________

00:00 Intro

5:48 The Illusion of Inherent Brokenness

11:37 The Fuel Behind Achievement

17:21 The Protective Personality

31:21 Ad: LMNT

32:46 The Return to Second Innocence

47:04 Ad: BON CHARGE

48:13 Expanding the Space Between Stimulus and Response

1:04:06 The Science of Subtle Anatomy

1:29:24 The Limits of Spiritual Language

1:43:07 Embodiment of Expanded Awareness

1:49:02 Moving From Joy Instead of Lack

1:54:16 The Transformative Power of Immersive Experience

2:15:22 Surrendering Fully Into Feeling

2:25:42 A Message to the Heart of Humanity

___________

Episode Resources:

Dr. Sue Morter's book: https://nt113.isrefer.com/go/HYHYL-Book/KnowThyself/

https://www.instagram.com/drsuemorter

https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/

https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast

https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com

Listen to the show:

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4bZMq9l

Apple: https://apple.co/4iATICX

Nir Eyal joins the podcast to explore one of the most foundational forces shaping our lives: belief. What if the way you see reality isn’t reality itself, but a simulation filtered through prior assumptions, expectations, and unconscious scripts?

In this conversation, we unpack the difference between fact, faith, and belief—and why most of our suffering stems from confusing the three. Nir shares powerful research on predictive processing, placebo and nocebo effects, learned helplessness, and how our expectations literally alter what we see, feel, and experience in our bodies.

From secular prayer and gratitude practices to Byron Katie’s turnaround method, this episode is a deep dive into how to move from limiting beliefs to liberating ones. If beliefs are tools, then the real question becomes: are the ones you’re using serving you?

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André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

___________

00:00 Intro

01:35 The Difference Between Fact, Faith, and Belief

05:36 Illusions of Reality

07:29 The Core of Our Perception

15:52 Where to Start Enacting Change on Your Life

19:53 Beliefs as Tools, Not Truths

25:28 Ad: Nord VPN

26:32 The Cosmic Slot Machine

37:39 Spotting Your Limiting Beliefs

46:39 The Prison of Our Own Making

51:33 Why We Perceive Threats Everywhere

1:00:18 Becoming Indistractable

1:12:57 What Attention Means Today versus the Past

1:26:44 The Motivation Triangle

1:32:00 Closing Thoughts

___________

Episode Resources:

https://www.instagram.com/neyal99

https://nir.substack.com/

https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/

https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast

https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com

Swami Sarvapriyananda unpacks the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta and its central claim: you are not the body, not the mind, not even your thoughts — you are pure consciousness itself. Through rigorous reasoning rather than blind belief, he guides us step by step into a direct inquiry of who we truly are.

We explore the limits of faith-based religion, the pitfalls of mystical experience, the distinction between intelligence and consciousness in the age of AI, and the profound implications of non-duality. This conversation is not about adopting a belief system — it is about dismantling false identities until only the undeniable remains.

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[Code: KNOWTHYSELF]

André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

___________

00:00 Intro

01:18 What Is Advaita Vedanta

06:44 The Promise Freedom From Suffering

10:16 Liberation While Living

15:09 The Three Spiritual Paths

23:38 The Path of Knowledge Jnana Yoga

28:42 Discovering Our Ignorance

29:49 Descartes and the Indubitable Self

32:36 Ad: LMNT

34:50 Deconstructing the Self

37:18 Are You the Body

42:09 From Body to Breath to Mind

47:30 AI and the Difference Between Intelligence and Consciousness

49:12 Consciousness in Deep Sleep

52:23 If Not Body or Mind What Are You

53:23 Pure Consciousness Explained

55:04 Dualism vs Non Dualism

57:42 The Dream Analogy

59:17 Maya and the Appearance of the Universe

01:00:28 Ocean and Wave Analogy

01:01:13 Ad: BON CHARGE

01:03:35 The Shift From Person to Awareness

01:10:00 Awareness as the Ground of Reality

01:18:00 The Root of Suffering

01:26:00 Ego Attachment and Fear

01:34:00 Living as Pure Awareness

01:42:00 Practical Self Inquiry

01:50:00 Free Will Karma and Responsibility

02:02:00 The Illusion of Individuality

02:14:00 Consciousness and Modern Science

02:26:00 Death Rebirth and Liberation

02:38:00 What Enlightenment Really Means

02:50:00 Final Clarifications on Non Duality

02:55:00 Closing Reflections

___________

https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/

https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast

https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com

Joscha Bach explores the nature of consciousness, free will, and reality through the lens of computation, cognitive science, and philosophy. Rather than treating the mind as a mystical entity, Joscha frames consciousness as a constructed dream—a model generated by the brain to make sense of the world and coordinate behavior.

We examine why beliefs should remain provisional, how the self functions as a useful fiction, and why suffering emerges when internal learning signals misfire. Joscha explains why free will feels real even if decisions arise before awareness, how meaning exists beyond the individual ego, and why wisdom is not simply knowledge but the ability to orient oneself within larger systems of value.

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___________

00:00 Intro: Josha Bach

04:24 Agnosticism, Evidence, and Logical Alternatives

11:20 Reality as a Mental Simulation

13:00 What Physicalism Actually Claims

16:55 Telepathy, Rituals, and Distributed Minds

19:45 Consciousness Does Not Make Decisions

22:55 Free Will as a Post-Hoc Story

24:00 Consciousness as a Trance State

26:00 Meditation and the Illusion of Self

29:10 Out-of-Body Experiences Explained

31:07 Ad: BON CHARGE

36:30 Why the Brain Fills in Missing Reality

39:50 Dreams, Selves, and Narrative Identity

43:20 Intelligence, Models, and World-Building

47:10 Why Reality Feels Stable

51:00 Meaning, Agency, and Mental Compression

55:10 Why Consciousness Feels Central (But Isn’t)

59:30 The Psychological World vs Physical Reality

1:04:10 Intelligence Without Awareness

1:08:45 The Cost of Believing the Self Is Real

1:13:30 Waking Up From the Narrative

1:18:40 What a Cognitive Science View Really Implies

1:23:30 Final Thoughts: Living Inside the Dream

___________

Episode Resources:

https://www.cimc.ai/

https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/

https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast

https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com

In this conversation, David Ghiyam shares the spiritual framework that has guided his life for over 25 years—one rooted in the idea that reality operates according to universal spiritual laws, just as it does physical ones. Drawing from Kabbalistic wisdom and lived experience, David explains how the soul’s purpose is not comfort, but transformation, and how life’s challenges are designed to reconnect us with a deeper source of fulfillment.

We explore the concept of the “light of the Creator,” the idea of spiritual baggage carried across lifetimes, and why pain, relationships, and adversity act as mirrors for inner growth. David reflects on periods of profound darkness in his own life—financial collapse, loss, doubt—and how a shift from victimhood to responsibility opened the door to unexpected clarity, healing, and abundance.

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André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

___________

00:00 Intro - David Ghiyam

04:57 The light of the Creator

08:25 External teaching vs internal understanding

12:36 Kabbalah in the life of David

18:39 What is the source of consciousness?

26:50 The trap of “needing” energy

31:00 Ad: Mudwtr

32:21 Does everything happen for a reason?

39:43 The magnetic quality of being whole

52:51 The role of business in our spiritual paths

59:55 Protecting the seed

1:09:08 How to practice trust in your intuition

1:18:18 One spiritual law people violate daily

1:29:26 Closing thoughts

___________

Episode Resources:

https://www.instagram.com/davidghiyam

https://www.davidghiyam.com/

https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/

https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast

https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com

In this conversation, Reggie Watts explores creativity not as a skill reserved for a few, but as the fundamental way human beings relate to reality itself. From comedy and music to improvisation, paradox, and play, Reggie reflects on how we’re constantly creating our experience of life—often without realizing it.

We talk about absurdity as a doorway to truth, humor as a form of instantaneous awakening, and why laughter momentarily dissolves identity, ideology, and certainty. Reggie shares how improvisation shapes his philosophy of living, why structure exists to be transcended, and how playfulness restores a sense of freedom in a world that often feels rigid and over-defined.

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André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

___________

00:00 Intro - Reggie Watts

04:54 The absurdity of being human

07:21 The insight gained through self-reflection

11:34 The philosophy of improv

19:06 Realizing the artist in you

24:27 Ad: BON CHARGE

25:44 Reggie’s form of death meditation

38:14 Altered states as a reference point

46:09 Not all transpersonal experiences are equal

52:43 Reframing anxiety after altered states

1:03:25 It’s all an illusion

1:12:44 Service to self vs service to others

1:19:28 Building community

1:23:15 Closing thoughts

___________

Episode Resources:

https://www.reggie-watts.com/

https://www.instagram.com/reggiewatts

https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/

https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast

https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com

In this conversation, Jesse Michels joins me to explore a question that’s becoming harder to dismiss: what if the phenomenon we call UFOs points to something real—and we don’t yet know what it is? Rather than arguing for belief or disbelief, this episode is an invitation to curiosity, careful inquiry, and intellectual honesty about the limits of our current understanding.

We examine historical UFO encounters near nuclear sites, government secrecy, and the growing body of anomalies that don’t sit comfortably within a purely materialist worldview. This is a conversation about staying grounded while remaining open. About asking better questions. And about whether phenomena like UFOs, non-human intelligence, or something we haven’t yet named might be nudging us to expand how we think about reality, consciousness, and our place in the universe.

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André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

___________

00:00 Intro

06:36 Questioning the Nature of Reality

09:18 A Timeline of Non-Human Intelligence Evidence

23:37 Why Nuclear Sites Attract Attention

31:55 Extraordinary Claims, Extraordinary Evidence

40:29 Ad: Momentous

41:51 Letting Go of Human-Centric Thinking

47:49 Studying Claims Without Dismissing People

58:58 Non-Human Biologics and Physical Evidence

1:06:10 Ad: Boncharge

1:07:25 What May Have Been Quietly Explored

1:18:55 The Hidden Branch of Physics

1:26:38 Reframing Aliens Through Consciousness

1:33:33 Grays, Nordics, and Reptilians Explained

1:40:10 Why We Don’t See Reality Directly

1:53:58 Glimpses Outside Linear Time

1:58:44 Why Aliens Look Strangely Human

2:07:32 Shared Phenomena in Altered States

2:15:32 Jesse’s Personal UFO Experiences

2:23:35 The Monolith as a Metaphor

2:29:07 The Problem With Visual Proof

2:35:24 What Is Actually Happening?

2:46:47 Voices Worth Listening To

2:51:22 What Would You Ask an Alien?

2:53:19 Closing Thoughts

___________

Episode Resources:

https://www.youtube.com/Jessemichels

https://www.instagram.com/jessemichelsofficial/

https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/

https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast

https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com