Beyond 80%

VOTE HERE: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/limited-series-specials/genre/most-inspirational-podcast

Beyond the Brain is officially a Signal Awards finalist for Most Inspirational Podcast in the Limited Series category.

In this special episode, Ryan shares what the recognition means for a small independent podcast and reflects on the bigger reason Beyond 80% exists in the first place: to create a space where curiosity matters more than certainty.

Ryan revisits the story behind the nine-part Beyond the Brain series, which began with a simple curiosity about near-death experiences and quickly became a much bigger exploration of consciousness, the brain, death, and what it means to be human. Across the series, researchers, skeptics, scientists, and people who have experienced near-death experiences firsthand offered very different perspectives on one of humanity’s oldest questions: What happens when we die?

The goal was never to tell listeners what to believe. It was to put the evidence, experiences, disagreements, and unanswered questions on the table and let listeners decide for themselves.

Ryan also reflects on the larger mission of Beyond 80%: challenging the beliefs we inherit, resisting the temptation to outsource our thinking, and staying curious enough to explore ideas that might change the way we see the world.

And now, listeners have a chance to be part of what happens next. Beyond the Brain is also up for the Signal Listener’s Choice Award, with voting open through October 15.

If this series made you question something, investigate an idea further, change your mind, or simply see something through a different lens, this episode is a thank-you — and an invitation to cast your vote for Beyond 80%.

Subscribe and follow Beyond 80% so you never miss an opportunity to think, question and evolve.

If you have an idea for an episode, drop us a note at [email protected]

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In the finale of the Waking Up season, Ryan sits down solo to connect the dots across four very different conversations: Scott & Heidi, Marc Defant, D. Paul, and Chris Baron and finds the same thread running under all of them: we've forgotten how to connect with each other. Weaving in the data behind America's loneliness epidemic, Ryan makes the case that the season's inner work was never the destination; it was preparation. Waking up to yourself and to the systems around you only matters if you bring it all back to the person in front of you.

Beyond 80% is taking a short break to plan the next season (and while Ryan relocates to a new state). We'll be back in the fall with a brand-new season — more to come.

Subscribe and follow Beyond 80% so you never miss an opportunity to think, question and evolve.

If you have an idea for an episode, drop us a note at [email protected]

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Food has become something we rush through, outsource, and barely think about.

But what if food isn't just nutrition? What if it's one of the deepest expressions of being human?

In this episode, Ryan sits down with chef, educator, and father Aran Goldstein to explore why cooking is about so much more than what's on your plate. Together they unpack how modern life has disconnected us from food, why convenience has quietly replaced culture, and how reclaiming the act of feeding ourselves might also reconnect us to our families, our communities, and even ourselves.

This isn't a conversation about diets.

It's about slowing down.

It's about questioning the systems we've normalized.

And it's about remembering that some of the most meaningful moments in life happen around a dinner table.

If you've ever felt like life moves too fast, meals have become another task, or you've wondered why so many people are craving a return to simpler living, this conversation will leave you looking at your next meal very differently.

Subscribe and follow Beyond 80% so you never miss an opportunity to think, question and evolve.

If you have an idea for an episode, drop us a note at [email protected]

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What happens when someone's spiritual experiences don't fit neatly inside a single belief system?

In this episode of Beyond 80%, Ryan sits down with D. Paul—a Navy veteran, Native American holy man, author, and spiritual investigator—to explore a lifetime of experiences that challenged conventional ideas about faith, consciousness, and the unseen world.

D. Paul shares stories of childhood encounters, out-of-body experiences, spiritual warfare, house clearings, and his journey navigating both Native American traditions and Christianity. Along the way, he explains how he views the spirit world, the concept of being a "hollow bone," the relationship between darkness and personal growth, and why he believes spiritual development is ultimately about protecting and strengthening the soul.

Rather than asking listeners to accept his beliefs as fact, the conversation invites a deeper question: how do we make sense of experiences that exist outside our current understanding of reality?

About D. Paul

D. Paul is a Navy veteran, author, Native American holy man, and spiritual investigator whose work explores the intersection of spirituality, healing, paranormal phenomena, and personal transformation. Through his books, speaking engagements, and spiritual work, he helps people examine questions surrounding faith, consciousness, trauma, and the unseen aspects of human experience.

Learn more about D. Paul here

Subscribe and follow Beyond 80% so you never miss an opportunity to think, question and evolve.

If you have an idea for an episode, drop us a note at [email protected]

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Why do so many couples end up feeling more like roommates than partners?

In this episode of Beyond 80%, Ryan sits down with marriage experts Heidi and Scott Hastings to explore the hidden patterns, assumptions, and relationship "scripts" that shape how couples interact—often without realizing it.

Drawing from decades of marriage, clinical experience, medical expertise, and research on resilience in relationships, Heidi and Scott explain how cultural expectations, family influences, biology, and personal identity all play a role in the dynamics couples create together.

The conversation explores why power struggles emerge, how modern relationships have changed, what happens when couples stop intentionally investing in each other, and why many marriages slowly drift apart long before they end.

At the center of it all is a powerful idea: successful relationships don't happen by accident. They require awareness, curiosity, communication, and a willingness to continuously grow alongside one another.

Dr. Heidi Hastings and Dr. Scott Hastings are the hosts of Marriage IQ, where they combine expertise in psychology, relationships, medicine, and personal development to help couples build stronger, healthier partnerships. Together, they focus on helping couples develop greater self-awareness, emotional intelligence, communication skills, and resilience in marriage.

Learn more about Heidi and Scott Hastings: https://www.marriageiq.com/

Subscribe and follow Beyond 80% so you never miss an opportunity to think, question and evolve.

If you have an idea for an episode, drop us a note at [email protected]

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What happens when evolutionary biology collides with modern cultural narratives?

In this episode of Beyond 80%, Ryan sits down with geologist, researcher, and author Marc Defant to explore one of today's most controversial conversations: the relationship between biology, culture, feminism, and human behavior.

Drawing from evolutionary psychology, Marc argues that many of the differences between men and women have deep biological roots shaped by hundreds of thousands of years of human evolution. Together, Ryan and Marc examine topics including attraction, parenting, leadership, gender roles, the feminist movement, and the growing tension between biological explanations and social constructionist perspectives.

Rather than focusing on simple answers, the conversation explores a more nuanced question: how much of who we are comes from biology, how much comes from culture, and what happens when those explanations collide?

Throughout the discussion, Ryan challenges assumptions from multiple angles, exploring where evolutionary psychology offers insight, where culture shapes behavior, and whether modern conversations about gender may be creating more division than understanding.

This episode is an invitation to think critically, question deeply, and engage with difficult ideas without immediately choosing sides.

About Marc Defant

Dr. Marc Defant is a geologist, educator, researcher, and author whose work has expanded beyond earth sciences into evolutionary psychology, culture, and human behavior. After decades studying volcanoes and geology, Marc became fascinated by evolutionary psychology and the ways biology shapes human behavior, relationships, and social systems. His work explores the intersection of science, culture, and some of today's most debated social questions.

Subscribe and follow Beyond 80% so you never miss an opportunity to think, question and evolve.

If you have an idea for an episode, drop us a note at [email protected]

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What happens when curiosity becomes your way of moving through the world?

In this episode of Beyond 80%, Ryan sits down with filmmaker, science communicator, and adventurer Chris Baron. From living inside a cave for a week and rappelling into an active volcano to filming wildlife across Africa and producing documentaries for National Geographic, Disney+, PBS, and the BBC, Chris has spent his career chasing questions most people never think to ask.

But this conversation goes beyond filmmaking. Together, Ryan and Chris explore the relationship between curiosity and fear, how uncertainty shapes both our personal and professional lives, and why modern culture often pushes people toward judgment instead of understanding. Chris shares stories from some of the most extreme environments on Earth and reveals the mindset that allows him to stay calm when things don't go according to plan.

At its core, this episode is about perspective. It's about learning to sit with uncertainty, embracing the unknown, and remembering that some of life's most meaningful experiences happen when we stop trying to control everything and simply stay curious.

About Chris Baron

Chris Baron is a science filmmaker, director, and producer whose work has appeared on National Geographic, Disney+, PBS, BBC, and other major networks. With a background in molecular biology and microbiology, Chris combines scientific curiosity with visual storytelling to explore some of the most fascinating places, discoveries, and questions on Earth. His work has taken him from active volcanoes and remote cave systems to wildlife sanctuaries and scientific expeditions around the world.

Follow Chris Baron's Podcast here: https://www.noordinarymonday.com/

Subscribe and follow Beyond 80% so you never miss an opportunity to think, question and evolve.

If you have an idea for an episode, drop us a note at [email protected]

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As the Waking Up season enters its final chapter, this short episode introduces the themes that connect the last four conversations: love, meaning, and the search for a bigger picture.

Throughout this season, we've explored the stories, assumptions, fears, and identities that shape how we experience reality. But once we begin questioning those patterns, a new question emerges: What are we waking up to?

In this episode, Ryan reflects on the common thread running through the final four guests and the ideas they bring to the table. From relationships and connection to purpose, curiosity, and perspective, these conversations invite listeners to look beyond individual beliefs and consider how meaning is created in everyday life.

This is an introduction to the final stage of the journey—one that asks not only how we see the world, but how we choose to engage with it.

Subscribe and follow Beyond 80% so you never miss an opportunity to think, question and evolve.

If you have an idea for an episode, drop us a note at [email protected]

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What happens when the story society tells no longer matches the reality people are living?

In this solo episode, Ryan reflects on three recent conversations with Damon Cassidy, Doug Cardell, and Diana Colleen, exploring the growing gap between cultural narratives and everyday experience.

From stagnant wages and rising housing costs to generational tension and the psychology of extreme wealth, this episode examines the emotional and psychological consequences of living inside systems people no longer fully trust.

Rather than framing these conversations as political debates, this episode asks a deeper question:

What happens to people when the promises they were raised on stop aligning with reality?

This episode explores:

Subscribe and follow Beyond 80% so you never miss an opportunity to think, question and evolve.

If you have an idea for an episode, drop us a note at [email protected]

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In this episode of Beyond 80%, Ryan sits down with psychologist and creator of the Divine Intelligence Process, Dr. Jayne Gardner, to explore how childhood experiences, attachment patterns, and emotional memories shape the subconscious beliefs people carry into adulthood. Together, they unpack the neuroscience behind limiting beliefs, why emotions can override logic, how the body stores unresolved experiences, and what it actually means to “rewire” the brain. The conversation also includes a live coaching demonstration where Ryan works through uncovering and rewriting a core belief in real time. This episode challenges listeners to question whether their reactions, fears, and self-doubt are truly who they are, or simply old patterns their brain learned to survive.

If you are interested in Dr. Jayne’s Divine Intelligence worksheet, email: [email protected]

Learn more about Dr. Jayne Gardner:
Dr. Jayne Gardner Official Website

Subscribe and follow Beyond 80% so you never miss an opportunity to think, question and evolve.

If you have an idea for an episode, drop us a note at [email protected]

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