In this episode, Martin and Ricardo discuss the nuanced emotional landscapes of helplessness and hopelessness, and how they impact our ability to connect with ourselves and others. They explore the distinction between helplessness and hopelessness, using the Serenity Prayer as a lens for understanding what can and cannot be controlled. The hosts highlight how attending to small, manageable issues can foster a sense of agency. They also delve into how helplessness intersects with the need to be right versus the desire to know the truth, and how science’s embrace of degrees of truth offers a useful framework. Martin and Ricardo reflect on how helplessness relates to depression, trauma, and the urge for revenge, while emphasizing the importance of developing the capacity to feel.

In this thought-provoking episode on the theme of Money, the hosts explore the complex dynamics between money and personal independence. They discuss the decision to monetize creative endeavors, weighing its impact on authenticity and meaningful content. Delving into deeper questions, they reflect on what constitutes a healthy relationship with money and share Martin's personal journey in this realm. The conversation also contrasts resource-based and monetary economies, highlighting alternative ways of valuing contributions beyond traditional work. From redefining worth beyond the workplace to examining how spending money can buy time and opportunities, they dissect money's role in shaping freedom and connection.

In this episode, Martin and Ricardo discuss Relationships, covering topics such as motivation for relationships, including loneliness, and offering advice based on their relationships. They also discuss grieving past relationships. They discuss the honeymoon phase versus finding longer-term compatibility with a partner. The hosts emphasize the importance of communication skills, strategies for de-escalating conflict, and understanding deal-breakers. They highlight the balance of comfort and discomfort, offering practical insights for deeper connections.

Martin and Ricardo discuss some practices to get good at feeling. They mention the need for feedback and how having someone to practice with can help improve accepting and understanding emotions. They emphasize the importance of understanding one's own needs and how they relate to relationships and communicating our feelings. The speakers mention Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication and how it helps translate the language of right and wrong to the language of feelings and needs. They also discuss the impact of societal norms that tend to deny and distract from uncomfortable feelings. Overall, the speakers advocate for learning to notice the habit of avoiding and resisting our feelings and moving to acknowledging and accepting emotions as a first step towards improving emotional well-being.

In this episode, Martin and Ricardo discuss the concept of mixed feelings. They discuss how society simplifies emotions into good and bad, but in reality, people experience a combination of both. They believe that getting good at feeling helps one to clarify mixed emotions and is crucial for personal development and well-being. They also share personal experiences, like being in a successful marriage where experiencing uncomfortable emotions like anger at each other accepted. The hosts also mention the idea of seeing adversarial situations as allies for personal growth.

In this podcast episode, Ricardo and Martin discuss feelings and our relationship to them. The hosts use examples like the recent political events to highlight how different people can have contrasting feelings based on their personal perspectives. They emphasize the need to be aware of our feelings and not let our resistance to them control us. This episode also touches on the dangers of being consumed by our avoidance and resistance to negative or positive emotions and the importance of staying open-minded and empathetic towards others' perspectives.

References:

15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23275060-15-commitments-of-conscious-leadership

Gabor Mate - https://drgabormate.com/

Where Olive Trees Weep - https://whereolivetreesweep.com/

Adyashanti - https://adyashanti.opengatesangha.org/

Byron Katie - https://thework.com/

You are the happiness you seek by Rupert Spira - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59605034-you-are-the-happiness-you-seek

Resource Based Economy - Venus project - https://www.thevenusproject.com/resource-based-economy/

"I know that I know nothing." - Socrates in Plato's Apology - https://classics.mit.edu/Plato/apology.html

Permission to Feel by Marc Brackett - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43782400-permission-to-feel

In this episode, recorded last year during the 2024 presidential race, Martin and Ricardo explore the stigma around "negative" feelings and how to learn to accept suffering as a natural part of life. They discuss various stressors, including politics, and the different ways that people respond to stress. They also highlight the role of internal sources of stress and the importance of understanding different perspectives. They recommend the book "Nonviolent Communication: A language of Life" by Marshall Rosenberg, which emphasizes the language of feelings and needs rather than right and wrong. The hosts emphasize the need for finding common ground and practicing effective communication to reduce conflict and stress.

Refs:
Byron Katie - https://thework.com/
Resource-based economy - https://www.thevenusproject.com/resource-based-economy/
Marshall Rosenberg - https://www.cnvc.org/store/nonviolent-communication-a-language-of-life

In this podcast, Martin and Ricardo discuss the stigma of negative feelings and the importance of accepting suffering. They talk about the fear of starting something new and getting stuck in a bad mood or negative mindset. They emphasize the need to be aware of our states of mind and how they affect our perception and experience. They share personal experiences and provide examples of healthy and unhealthy mindsets. They also discuss the importance of understanding, accepting, and supporting the natural return to our healthy states of mind. They highlight the value of positive psychology and recognizing our innate well-being.