Attention Copilot with Pranab Transistor (https://transistor.fm) https://feeds.transistor.fm/attncopilot Conversations about deep end meditation, skills for emotional fluidity, and living a life with more authenticity. All grounded in our work and relationships. © 2026 Chith LLC 0d2d30d8-a215-5014-8099-70f89018fab9 no en Tue, 20 Oct 2026 19:20:53 -0500 Tue, 20 Oct 2026 19:21:16 -0500 https://attncopilot.com/podcast https://img.transistorcdn.com/OXIiQDPugX3m6kkoC4NuVlqIRS78BMDsZnR1mW_C3xw/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8yMDI1/MTk0YTE4MTRkMDll/ZmM3NTU3NDJjODQ0/Y2RkMS5wbmc.jpg Attention Copilot with Pranab https://attncopilot.com/podcast episodic Pranab Sachithanandan Conversations about deep end meditation, skills for emotional fluidity, and living a life with more authenticity. All grounded in our work and relationships. Conversations about deep end meditation, skills for emotional fluidity, and living a life with more authenticity. Pranab No No Dr. Gena Gorlin: The Builder’s Mindset and the Psychology of Ambition 9 9 Dr. Gena Gorlin: The Builder’s Mindset and the Psychology of Ambition full 398c1ac7-7310-426c-99cc-f94c3a6d2b36 https://share.transistor.fm/s/7f9723a6 I spoke with Dr. Gena Gorlin about the Builder’s Mindset, self-authorship, and how we can update beliefs and behaviours. 


Timestamps:


0:00 Introspection vs rumination
4:28 The Builder’s Mindset and treating life as your central project
17:39 Drill Sergeant, Zen Guru, and the Builder
25:39 Choosing your own ladder and making work meaningful
38:22 Are we naturally builders?
45:27 “Death is the default; default is not destiny”
53:19 From repairing yourself to building your life
1:01:54 How beliefs change
1:08:27 Noisy minds, intrusive thoughts, and OCD
1:14:47 The Builder’s Mindset in relationships

Gena is a psychologist, founder coach, and Clinical Associate Professor at UT Austin. She is writing a forthcoming book with Penguin on the Builder’s Mindset.


We discuss Gena’s Drill Sergeant, Zen Guru, and Builder framework: pushing yourself up inherited ladders, stepping away from them, or deciding what actually matters to you and building from there.


We talk about meaningful work, therapy as repair versus building, parts work, changing entrenched beliefs, intrusive thoughts, and why Gena sees healthy relationships as fundamentally positive-sum.

Learn more through Gena’s newsletter, The Psychology of Ambition.


This podcast is sponsored by Attention Copilot (attncopilot.com). You can spend all day working and still avoid the things that would make the biggest difference. Our coaches help you identify, prioritize, and face them. During an 80-minute to three-hour call, you settle in, share your screen, and do your actual work. Your coach helps you work through stress, make decisions, and stay clear-headed. Over time, you can feel more satisfied with your weeks, more confident taking on bigger things, and more at ease in your work.

Gena links

Gena’s forthcoming book is being published with Penguin and is currently projected for fall 2027. Paid subscribers to The Psychology of Ambition can also book a complimentary 30-minute conversation with Gena.

Resources mentioned

]]> I spoke with Dr. Gena Gorlin about the Builder’s Mindset, self-authorship, and how we can update beliefs and behaviours. 


Timestamps:


0:00 Introspection vs rumination
4:28 The Builder’s Mindset and treating life as your central project
17:39 Drill Sergeant, Zen Guru, and the Builder
25:39 Choosing your own ladder and making work meaningful
38:22 Are we naturally builders?
45:27 “Death is the default; default is not destiny”
53:19 From repairing yourself to building your life
1:01:54 How beliefs change
1:08:27 Noisy minds, intrusive thoughts, and OCD
1:14:47 The Builder’s Mindset in relationships

Gena is a psychologist, founder coach, and Clinical Associate Professor at UT Austin. She is writing a forthcoming book with Penguin on the Builder’s Mindset.


We discuss Gena’s Drill Sergeant, Zen Guru, and Builder framework: pushing yourself up inherited ladders, stepping away from them, or deciding what actually matters to you and building from there.


We talk about meaningful work, therapy as repair versus building, parts work, changing entrenched beliefs, intrusive thoughts, and why Gena sees healthy relationships as fundamentally positive-sum.

Learn more through Gena’s newsletter, The Psychology of Ambition.


This podcast is sponsored by Attention Copilot (attncopilot.com). You can spend all day working and still avoid the things that would make the biggest difference. Our coaches help you identify, prioritize, and face them. During an 80-minute to three-hour call, you settle in, share your screen, and do your actual work. Your coach helps you work through stress, make decisions, and stay clear-headed. Over time, you can feel more satisfied with your weeks, more confident taking on bigger things, and more at ease in your work.

Gena links

Gena’s forthcoming book is being published with Penguin and is currently projected for fall 2027. Paid subscribers to The Psychology of Ambition can also book a complimentary 30-minute conversation with Gena.

Resources mentioned

]]> Thu, 15 Oct 2026 14:21:33 -0500 Pranab Sachithanandan Watch on YouTube Pranab Sachithanandan 4989 I spoke with Dr. Gena Gorlin about the Builder’s Mindset, self-authorship, and how we can update beliefs and behaviours. 


Timestamps:


0:00 Introspection vs rumination
4:28 The Builder’s Mindset and treating life as your central project
17:39 Drill Sergeant, Zen Guru, and the Builder
25:39 Choosing your own ladder and making work meaningful
38:22 Are we naturally builders?
45:27 “Death is the default; default is not destiny”
53:19 From repairing yourself to building your life
1:01:54 How beliefs change
1:08:27 Noisy minds, intrusive thoughts, and OCD
1:14:47 The Builder’s Mindset in relationships

Gena is a psychologist, founder coach, and Clinical Associate Professor at UT Austin. She is writing a forthcoming book with Penguin on the Builder’s Mindset.


We discuss Gena’s Drill Sergeant, Zen Guru, and Builder framework: pushing yourself up inherited ladders, stepping away from them, or deciding what actually matters to you and building from there.


We talk about meaningful work, therapy as repair versus building, parts work, changing entrenched beliefs, intrusive thoughts, and why Gena sees healthy relationships as fundamentally positive-sum.

Learn more through Gena’s newsletter, The Psychology of Ambition.


This podcast is sponsored by Attention Copilot (attncopilot.com). You can spend all day working and still avoid the things that would make the biggest difference. Our coaches help you identify, prioritize, and face them. During an 80-minute to three-hour call, you settle in, share your screen, and do your actual work. Your coach helps you work through stress, make decisions, and stay clear-headed. Over time, you can feel more satisfied with your weeks, more confident taking on bigger things, and more at ease in your work.

Gena links

Gena’s forthcoming book is being published with Penguin and is currently projected for fall 2027. Paid subscribers to The Psychology of Ambition can also book a complimentary 30-minute conversation with Gena.

Resources mentioned

]]> Gena Gorlin, Builder’s Mindset, psychology of ambition, ambition, self-authorship, agency, introspection, rumination, meaningful work, founders, entrepreneurship, founder psychology, hustle culture, self-care culture, Drill Sergeant, Zen Guru, therapy, Internal Family Systems, IFS, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, ACT, behavior change, intrusive thoughts, OCD, relationships No Maija Haavisto: Meditation, Dissociation, and Healing 8 8 Maija Haavisto: Meditation, Dissociation, and Healing full 8850d3e2-7350-4992-84da-cc09c8e24818 https://share.transistor.fm/s/38ef7d09 I spoke with Maija Haavisto about meditation, dissociation, living with chronic illness, and her severe physical symptoms after a nondual shift.

Timestamps

0:00 Chronic illness, loving-kindness, and discovering meditation
8:55 When meditation helps and harms
18:29 Awakening, suffering, and spirituality as connection
25:18 Two forms of dissociation
32:20 Trauma, parts, and the fiction of personality disorders
39:29 Is society built on dissociation?
46:23 Why you can’t speedrun healing
59:04 Somatic parts work
1:01:57 Nonduality, energy, and physical illness
1:20:05 Bulgaria, intuition, and spiritual practice

Maija Haavisto is a writer, therapist, and author of Loving Awakening and Shattered White-Out.

We discuss meditation’s benefits and risks, how to view all inner and relational dynamics through a "parts model" of the mind, and the function of dissociation.

We also talk about the label of personality disorder, speedrunning healing, somatic work, and Maija’s experience of physical illness following meditation and nondual shifts. We finish with her move to Bulgaria, Balkan music, and her changing relationship to spiritual practice.

This podcast is sponsored by Attention Copilot (attncopilot.com). You can spend all day working and still avoid deep work on the things that would make the biggest difference. Our coaches help you identify, prioritize, and face them. During an 80-minute to three-hour call, your coach helps you work through stress, make decisions, and stay clear-headed as you make progress on actual work. As you build this skill, you can feel more satisfied with your weeks, more confident taking on bigger things, and more at ease in your work.

Maija links


Website

Medium

X

YouTube

Guiding and somatic work
Books and writing

Both Loving Awakening and Shattered White-Out are available to download for free. You can reach out to Maija to explore working with her.

Resources mentioned

• Loving Awakening: A Practical Guide to Embodied Spirituality and Healing with Metta, IFS, the Imaginal and Community — Maija Haavisto

• Shattered White-Out: How Trauma and Dissociation Mold the World, Your Relationships and You — Maija Haavisto

• Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation (TWIM)

• Internal Family Systems (IFS)

• Maija’s guided meditations and hypnosis

• Ken McLeod — Unfettered Mind

]]> I spoke with Maija Haavisto about meditation, dissociation, living with chronic illness, and her severe physical symptoms after a nondual shift.

Timestamps

0:00 Chronic illness, loving-kindness, and discovering meditation
8:55 When meditation helps and harms
18:29 Awakening, suffering, and spirituality as connection
25:18 Two forms of dissociation
32:20 Trauma, parts, and the fiction of personality disorders
39:29 Is society built on dissociation?
46:23 Why you can’t speedrun healing
59:04 Somatic parts work
1:01:57 Nonduality, energy, and physical illness
1:20:05 Bulgaria, intuition, and spiritual practice

Maija Haavisto is a writer, therapist, and author of Loving Awakening and Shattered White-Out.

We discuss meditation’s benefits and risks, how to view all inner and relational dynamics through a "parts model" of the mind, and the function of dissociation.

We also talk about the label of personality disorder, speedrunning healing, somatic work, and Maija’s experience of physical illness following meditation and nondual shifts. We finish with her move to Bulgaria, Balkan music, and her changing relationship to spiritual practice.

This podcast is sponsored by Attention Copilot (attncopilot.com). You can spend all day working and still avoid deep work on the things that would make the biggest difference. Our coaches help you identify, prioritize, and face them. During an 80-minute to three-hour call, your coach helps you work through stress, make decisions, and stay clear-headed as you make progress on actual work. As you build this skill, you can feel more satisfied with your weeks, more confident taking on bigger things, and more at ease in your work.

Maija links


Website

Medium

X

YouTube

Guiding and somatic work
Books and writing

Both Loving Awakening and Shattered White-Out are available to download for free. You can reach out to Maija to explore working with her.

Resources mentioned

• Loving Awakening: A Practical Guide to Embodied Spirituality and Healing with Metta, IFS, the Imaginal and Community — Maija Haavisto

• Shattered White-Out: How Trauma and Dissociation Mold the World, Your Relationships and You — Maija Haavisto

• Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation (TWIM)

• Internal Family Systems (IFS)

• Maija’s guided meditations and hypnosis

• Ken McLeod — Unfettered Mind

]]> Thu, 08 Oct 2026 07:59:16 -0500 Pranab Sachithanandan Watch on YouTube Pranab Sachithanandan 5246 I spoke with Maija Haavisto about meditation, dissociation, living with chronic illness, and her severe physical symptoms after a nondual shift.

Timestamps

0:00 Chronic illness, loving-kindness, and discovering meditation
8:55 When meditation helps and harms
18:29 Awakening, suffering, and spirituality as connection
25:18 Two forms of dissociation
32:20 Trauma, parts, and the fiction of personality disorders
39:29 Is society built on dissociation?
46:23 Why you can’t speedrun healing
59:04 Somatic parts work
1:01:57 Nonduality, energy, and physical illness
1:20:05 Bulgaria, intuition, and spiritual practice

Maija Haavisto is a writer, therapist, and author of Loving Awakening and Shattered White-Out.

We discuss meditation’s benefits and risks, how to view all inner and relational dynamics through a "parts model" of the mind, and the function of dissociation.

We also talk about the label of personality disorder, speedrunning healing, somatic work, and Maija’s experience of physical illness following meditation and nondual shifts. We finish with her move to Bulgaria, Balkan music, and her changing relationship to spiritual practice.

This podcast is sponsored by Attention Copilot (attncopilot.com). You can spend all day working and still avoid deep work on the things that would make the biggest difference. Our coaches help you identify, prioritize, and face them. During an 80-minute to three-hour call, your coach helps you work through stress, make decisions, and stay clear-headed as you make progress on actual work. As you build this skill, you can feel more satisfied with your weeks, more confident taking on bigger things, and more at ease in your work.

Maija links


Website

Medium

X

YouTube

Guiding and somatic work
Books and writing

Both Loving Awakening and Shattered White-Out are available to download for free. You can reach out to Maija to explore working with her.

Resources mentioned

• Loving Awakening: A Practical Guide to Embodied Spirituality and Healing with Metta, IFS, the Imaginal and Community — Maija Haavisto

• Shattered White-Out: How Trauma and Dissociation Mold the World, Your Relationships and You — Maija Haavisto

• Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation (TWIM)

• Internal Family Systems (IFS)

• Maija’s guided meditations and hypnosis

• Ken McLeod — Unfettered Mind

]]> Maija Haavisto, Loving Awakening, Shattered White-Out, meditation, meditation risks, awakening, nonduality, chronic illness, myalgic encephalomyelitis, trauma, dissociation, structural dissociation, Internal Family Systems, IFS, parts work, somatic therapy, somatic parts work, compassion, loving-kindness meditation, jhanas, TWIM, spirituality, healing, personality disorders, autonomic nervous system No Dan Grossman: Somatics, Psychedelics, and Scientific Rigor 7 7 Dan Grossman: Somatics, Psychedelics, and Scientific Rigor full d5dc01c9-c62f-4214-a66e-811d20b12747 https://share.transistor.fm/s/a135ce0d I spoke with Dan Grossman about how to take the somatic side of psychedelics and therapy seriously. Along the way, we explore the relationship between compelling narratives, meaningful experiences, and good science.


Dan is a clinical psychology PhD candidate studying the bodily dimensions of psychedelic experiences, including shaking, movement, and vocalization, which many describe as central to their healing work.


People can find these experiences deeply meaningful and healing, and it’s interesting that they seem to show up across different substances. But that doesn’t necessarily confirm the explanations we attach to them. Does the body literally store and release trauma? What evidence supports the idea that animals “shake off” traumatic experiences? And how should we approach frameworks like polyvagal theory when people find them useful, but their scientific claims remain contested?

We also discuss parts work, the role of symbols and imagery in healing, and the relationship between meditation and therapy. Dan describes meditation as a form of “epistemic hygiene”: a way to engage with powerful experiences without taking every interpretation at face value. Throughout, we ask how the worlds of vibes and science might learn from each other.

You can get in contact with Dan via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-grossman-906873119

This podcast is sponsored by Attention Copilot (attncopilot.com). You can spend all day working and still avoid the things that would make the biggest difference. Our somatic productivity coaches help you identify, prioritize, and face them. During an 80-minute to three-hour call, you settle in, share your screen, and do your actual work. Your coach helps you work through stress, make decisions, and stay clear-headed. Over time, you can feel more satisfied with your weeks, more confident taking on bigger things, and more at ease in your work.

]]> I spoke with Dan Grossman about how to take the somatic side of psychedelics and therapy seriously. Along the way, we explore the relationship between compelling narratives, meaningful experiences, and good science.


Dan is a clinical psychology PhD candidate studying the bodily dimensions of psychedelic experiences, including shaking, movement, and vocalization, which many describe as central to their healing work.


People can find these experiences deeply meaningful and healing, and it’s interesting that they seem to show up across different substances. But that doesn’t necessarily confirm the explanations we attach to them. Does the body literally store and release trauma? What evidence supports the idea that animals “shake off” traumatic experiences? And how should we approach frameworks like polyvagal theory when people find them useful, but their scientific claims remain contested?

We also discuss parts work, the role of symbols and imagery in healing, and the relationship between meditation and therapy. Dan describes meditation as a form of “epistemic hygiene”: a way to engage with powerful experiences without taking every interpretation at face value. Throughout, we ask how the worlds of vibes and science might learn from each other.

You can get in contact with Dan via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-grossman-906873119

This podcast is sponsored by Attention Copilot (attncopilot.com). You can spend all day working and still avoid the things that would make the biggest difference. Our somatic productivity coaches help you identify, prioritize, and face them. During an 80-minute to three-hour call, you settle in, share your screen, and do your actual work. Your coach helps you work through stress, make decisions, and stay clear-headed. Over time, you can feel more satisfied with your weeks, more confident taking on bigger things, and more at ease in your work.

]]> Mon, 14 Sep 2026 13:09:04 -0500 Pranab Sachithanandan Watch on YouTube Pranab Sachithanandan 2670 I spoke with Dan Grossman about how to take the somatic side of psychedelics and therapy seriously. Along the way, we explore the relationship between compelling narratives, meaningful experiences, and good science.


Dan is a clinical psychology PhD candidate studying the bodily dimensions of psychedelic experiences, including shaking, movement, and vocalization, which many describe as central to their healing work.


People can find these experiences deeply meaningful and healing, and it’s interesting that they seem to show up across different substances. But that doesn’t necessarily confirm the explanations we attach to them. Does the body literally store and release trauma? What evidence supports the idea that animals “shake off” traumatic experiences? And how should we approach frameworks like polyvagal theory when people find them useful, but their scientific claims remain contested?

We also discuss parts work, the role of symbols and imagery in healing, and the relationship between meditation and therapy. Dan describes meditation as a form of “epistemic hygiene”: a way to engage with powerful experiences without taking every interpretation at face value. Throughout, we ask how the worlds of vibes and science might learn from each other.

You can get in contact with Dan via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-grossman-906873119

This podcast is sponsored by Attention Copilot (attncopilot.com). You can spend all day working and still avoid the things that would make the biggest difference. Our somatic productivity coaches help you identify, prioritize, and face them. During an 80-minute to three-hour call, you settle in, share your screen, and do your actual work. Your coach helps you work through stress, make decisions, and stay clear-headed. Over time, you can feel more satisfied with your weeks, more confident taking on bigger things, and more at ease in your work.

]]> No Scott Britton: Conscious Accomplishment and Using Work to Deepen Your Growth 6 6 Scott Britton: Conscious Accomplishment and Using Work to Deepen Your Growth full 7c06f024-9cdd-4c3c-8976-a999c85c10c6 https://share.transistor.fm/s/08572bfd Scott Britton and I explore how ambition and spiritual practice can become one path. We talk about using resistance at work as data, widening the choices we can see, and building a culture where inner development supports meaningful action. Learn more through Scott’s website, his book Conscious Accomplishment, his recruiting firm Conscious Talent, and the EvolutionFM podcast.

0:00 Integrating ambition and spiritual practice
4:22 The limits of “succeed first, wake up later”
8:05 How business coaches make spiritual ideas usable
13:45 The outside-in paradigm behind achievement
19:04 Resistance is data, not proof of misalignment
22:24 How stress hides better options
25:24 Better thinking inside the box versus expanding the box
28:20 Awareness as a practical source of capacity
31:50 Holding truth lightly in disagreement
35:31 Hiring people who already value development
40:24 Self-leadership makes flatter organizations possible
41:52 AI raises the value of small, mature teams
46:53 Pausing work can be the higher-leverage move
48:54 Who Conscious Accomplishment is designed to help
52:46 The inverse journey: from spirituality back to action

]]> Scott Britton and I explore how ambition and spiritual practice can become one path. We talk about using resistance at work as data, widening the choices we can see, and building a culture where inner development supports meaningful action. Learn more through Scott’s website, his book Conscious Accomplishment, his recruiting firm Conscious Talent, and the EvolutionFM podcast.

0:00 Integrating ambition and spiritual practice
4:22 The limits of “succeed first, wake up later”
8:05 How business coaches make spiritual ideas usable
13:45 The outside-in paradigm behind achievement
19:04 Resistance is data, not proof of misalignment
22:24 How stress hides better options
25:24 Better thinking inside the box versus expanding the box
28:20 Awareness as a practical source of capacity
31:50 Holding truth lightly in disagreement
35:31 Hiring people who already value development
40:24 Self-leadership makes flatter organizations possible
41:52 AI raises the value of small, mature teams
46:53 Pausing work can be the higher-leverage move
48:54 Who Conscious Accomplishment is designed to help
52:46 The inverse journey: from spirituality back to action

]]> Sun, 23 Aug 2026 14:26:10 -0500 Pranab Sachithanandan Watch on YouTube Pranab Sachithanandan 3257 Scott Britton and I explore how ambition and spiritual practice can become one path. We talk about using resistance at work as data, widening the choices we can see, and building a culture where inner development supports meaningful action. Learn more through Scott’s website, his book Conscious Accomplishment, his recruiting firm Conscious Talent, and the EvolutionFM podcast.

0:00 Integrating ambition and spiritual practice
4:22 The limits of “succeed first, wake up later”
8:05 How business coaches make spiritual ideas usable
13:45 The outside-in paradigm behind achievement
19:04 Resistance is data, not proof of misalignment
22:24 How stress hides better options
25:24 Better thinking inside the box versus expanding the box
28:20 Awareness as a practical source of capacity
31:50 Holding truth lightly in disagreement
35:31 Hiring people who already value development
40:24 Self-leadership makes flatter organizations possible
41:52 AI raises the value of small, mature teams
46:53 Pausing work can be the higher-leverage move
48:54 Who Conscious Accomplishment is designed to help
52:46 The inverse journey: from spirituality back to action

]]> No Michael Taft: Intro to His Meditations and the Stack Model 5 5 Michael Taft: Intro to His Meditations and the Stack Model full d7bbb0ef-a442-41fb-81be-407d40e0f28a https://share.transistor.fm/s/34b3232b Michael Taft is a meditation teacher, creator of the podcast Deconstructing Yourself, and co-founder of the Berkeley Alembic meditation center. 

This podcast serves as an introduction to his teaching and how to engage with his hundreds of guided, nondual meditations on youtube.

Resources:
Michael's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelTaft108
Deconstructing Yourself: https://deconstructingyourself.com
Michael's Courses: https://deconstructingyourself.org
- Hacking the Stack starts January 26, 2026

Timestamps:
0:45 Why students come to Michael after other resources (apps like Waking Up, retreats like Goenka and Jhourney, and books like The Mind Illuminated)
2:40 Where Michael fits in the meditation ecosystem
5:34 Respecting traditions while being meta-systematic
7:51 Where can practice actually go? The real goals
9:23 A student with severe chronic pain (morphine pump story)
14:38 Emotional pain uses the same brain circuitry
15:02 The Stack model, and understanding "progress" in meditation
16:47 Level 1: Conceptual (thinking about experience)
17:06 Level 2: Phenomenological (qualia, direct sensation)
21:36 Level 3: Flux (everything is changing)
24:45 Level 4: Openness and emptiness
28:14 Vast Sky Mind and applying the stack to all sense gates
30:00 Why Michael uses mantra, chanting, and visualization
31:45 The arc of Michael's guided meditations on YouTube
33:02 How to engage with Michael's work
35:00 The power of sangha and community

]]> Michael Taft is a meditation teacher, creator of the podcast Deconstructing Yourself, and co-founder of the Berkeley Alembic meditation center. 

This podcast serves as an introduction to his teaching and how to engage with his hundreds of guided, nondual meditations on youtube.

Resources:
Michael's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelTaft108
Deconstructing Yourself: https://deconstructingyourself.com
Michael's Courses: https://deconstructingyourself.org
- Hacking the Stack starts January 26, 2026

Timestamps:
0:45 Why students come to Michael after other resources (apps like Waking Up, retreats like Goenka and Jhourney, and books like The Mind Illuminated)
2:40 Where Michael fits in the meditation ecosystem
5:34 Respecting traditions while being meta-systematic
7:51 Where can practice actually go? The real goals
9:23 A student with severe chronic pain (morphine pump story)
14:38 Emotional pain uses the same brain circuitry
15:02 The Stack model, and understanding "progress" in meditation
16:47 Level 1: Conceptual (thinking about experience)
17:06 Level 2: Phenomenological (qualia, direct sensation)
21:36 Level 3: Flux (everything is changing)
24:45 Level 4: Openness and emptiness
28:14 Vast Sky Mind and applying the stack to all sense gates
30:00 Why Michael uses mantra, chanting, and visualization
31:45 The arc of Michael's guided meditations on YouTube
33:02 How to engage with Michael's work
35:00 The power of sangha and community

]]> Tue, 20 Jan 2026 13:30:19 -0600 Pranab Sachithanandan Watch on YouTube Pranab Sachithanandan 2247 Michael Taft is a meditation teacher, creator of the podcast Deconstructing Yourself, and co-founder of the Berkeley Alembic meditation center. 

This podcast serves as an introduction to his teaching and how to engage with his hundreds of guided, nondual meditations on youtube.

Resources:
Michael's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelTaft108
Deconstructing Yourself: https://deconstructingyourself.com
Michael's Courses: https://deconstructingyourself.org
- Hacking the Stack starts January 26, 2026

Timestamps:
0:45 Why students come to Michael after other resources (apps like Waking Up, retreats like Goenka and Jhourney, and books like The Mind Illuminated)
2:40 Where Michael fits in the meditation ecosystem
5:34 Respecting traditions while being meta-systematic
7:51 Where can practice actually go? The real goals
9:23 A student with severe chronic pain (morphine pump story)
14:38 Emotional pain uses the same brain circuitry
15:02 The Stack model, and understanding "progress" in meditation
16:47 Level 1: Conceptual (thinking about experience)
17:06 Level 2: Phenomenological (qualia, direct sensation)
21:36 Level 3: Flux (everything is changing)
24:45 Level 4: Openness and emptiness
28:14 Vast Sky Mind and applying the stack to all sense gates
30:00 Why Michael uses mantra, chanting, and visualization
31:45 The arc of Michael's guided meditations on YouTube
33:02 How to engage with Michael's work
35:00 The power of sangha and community

]]> No Anne Laure Le Cunff: The Fallacy of “Follow Your Passion” and the Power of Tiny Experiments 4 4 Anne Laure Le Cunff: The Fallacy of “Follow Your Passion” and the Power of Tiny Experiments full be10250b-c0e9-4f84-a423-52d399fa5b04 https://share.transistor.fm/s/291137e8 Anne-Laure is the author of Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World. She also founded Ness Labs, a learning community for ambitious knowledge workers. You can learn more about her work at https://nesslabs.com

01:30 – Anne-Laure’s shift from Silicon Valley’s default success script
03:30 – Critique of the “follow your passion” fallacy
06:00 – Pranab’s personal experiment in meaningful work
11:20 – Cynicism as emotional self-protection
16:30 – Audience unpredictability and the paradox of online writing
18:30 – Pact method and intentional habit formation
24:00 – Four mindsets model: Cynicism, Escapism, Perfectionism, Experimentalism
45:30 – ADHD, hyper-curiosity, and evolutionary perspectives
53:10 – Mindful productivity and managing emotions in knowledge work
56:00 – Emotional coping strategies, interstitial journaling, and metacognition

]]> Anne-Laure is the author of Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World. She also founded Ness Labs, a learning community for ambitious knowledge workers. You can learn more about her work at https://nesslabs.com

01:30 – Anne-Laure’s shift from Silicon Valley’s default success script
03:30 – Critique of the “follow your passion” fallacy
06:00 – Pranab’s personal experiment in meaningful work
11:20 – Cynicism as emotional self-protection
16:30 – Audience unpredictability and the paradox of online writing
18:30 – Pact method and intentional habit formation
24:00 – Four mindsets model: Cynicism, Escapism, Perfectionism, Experimentalism
45:30 – ADHD, hyper-curiosity, and evolutionary perspectives
53:10 – Mindful productivity and managing emotions in knowledge work
56:00 – Emotional coping strategies, interstitial journaling, and metacognition

]]> Sat, 22 Nov 2025 17:14:00 -0600 Pranab Sachithanandan Watch on YouTube Pranab Sachithanandan 3750 Anne-Laure is the author of Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World. She also founded Ness Labs, a learning community for ambitious knowledge workers. You can learn more about her work at https://nesslabs.com

01:30 – Anne-Laure’s shift from Silicon Valley’s default success script
03:30 – Critique of the “follow your passion” fallacy
06:00 – Pranab’s personal experiment in meaningful work
11:20 – Cynicism as emotional self-protection
16:30 – Audience unpredictability and the paradox of online writing
18:30 – Pact method and intentional habit formation
24:00 – Four mindsets model: Cynicism, Escapism, Perfectionism, Experimentalism
45:30 – ADHD, hyper-curiosity, and evolutionary perspectives
53:10 – Mindful productivity and managing emotions in knowledge work
56:00 – Emotional coping strategies, interstitial journaling, and metacognition

]]> No Becoming a Sane Saint with Tucker Peck 3 3 Becoming a Sane Saint with Tucker Peck full b80508b6-c8f4-42e7-ac73-f9f9d0f3b9cd https://share.transistor.fm/s/28d0a6ed Dr. Tucker Peck is a meditation teacher, therapist, and author of "Sanity and Sainthood: Integrating Meditation and Psychotherapy". Check out his website (https://meditatewithtucker.com/) and Twitter (https://x.com/tucker_peck) where you can learn about his upcoming retreats, teachings (eg. Motivational Interviewing course which I highly recommend), and more.

We talk about:
- "content and process" in meditation and therapy, and how to tell when you're imbalanced on either side (hazy vs crazy)
- compassion, warmth, and parts work re: The Mind Illuminated
- where distinctions break down at the deep end of practice (eg. 8th jhana, Awakening vs. Liberation referencing @shamilch's work)

00:41 - Content vs Process: The core distinction between therapy and meditation
03:15 - Common traps: Going too hard in either direction
06:23 - Parts work failure modes: When IFS becomes reactive and narcissistic
09:03 - The role of warmth, compassion, and meta in practice
12:15 - Self-hatred as the "common cold" of globalized mental health
15:17 - View and intention: How dharma can become self-abuse
18:17 - The Mind Illuminated: Control vs acceptance based on individual needs
20:27 - Michael Taft's advice: "Cultivate more dullness"
23:54 - Do-nothing practice: From literal non-action to ego recognition
25:44 - When content and process blend together in advanced states
28:50 - The uncertainty principle: You can't observe both simultaneously
31:33 - Content exists at a "medium lens of analysis"
34:26 - Journey meditation and jhana "junkies"
37:03 - The unfabricated/deathless in Theravada tradition
41:40 - Awakening vs Liberation: Shamil Chandaria's model
45:26 - Going big vs going small: Different paths to awakening
48:12 - Tucker's experience: Big path leading to small path work
51:35 - Skillful refabrication: Buddhism vs New Age worldviews
53:48 - Raw data vs conceptual overlay: The breath example
55:47 - Staying grounded while gaining interpretive flexibility

]]> Dr. Tucker Peck is a meditation teacher, therapist, and author of "Sanity and Sainthood: Integrating Meditation and Psychotherapy". Check out his website (https://meditatewithtucker.com/) and Twitter (https://x.com/tucker_peck) where you can learn about his upcoming retreats, teachings (eg. Motivational Interviewing course which I highly recommend), and more.

We talk about:
- "content and process" in meditation and therapy, and how to tell when you're imbalanced on either side (hazy vs crazy)
- compassion, warmth, and parts work re: The Mind Illuminated
- where distinctions break down at the deep end of practice (eg. 8th jhana, Awakening vs. Liberation referencing @shamilch's work)

00:41 - Content vs Process: The core distinction between therapy and meditation
03:15 - Common traps: Going too hard in either direction
06:23 - Parts work failure modes: When IFS becomes reactive and narcissistic
09:03 - The role of warmth, compassion, and meta in practice
12:15 - Self-hatred as the "common cold" of globalized mental health
15:17 - View and intention: How dharma can become self-abuse
18:17 - The Mind Illuminated: Control vs acceptance based on individual needs
20:27 - Michael Taft's advice: "Cultivate more dullness"
23:54 - Do-nothing practice: From literal non-action to ego recognition
25:44 - When content and process blend together in advanced states
28:50 - The uncertainty principle: You can't observe both simultaneously
31:33 - Content exists at a "medium lens of analysis"
34:26 - Journey meditation and jhana "junkies"
37:03 - The unfabricated/deathless in Theravada tradition
41:40 - Awakening vs Liberation: Shamil Chandaria's model
45:26 - Going big vs going small: Different paths to awakening
48:12 - Tucker's experience: Big path leading to small path work
51:35 - Skillful refabrication: Buddhism vs New Age worldviews
53:48 - Raw data vs conceptual overlay: The breath example
55:47 - Staying grounded while gaining interpretive flexibility

]]> Thu, 31 Jul 2025 23:36:35 -0500 Pranab Sachithanandan Watch on YouTube Pranab Sachithanandan 3349 Dr. Tucker Peck is a meditation teacher, therapist, and author of "Sanity and Sainthood: Integrating Meditation and Psychotherapy". Check out his website (https://meditatewithtucker.com/) and Twitter (https://x.com/tucker_peck) where you can learn about his upcoming retreats, teachings (eg. Motivational Interviewing course which I highly recommend), and more.

We talk about:
- "content and process" in meditation and therapy, and how to tell when you're imbalanced on either side (hazy vs crazy)
- compassion, warmth, and parts work re: The Mind Illuminated
- where distinctions break down at the deep end of practice (eg. 8th jhana, Awakening vs. Liberation referencing @shamilch's work)

00:41 - Content vs Process: The core distinction between therapy and meditation
03:15 - Common traps: Going too hard in either direction
06:23 - Parts work failure modes: When IFS becomes reactive and narcissistic
09:03 - The role of warmth, compassion, and meta in practice
12:15 - Self-hatred as the "common cold" of globalized mental health
15:17 - View and intention: How dharma can become self-abuse
18:17 - The Mind Illuminated: Control vs acceptance based on individual needs
20:27 - Michael Taft's advice: "Cultivate more dullness"
23:54 - Do-nothing practice: From literal non-action to ego recognition
25:44 - When content and process blend together in advanced states
28:50 - The uncertainty principle: You can't observe both simultaneously
31:33 - Content exists at a "medium lens of analysis"
34:26 - Journey meditation and jhana "junkies"
37:03 - The unfabricated/deathless in Theravada tradition
41:40 - Awakening vs Liberation: Shamil Chandaria's model
45:26 - Going big vs going small: Different paths to awakening
48:12 - Tucker's experience: Big path leading to small path work
51:35 - Skillful refabrication: Buddhism vs New Age worldviews
53:48 - Raw data vs conceptual overlay: The breath example
55:47 - Staying grounded while gaining interpretive flexibility

]]> No Peter McEwan: Tummo, Dzogchen, Lineage, and Healing 2 2 Peter McEwan: Tummo, Dzogchen, Lineage, and Healing full a4ad2073-164e-4889-87b0-2b0c89445d3a https://share.transistor.fm/s/db6f897a Peter McEwen is a meditation teacher in Boulder, Colorado. Visit his site (https://thefield.us) or https://x.com/techgnostic to learn more about his work.

00:00:00 Introduction and Upcoming Course on Tummo
00:04:56 Fruitional View and Dzogchen Practice
00:09:15 Self-Improvement vs. Self-Acceptance
00:10:12 Role of Emotions in Teaching
00:10:24 Emotional Healing in Practice
00:13:10 Understanding Tummo Practice
00:14:00 Explanation of Tummo Practice
00:15:11 Trapping Air in Central Channel
00:21:22 Healing Trauma with Tummo
00:24:52 Influences and Trainings
00:29:23 Secrecy in Lineages
00:34:24 Value of Tibetan Lineages
00:34:39 Monastic Safety and Structure
00:41:28 Reflections on Trungpa’s Legacy
00:45:39 Bruce Tift as a Teacher
00:51:58 Unconditional Kindness vs. Relative Behavior
00:56:12 Tolerance for Well-being
00:59:21 Untangling Self-sabotage Patterns
01:06:16 Upcoming Course Details

]]> Peter McEwen is a meditation teacher in Boulder, Colorado. Visit his site (https://thefield.us) or https://x.com/techgnostic to learn more about his work.

00:00:00 Introduction and Upcoming Course on Tummo
00:04:56 Fruitional View and Dzogchen Practice
00:09:15 Self-Improvement vs. Self-Acceptance
00:10:12 Role of Emotions in Teaching
00:10:24 Emotional Healing in Practice
00:13:10 Understanding Tummo Practice
00:14:00 Explanation of Tummo Practice
00:15:11 Trapping Air in Central Channel
00:21:22 Healing Trauma with Tummo
00:24:52 Influences and Trainings
00:29:23 Secrecy in Lineages
00:34:24 Value of Tibetan Lineages
00:34:39 Monastic Safety and Structure
00:41:28 Reflections on Trungpa’s Legacy
00:45:39 Bruce Tift as a Teacher
00:51:58 Unconditional Kindness vs. Relative Behavior
00:56:12 Tolerance for Well-being
00:59:21 Untangling Self-sabotage Patterns
01:06:16 Upcoming Course Details

]]> Tue, 06 Aug 2024 12:00:00 -0500 Pranab Sachithanandan Watch on YouTube Pranab Sachithanandan 4165 Peter McEwen is a meditation teacher in Boulder, Colorado. Visit his site (https://thefield.us) or https://x.com/techgnostic to learn more about his work.

00:00:00 Introduction and Upcoming Course on Tummo
00:04:56 Fruitional View and Dzogchen Practice
00:09:15 Self-Improvement vs. Self-Acceptance
00:10:12 Role of Emotions in Teaching
00:10:24 Emotional Healing in Practice
00:13:10 Understanding Tummo Practice
00:14:00 Explanation of Tummo Practice
00:15:11 Trapping Air in Central Channel
00:21:22 Healing Trauma with Tummo
00:24:52 Influences and Trainings
00:29:23 Secrecy in Lineages
00:34:24 Value of Tibetan Lineages
00:34:39 Monastic Safety and Structure
00:41:28 Reflections on Trungpa’s Legacy
00:45:39 Bruce Tift as a Teacher
00:51:58 Unconditional Kindness vs. Relative Behavior
00:56:12 Tolerance for Well-being
00:59:21 Untangling Self-sabotage Patterns
01:06:16 Upcoming Course Details

]]> No Christine (@christineist): Twitter, Journalling, IFS 1 1 Christine (@christineist): Twitter, Journalling, IFS full fb425c2b-5f7e-482f-9c7b-d970c95c38f3 https://share.transistor.fm/s/4b5990f8 In this podcast, I talk to Christine about about the twitter community where we became friends, her experience with journalling, and our journeys with IFS (internal family systems therapy) as a lens on life.

0:00 Climbing & community
6:20 How did Christine get into Twitter?
11:30 Experiential difference between CBT & IFS (cognitive behavioral therapy & internal family systems)
16:00 Impro, act before you think
18:10 IFS & Journalling, relationship to journalling
25:00 Documentation & 2nd Brain stuff
28:00 Life Timeline, atheist to agnostic
31:45 What are your values?
34:30 On imaginal thinking & somatic vs. visual IFS
41:00 Recurring IFS characters, parts constellations (“garlic cloves”)
46:20 Journaling, IFS, & Existential Kink. Understanding shadow work & existential kink
54:50 Being held by your Self, Self Love
57:00 IFS as a helpful ontology & framework
58:20 Should parts always exist or occupy a new role?
1:00:30 Oneness with division, enjoying the journey. Feeling like an orchestra.
1:06:20 IFS multiplicity of mind vs. Dissociative Identity Disorder

Further links:
Christine's twitter: twitter.com/christineist
Christine's mega Google doc: bit.ly/3IpZDtl
- Includes links to her "Intro to Twitter/TPOT" guide, IFS threads, "Life Timeline" doc, and more
She's also building a cozy, project-focused alternative to twitter called 3'rd space. Check it out: 3rdspace.app

-----
Check out my Twitter (most active): twitter.com/nopranablem
Read the newsletter (in progress): pranab.substack.com

]]> In this podcast, I talk to Christine about about the twitter community where we became friends, her experience with journalling, and our journeys with IFS (internal family systems therapy) as a lens on life.

0:00 Climbing & community
6:20 How did Christine get into Twitter?
11:30 Experiential difference between CBT & IFS (cognitive behavioral therapy & internal family systems)
16:00 Impro, act before you think
18:10 IFS & Journalling, relationship to journalling
25:00 Documentation & 2nd Brain stuff
28:00 Life Timeline, atheist to agnostic
31:45 What are your values?
34:30 On imaginal thinking & somatic vs. visual IFS
41:00 Recurring IFS characters, parts constellations (“garlic cloves”)
46:20 Journaling, IFS, & Existential Kink. Understanding shadow work & existential kink
54:50 Being held by your Self, Self Love
57:00 IFS as a helpful ontology & framework
58:20 Should parts always exist or occupy a new role?
1:00:30 Oneness with division, enjoying the journey. Feeling like an orchestra.
1:06:20 IFS multiplicity of mind vs. Dissociative Identity Disorder

Further links:
Christine's twitter: twitter.com/christineist
Christine's mega Google doc: bit.ly/3IpZDtl
- Includes links to her "Intro to Twitter/TPOT" guide, IFS threads, "Life Timeline" doc, and more
She's also building a cozy, project-focused alternative to twitter called 3'rd space. Check it out: 3rdspace.app

-----
Check out my Twitter (most active): twitter.com/nopranablem
Read the newsletter (in progress): pranab.substack.com

]]> Sun, 26 Mar 2023 17:31:36 -0500 Pranab Sachithanandan Watch on YouTube Pranab Sachithanandan 4153 In this podcast, I talk to Christine about about the twitter community where we became friends, her experience with journalling, and our journeys with IFS (internal family systems therapy) as a lens on life.

0:00 Climbing & community
6:20 How did Christine get into Twitter?
11:30 Experiential difference between CBT & IFS (cognitive behavioral therapy & internal family systems)
16:00 Impro, act before you think
18:10 IFS & Journalling, relationship to journalling
25:00 Documentation & 2nd Brain stuff
28:00 Life Timeline, atheist to agnostic
31:45 What are your values?
34:30 On imaginal thinking & somatic vs. visual IFS
41:00 Recurring IFS characters, parts constellations (“garlic cloves”)
46:20 Journaling, IFS, & Existential Kink. Understanding shadow work & existential kink
54:50 Being held by your Self, Self Love
57:00 IFS as a helpful ontology & framework
58:20 Should parts always exist or occupy a new role?
1:00:30 Oneness with division, enjoying the journey. Feeling like an orchestra.
1:06:20 IFS multiplicity of mind vs. Dissociative Identity Disorder

Further links:
Christine's twitter: twitter.com/christineist
Christine's mega Google doc: bit.ly/3IpZDtl
- Includes links to her "Intro to Twitter/TPOT" guide, IFS threads, "Life Timeline" doc, and more
She's also building a cozy, project-focused alternative to twitter called 3'rd space. Check it out: 3rdspace.app

-----
Check out my Twitter (most active): twitter.com/nopranablem
Read the newsletter (in progress): pranab.substack.com

]]> journalling, IFS, internal family systems, existential kink, twitter, tpot, community No