Ba Vojdaan با وجدان

In this episode, I discuss the book 'The Logic of Freedom' with author Laura Davidson. Laura shares her background in earth sciences and social sciences, particularly focusing on economics, philosophy, and the Austrian school of thought.

The conversation covers various topics including the principles of libertarianism, free will, consciousness, and the differences between the noumenal and phenomenal realms as introduced by Immanuel Kant.

The interview also explores the psychological dynamics behind totalitarian regimes and crowd psychology, highlighting how fear and manipulation can lead to the erosion of individual freedoms.

Our discussion ends on a note of optimism, encouraging readers to pursue truth and goodness as pathways to a freer and more meaningful life.

Episode highlights:

03:10 Laura's Background and Motivation

04:37 Exploring the Non-Aggression Principle

07:18 Free Will vs. Determinism

10:25 Levels of Consciousness

17:51 The Noumenal and Phenomenal Realms

23:44 Kant's Influence on Modern Thought

24:40 The Concept of Freedom in Politics

26:06 Free Will and Human Instincts

27:46 Manipulation and the Dark Triad

30:33 Totalitarianism and Crowd Psychology

37:23 The Non-Aggression Principle

42:09 Spiritual Insights and Eternal Truths

44:26 Closing Remarks and Book Promotion

Resources mentioned:

The Logic of Freedom by Laura Davidson

About the guest:

Laura Davidson is an accomplished author, researcher, and multi-disciplinary thinker who has established herself as an influential figure in the fields of economics, philosophy, and libertarian ethics. Her work, which is characterized by a rigorous approach to complex issues, has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals.

Davidson is a recipient of the prestigious Lawrence Fertig prize in economics from the Ludwig von Mises Institute, which recognizes her outstanding contribution to the field of economics in the Austrian tradition. In addition to her writing, she is a frequent speaker at libertarian and economic research conferences, as well as other venues, where her presentations have been praised for their clarity and originality.

Davidson is a graduate of Oxford University, where she studied earth science and developed an understanding of the natural world and its complexities. Her intellectual curiosity subsequently led to an interest in the social sciences. Through her recent research and writing, she seeks to promote a more integrated and holistic understanding of the world we live in, one that takes account of both the natural and social dimensions of human experience.

While stressing that the social and natural sciences employ very different methodologies, she realizes that they can inform and enrich each other through a shared commitment to logical reasoning. Her work has received widespread recognition, and she continues to be a prominent voice in the ongoing conversation about the intersection of science, philosophy, and economics.

About The Logic of Freedom

What does it mean to be truly free? In this bold and ground-breaking exploration of human freedom, libertarian philosopher Laura Davidson challenges us to contemplate the true nature of liberty. In doing so, she leads us to question many things we may think we know about the human condition and the world around us.

Genuine freedom starts with an understanding we have freedom of the will. And yet many present-day scientists and philosophers argue that free will is merely an illusion. Their claim is that the activity of the brain is a purely physical process, analogous to the operation of a computer. But this implies we

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesdnewcomb.substack.com/subscribe

Recorded in November 2022, James Newcomb interviews Sarry Ibrahim, founder of thinkinglikabank.com, a website dedicated to educating the principles of sound money and living a life free from the overlords in the banking system.

Sarry shares his background and journey into financial literacy, starting from a consumer economics class in high school to earning an MBA and gaining experience in big insurance companies. He discusses the major financial stressor for many Americans—the inability to miss one paycheck without financial strain—and emphasizes the importance of passive income.

Sarry explains various passive income methods, such as limited partnerships in real estate and investing in dividend-paying stocks. He also advocates for private money lending as a way to generate income more autonomously. The discussion extends into the philosophy of 'thinking like a bank,' where individuals or families can use whole life insurance policies to finance their needs rather than relying on traditional banks. The importance of self-education in personal finance over traditional schooling is emphasized, promoting reading and podcast listening to understand practical financial strategies.

The interview wraps up with Sarry offering personalized advice to an immigrant newcomer on building wealth through financial literacy and self-education.

Episode highlights:

00:46 Sarry's Background and Journey

02:26 The Biggest Financial Stressor

04:09 Strategies for Financial Independence

06:03 Generating Passive Income

09:15 Investing Wisely

12:18 How to overcome financial woes by thinking like a bank

19:07 Financial advice for a brand new American resident

21:25 Conclusion and Farewell

About the guest:

Download a free copy of Thinking Like a Bank

Sarry Ibrahim founded Financial Asset Protection after learning about the Infinite Banking Concept (also known as the Bank On Yourself Concept). He saw this as an opportunity to save retirement accounts, real estate properties, and businesses from market failures and other risks. Sarry believes the number 1 rule to your money is to make sure it lives somewhere safe and accessible.

As Sarry states when working with clients “it is never an either/or situation, it is a both/and situation. We want you to integrate the solutions we recommend alongside your business and real estate portfolio to have a double-compounding effect on your money.”

Sarry earned his MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management in Chicago, IL and has consulted companies like Blue Cross Blue Shield, Allstate Insurance, Humana, and Cigna Healthspring.

In this episode, I'm joined by the great John Lee Dumas, host of the longstanding and uber successful podcast Entrepreneurs on Fire. We did a deep dive into our long-standing relationship in the podcasting sphere, and discussed things such as:

• Strategies for achieving significant financial milestones
• The importance of surrounding oneself with the right people for success
• The impact of artificial intelligence on podcasting
• Maintaining a fruitful marriage while being business partners

In this candid interview you'll hear John share his own personal business and life journey, emphasizing the need to invest in oneself and the role of mentorship in his success.

Episode highlights:

00:00 Introduction and Background

01:37 Catching Up with John Lee Dumas

03:31 The Path to Financial Success

09:30 The Importance of Authenticity

15:45 Balancing Business and Personal Life

22:54 The Future of AI in Podcasting

29:10 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Resources Mentioned:

Entrepreneurs on Fire

The Common Path to Uncommon Success by John Lee Dumas

About the Guest:

I’m the founder & host of Entrepreneurs On Fire, an award-winning podcast where I interview inspiring entrepreneurs to help YOU along your entrepreneurial journey!

I’m also the author of The Common Path to Uncommon Success, your 17-step roadmap to financial freedom and fulfillment!

If you’re tired of spending 90% of your day doing things you don’t enjoy and only 10% doing things you love, then you’re in the right place. My goal with Entrepreneurs On Fire is to deliver the inspiration and strategies you need to FIRE UP your entrepreneurial journey and create the life you’ve always dreamed of.

I’ve interviewed over 3,000 incredible entrepreneurs, including Tony Robbins, Seth Godin, Gary Vaynerchuk, Barbara Corcoran, Tim Ferriss, and many more.

However, before Entrepreneurs On Fire was even a thought, my journey was full of struggle and searching.

Episode Sponsor:

Gramer-Petrulo

I first heard of Bitcoin around the time it was first gaining steam, circa 2010ish. I guess due to certain circles where I spent my time and education, it was only natural that it would come up in conversation. While it remained mysterious, I was brave enough to invest a bit of my own USD into Bitcoin in the 2013 timeframe, and have kept up with it somewhat through the years.

What attracted me to the Bitcoin "craze" at that time was how people who's opinion I respect explained that it's not an investment opportunity - as most folks think of it today - but it actually mimics the most sound of forms of money in many ways.

Now with the recent revelations of the FTX scandal, Bitcoin is in the news more than ever. And while it's for all the wrong reasons, I wanted to bring on to the show someone who is informed on the right reasons to "invest" in Bitcoin. I use the quotes around the word invest because it's not a typical investment where you put a certain amount of government-issued currency then gain a return on it after a period of time. It's actually much more complex (or simple?) than that. Bitcoin is a means of exchange to pay for stuff that circumvents governments entirely.

Wesley Schlemmer of the Bitcoin Bay joins us on today's episode to explain the basics of Bitcoin, the Blockchain, the basics of sound money and more. While the fallout from the FTX misdeeds will be felt for some time, the upside is that Bitcoin is on people's minds, and we have an opportunity to learn about it, and learn how to do it the way the creators of Bitcoin intended it to be used in the first place!

In this episode, you'll discover:

-Wesley's personal background and becoming familiar with crypto...01:15

-Cypher Punks and a short history of Bitcoin (Hint: It's not an investment opportunity!)...03:45

-What is the Blockchain, and what is its relation to cryptocurrency?...14:15

-What is sound money, and what makes Bitcoin a sound form of exchange?...19:20

• Three primary characteristics

1. Medium of exchange
2. Store of value
3. Unit of account

• Qualities of sound money

1. Durable
2. Fuingle
3. Divisible
4. Portable
5. Scarce

-How Bitcoin promotes self-responsibility..27:00

-What the heck happened with FTX, and what can we learn from it?...31:00

-How to get into the Bitcoin game, and the proper reasons for doing so...37:38

Resources mentioned:

Bitcoin Bay website

Cypherpunk Manifesto

Info about blockchain wallets Wesley mentions

The Bitcoin Standard

Muun Bitcoin Wallets

Bisq

Terms mentioned:

Blockchain

Litecoin

Ethereum

Block Chimes

Cypher Punks

Panopticon

Difficulty of Adjustment

Privacy v. Secrecy

Hal Finney

Blocksize Wars

BTC Token v. Network

Unit of Account

SAT's (not a pre-college test)

Stock to Flow Ratio

Seed Phrase

What do you CRAVE? Sana and James have put a lot of thought into this, and the core values we wish to share with the world, be it in business, family, or otherwise. We boiled it down to these 5 elements we all...

James here:

"I recently joined an accountability/mastermind type group that's hosted within the "School of Life" which was founded by my friend and in many ways mentor, Tom Woods.

In the group where we have meetings I got acquainted with a fellow podcaster named Brian O'Leary. Brian took it upon himself to interview 100 members of Tom's School of Life, and so he reached out to me to see if I'd be game for an interview.

Of course I am, I replied, and so we set up a time and got it done. I thought I would share our conversation on this podcast feed as it gives you dear listeners a chance to get to know your humble host a little bit deeper, and also learn a bit about my own philosophy when it comes to podcasting, publishing, building a personal brand and more!"

In this episode with "guest" interviewer Brian O'Leary, you'll discover:

-Be serious, but don't take yourself too seriously...03:12

-James' journey to the Tom Woods camp...04:30

-Spontaneous sparks lighting the fires of freedom...07:00

-James' journey into the realm of digital publishing...09:15

-Why SEO is a waste of time...11:00

-How James got into podcasting in 2015...14:30

-James' experience leaving the military as a conscientious objector...16:00

-Describing the Ba Vojdaan podcast...19:45

-How podcasters make money with podcasting...21:30

-The future of the Ba Vojdaan podcast...26:30

-Opinions of others are the downfall of a personality-based brand...28:30

-Monetize your haters? or just let them have a bad day...32:15

-How James has made his living in the podcasting field...35:45

-YOU are the product...40:40

Resources mentioned:

The O'Leary Review

Ben Greenfield Life

General MacArthur's Farewell Address at West Point

Podcast Artistry™

Trumpet Dynamics

JNS Media

Ba Vojdaan Podcast

Podcasting is arguably the most powerful media available today for getting your message out there. It's accessible, it's relatively inexpensive, and perhaps most important, you don't need to fret about getting "cancelled" because you express an opinion not approved by Big Tech.

It's also overwhelming for the uninitiated at the very thought of doing it. Because let's face it; it is a lot of work if you want to do it right. And if you're not a business with a huge marketing budget, you probably don't have the funds needed to hire a professional producer (like your humble host) to do the lion's share of the work for you.

This is why I've created the Podcasting 0-60 program. I will show you the tips, tricks and hacks I've learned over 8 years in the business (and making my living producing podcasts) and will guide you through every aspect of the creation process so that you're up and running WITH YOUR VERY OWN PODCAST in 60 days or less!

It's not as difficult as you might think with the right training and coaching, and you won't break the bank getting started.

To learn more about how starting a podcast can improve your visibility and IMPACT in your market, visit

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today we're sharing the story of Squanto, a Native American who with Providential intervention played a crucial role in the survival of the earliest Europeans settling in what is now known as the United States of America.

It's written by the great Eric Metaxas (a dream guest for our podcast, so stay tuned), and I'm sharing the link to his article if you want to bookmark it for future reference.

Here's Eric's article.

Podcasting is arguably the most powerful media available today for getting your message out there. It's accessible, it's relatively inexpensive, and perhaps most important, you don't need to fret about getting "cancelled" because you express an opinion not approved by Big Tech.

It's also overwhelming for the uninitiated at the very thought of doing it. Because let's face it; it is a lot of work if you want to do it right. And if you're not a business with a huge marketing budget, you probably don't have the funds needed to hire a professional producer (like your humble host) to do the lion's share of the work for you.

This is why I've created the Podcasting 0-60 program. I will show you the tips, tricks and hacks I've learned over 8 years in the business (and making my living producing podcasts) and will guide you through every aspect of the creation process so that you're up and running WITH YOUR VERY OWN PODCAST in 60 days or less!

It's not as difficult as you might think with the right training and coaching, and you won't break the bank getting started.

To learn more about how starting a podcast can improve your visibility and IMPACT in your market, visit podcasting0-60.com!

Podcasting is arguably the most powerful media available today for getting your message out there. It's accessible, it's relatively inexpensive, and perhaps most important, you don't need to fret about getting "cancelled" because you express an opinion not approved by Big Tech.

It's also overwhelming for the uninitiated at the very thought of doing it. Because let's face it; it is a lot of work if you want to do it right. And if you're not a business with a huge marketing budget, you probably don't have the funds needed to hire a professional producer (like your humble host) to do the lion's share of the work for you.

This is why I've created the Podcasting 0-60 program. I will show you the tips, tricks and hacks I've learned over 8 years in the business (and making my living producing podcasts) and will guide you through every aspect of the creation process so that you're up and running WITH YOUR VERY OWN PODCAST in 60 days or less!

It's not as difficult as you might think with the right training and coaching, and you won't break the bank getting started.

To learn more about how starting a podcast can improve your visibility and IMPACT in your market, visit podcasting0-60.com!

We only tell people we met "online" for the sake of expedience. I mean, after our mutual friend introduced us, we met via email, then FaceTime, so technically we met online, but it's time we tell the world the TRUE story of how James and Sana met.

It really is an unbelievable story.

What do you CRAVE? Sana and James have put a lot of thought into this, and the core values we wish to share with the world, be it in business, family, or otherwise. We boiled it down to these 5 elements we all CRAVE:

1. Community
2. Respect
3. Adventure
4. Vojdaan
5. Energy

In this audio series, James and Sana share their thoughts on each of the 5 core values, and what they mean to you as a listener, a friend, or perhaps someone with whom we do business.

Click this link to listen to the audio series.

August 2019, I drove my son Gabriel to visit my brother and his family in Kentucky. Dave has two sons, and they both get along really well with Gabriel.

KY is a 12-13 hour drive from my home in Virginia Beach, so even getting an early start it's a long, tiring day of driving. We ended up getting a later start than planned because of Gabriel's asthma acting up, which meant some treatments with the nebulizer, a quick doctor's visit, etc. But get going we did at about 1 pm.

I figured with such a late start I would drive 8 hours or so, then get an airbnb somewhere in West Virginia, then do the final 4 hours or so of driving to my brother's house. Since I'd been up since 5 am, it seemed like a sound plan.

So we made it to one of the towns in western West Virginia (kind of a mouthful, I know) where I had booked an Airbnb. We checked in, then went to Waffle House for some dinner.

It was at the Waffle House that I explained to Gabriel, then 5 years old, that we were going to spend the night in this town, then drive the rest of the way to see his cousins in Kentucky.

Gabriel was not going to hear anything of the sort. He had it made up in his mind that he was going to see his cousins that day, and that was that. He began sobbing at the very thought of staying at the place we had just visited that night, and not being able to see Evan and Aaron until the following morning.

I did my best to explain to him that daddy is very tired, that he needs his rest so he can drive the rest of the way to Kentucky, but I may as well have been talking to the hydrogenated food product melting on my waffle. It was falling on deaf ears.

He then said something that was so dang cute, mere words on the iPhone screen you're reading this email can never do it justice.

In between sobs, and pleading with me to not spend the night where we were, he said, "Daddy, you're not doing your best!"

We ended up driving to Kentucky that night, got in about 1:30 am.

How do you refuse a 5 year old child who simply will not be denied waking up the next morning and playing games with his cousins?

Short answer: You don't.

My son taught me an important lesson there in that Waffle House. No matter how much I've done, I can always do more to finish the job.

Of course I could have put my foot down and said we're done driving for the day. He would have gone to sleep just fine, we would have arrived mid morning the next day and all would have been well. In fact, Gabriel today at 8 years old probably wouldn't be so insistent on arriving in Kentucky that night. That's just the personality he had at that stage of his life.

It was one of those precious moments a father is given for a happy memory, and also a life lesson to pass onto others.

Doing just a little bit more than is expected for our Podcast Artistry™ clients is what keeps me motivated to continue doing it. It's kind of the magic of a service-based business; you can always personalize it, make it something only you would do. Kind of like those Far Side cartoons I mentioned the other day. There are about a kajillion cartoons out there, but there's only one Far Side; and its got legions of berserker fans to show for it.

If you or someone you know is looking to get their name and/or message out into the inter webs, podcasting is a great way to do it, and we've got space for just a few more clients before we need to close the doors for an unspecified period of time.

To learn more about what we have to offer, check us out:

In this episode with Sarry Ibrahim, you'll discover:

-Sarry's backstory and becoming a financial wiz...02:00

-The #1 stressor for Americans when it comes to money...04:28

-Reconciling our expectations regarding quality of life vs. exponentially rising cost of living...05:15

-Popular streams of passive income (that are not related to real estate)...07:40

-The criteria Sarry uses to decide whether or not he'll invest in a product/service...11:10

-How to "think like a bank" and create generational wealth without making a bunch of nameless, faceless bankers rich...15:00

-Challenges in reframing our thinking regarding finances and money...17:50

-Sarry's advice for Sana, who's just arrived in the United States, to make her mark in the American economy...22:00

-And much more!

Resources mentioned:

thinkinglikeabank.com

Podcasting is arguably the most powerful media available today for getting your message out there. It's accessible, it's relatively inexpensive, and perhaps most important, you don't need to fret about getting "cancelled" because you express an opinion not approved by Big Tech.

It's also overwhelming for the uninitiated at the very thought of doing it. Because let's face it; it is a lot of work if you want to do it right. And if you're not a business with a huge marketing budget, you probably don't have the funds needed to hire a professional producer (like your humble host) to do the lion's share of the work for you.

This is why I've created the Podcasting 0-60 program. I will show you the tips, tricks and hacks I've learned over 8 years in the business (and making my living producing podcasts) and will guide you through every aspect of the creation process so that you're up and running WITH YOUR VERY OWN PODCAST in 60 days or less!

It's not as difficult as you might think with the right training and coaching, and you won't break the bank getting started.

To learn more about how starting a podcast can improve your visibility and IMPACT in your market, visit podcasting0-60.com!