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 (31:32) The Aliveness and Wealth of Unique Expression (38:51) Characteristics of Authenticity and Service (46:49) The Transformative Power of a 40-Day Experience in Nature

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. 

I was interested in Cyan on the show to understand how her consciousness journey has shaped her approach to her career and life.

For full show notes: https://blog.scottbritton.me/s/evolutionfm-podcast

(00:00) Introduction and Background (03:03) Exploring Consciousness: A Journey of Questions and Answers (06:03) The Power of Being Present: Finding Contentment in the Present Moment (08:59) The Ripple Effect: Investing in Others' Success (11:52) The Connection Between Individuals and the Collective Subconscious (32:24) Visualization and Synchronicity (36:07) Suppression of Knowledge and Control (39:19) The Power of Consciousness (45:43) The Dark Side and the Light Side (49:03) Consciousness and Entrepreneurship (52:29) Expanding Awareness and Creating Easier (56:21) Leadership and Self-Reflection (58:57) Being a Better Version of Yourself

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 things which makes life more difficult.

A big influence on Sean’s perspective is the 7 Hermetic principles. These principles attempt to explain the nature of reality, consciousness, and the universe.

For full show notes: https://blog.scottbritton.me/s/evolutionfm-podcast (00:00) Introduction and Background (00:49) The Evolution of Abundance (02:26) From Taking to Receiving (03:26) Knowing Oneself (09:40) Healing as an Instant State of Worthiness (13:09) The Power of Self-Awareness (34:32) Self-Awareness and Holding Space for Healing (35:25) Embracing Karma and Taking Responsibility (36:32) Moving Out of Linearity and Shaping Reality (41:24) Finding Balance and Stillness Within (45:18) Being Intentional About Energy and Abundance

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 recognizes the challenges this can create in our current version of capitalism.  

Dave Hersh is serial entrepreneur, founding CEO of Jive (NASD: JIVE), partner at Metamorph Partners, and author of the new book Reignition. 

In this conversation, we discuss how inner transformation can change the trajectory of your career and company.

For full show notes: https://blog.scottbritton.me/s/evolutionfm-podcast

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: https://blog.scottbritton.me/s/evolutionfm-podcast

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 can be incredibly challenging. 

For full show notes: https://blog.scottbritton.me/s/evolutionfm-podcast

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 treatment) and that the western medical system had many things wrong.

This is a pretty big deal considering she had spent many years studying, establishing herself, and creating a certain lifestyle. Her decision created lots of dramatic upheaval that we discuss in our conversation.

For full show notes: https://blog.scottbritton.me/s/evolutionfm-podcast

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: https://blog.scottbritton.me/s/evolutionfm-podcast

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 family systems (IFS). Instead of having to wait to talk to a therapist every other week, you can use the app to guide you through IFS on demand. For full show notes: https://blog.scottbritton.me/s/evolutionfm-podcast

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 healing journey, he became fascinated by psychedelics. His background in chemical engineering and being born in Iran, pushed him to study the role of these substances in ancient Iranian mysticism and eventually create a company that provides access to similar experiences. 

For full show notes: https://blog.scottbritton.me/s/evolutionfm-podcast