Impostors Anonymous

Marie joins IA to share her reflections on spending the past year on the literal frontlines of the fight against the pandemic. This episode offers a raw glimpse of a rarely shared perspective we all could use more exposure to and spans a range of topics including:

- why some run towards the chaos and tragedy of life

- living to work vs working to live

- what makes nursing ultimately worth the challenges

- coping with constant exposure to pain, suffering, and death

- the ethics of euthanasia and dying with dignity

- how adversity and resilience give birth to self-knowledge and authenticity

- moving past the guilt of childhood

- the trouble with finding space to be vulnerable in our attention-starved, socially distanced world

and much more!

If you've found this project valuable, check out the new extension of Impostors Anonymous at impostorsanonymous.substack.com where you can find additional content and even submit your own work to be shared, anonymously of course, with the IA community.

For more from IA, check out our new pages on Instagram and Twitter @impostorsanon!

Brandon takes a stab at his first solo episode to reflect on the concept at the root of Impostors Anonymous, as well as to share a few experiences that have helped him maintain a passion for life despite some recent adversity. This prompts an exploration of the suffering that is fundamental to existence and the primacy of reminding oneself of what is truly meaningful and inspiring in life in order to maintain balance.

If you've found this project valuable, check out the new extension of Impostors Anonymous at impostorsanonymous.substack.com where you can find additional content and even submit your own work to be shared, anonymously of course, with the IA community.

For more from AI or reach out directly, check us out on our new Twitter and Instagram pages @impostorsanon!

Lisa joins IA to share her reflections on a rather uncommon journey given the nature of the past year: sobriety. This conversation centers around the advantages and challenges of getting sober during a global pandemic as well as how changes to one's habits can usher in a reevaluation of one's relationships, hobbies, and even purpose, through a new lens. Along the way, Brandon and Lisa touch on a range of topics including:

- trends in alcohol use and dependency during the past year

- why sobriety has become so socially unacceptable

- how ingrained habits create the foundation for identity

- the emerging prevalence of "low and no" alcohol beverages

- why even huge changes are not silver bullets

- anxiety surrounding a return to social normalcy

- the importance of gratitude

and much more!

If you've found this project valuable, check out the new extension of Impostors Anonymous at impostorsanonymous.substack.com where you can find additional content and even submit your own work to be shared, anonymously of course, with the IA community.

For more from IA, check out our new pages on Twitter and Instagram @impostorsanon!

Mark joins the show to provide his perspective on how introversion, social isolation, and the illusion of self contribute to one of the most consequential mental health issues of our time: social anxiety. As Mark and Brandon explore the confluence of the internal and social self, they discuss a range of topics including:

- the implications of social distancing for introverts and the socially anxious

- overcoming depression, obesity, and suicidal thoughts

- meditation vs the monkey brain

- the often overlooked prevalence and severity of social anxiety

- why we tend to conceal our inner most selves

- our inclination towards simplistic narrative arcs

- questioning and breaking through the illusion of self

- the success "trap"

- how your origin story makes you a superhero

and many more!

If you've found this project valuable, check out the new extension of Impostors Anonymous at impostorsanonymous.substack.com where you can find additional content and even submit your own work to be shared, anonymously of course, with the IA community.

For more from IA, check out our new pages on Twitter and Instagram @impostorsanon !

Noteworthy Mentions:

The best-selling author that Mark has interviewed - Robert Green

Mark's book - Screw Being Shy - Learn How to Manage Social Anxiety and Be Yourself in Front of Anyone

The theory developed by psychologist Charles Cooley - The Looking Glass Self

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

The article Mark mentions - Why Success Itself is the Ultimate Trap

Jenna joins the show to discuss her unique health journey and why, now more than ever, we need traditional and alternative medicine to drop the game of tug-of-war and start solving problems together. En route, a range of topics are traversed including:

- avoiding guilt in times of good fortune

- the difficulty of figuring out what makes us happy

- common frustrations with the traditional healthcare landscape

- making sense of the trends in human suffering, despite technological advancement

- keeping people alive vs healthy

- the complications of democratizing healthcare

- how to improve access to alternative health

and much more!

If you've found this project valuable, check out the new extension of Impostors Anonymous at impostorsanonymous.substack.com where you can find additional content and even submit your own work to be shared, anonymously of course, with the IA community.

Cornelius joins the show to discuss his mantra, "YOU MATTER", and the implications of a radical message of self-worth and unconditional love in a divided world. This line of inquiry leads to an exploration of various related topics including:

- the controversy of valuing without qualifiers

- freedom of speech as an extension of the sovereignty of the individual

- celebrating at every opportunity

- unpacking male stigmas

- the primacy of leaps of faith

- the value of religion to the non-religious

- the tight rope walk between community and segregation

- the double-edged sword of social media

and much more!

If you've found this project valuable, check out the new extension of Impostors Anonymous at impostorsanonymous.substack.com where you can find additional content and even submit your own work to be shared, anonymously of course, with the IA community.

Josh and Kevin return to IA to riff about the value of exploring the unknown, from the labyrinth of our own minds to the equally mysterious and ever-expanding universe. This three-way conversation traverses a diverse set of topics including:

- political implications of the disaster in Texas

- reflections on the Perseverance landing

- what it really means to "take care" of oneself

- overcoming guilt and loss

- escaping the rat race of chasing external fulfillment

- being at fault vs being at cause

- facing mortality

- psychedelics: Swiss army knife or double-edged sword?

- how expectations prevent insight

- the importance of integration

- safe use of plant medicine

- the interplanetary potential of humanity

any many more!

If you've found this project valuable, check out the new extension of Impostors Anonymous at impostorsanonymous.substack.com where you can find additional content and even submit your own work to be shared, anonymously of course, with the IA community.

Notable mentions:

The Logic song featuring Allan Watts - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh8-OOsGOgw

Jim Carrey's most recent work "Memoirs and Misinformation: A novel" - https://www.amazon.com/Memoirs-Misinformation-Jim-Carrey/dp/0525655972

Mike Michalowicz's website, author of "Profit First" - https://mikemichalowicz.com/profit-first/

A little more information about neuro-linguistic programming - https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/neuro-linguistic-programming-therapy

Rick Strassman's website expounding upon his book "DMT: The Spirit Molecule" - https://www.rickstrassman.com/

Alexander joins the show to chat about the hypocrisy and overall madness that has characterized the financial realm in the past year. Some convergent trends in wealth and data come to the forefront, driving the conversation in various directions including:

- why the stock market and the economy are so uncoupled

- the problem with hedge funds

- the chaos with GME and Robinhood

- how to address wealth inequality

- reevaluating social security

- assessing the need for a ceiling

- bad incentive structures in education

- the need for a democratization of data

- the imbalance of assessing success vs failure

- why valedictorians are almost never billionaires

any many others!

If you've found this project valuable, check out the new extension of Impostors Anonymous at impostorsanonymous.substack.com where you can find additional content and even submit your own work to be shared, anonymously of course, with the IA community.

Kevin joins the project to explore the sovereignty of the individual amidst a world driven by compartmentalization and how our perpetual fallibility might be the key to finding common truth. En route, a range of topics are broached including:

- differences in international racial perceptions

- moving beyond race, tribalism, and nationalism

- our deep need for storytelling

- the duality of ego

- the primacy of mindfulness

- finding truth in compromise

- conquering your comfort zone

- the limitations of censorship

- how we ought to handle "hate speech"

and various others!

If you've found this project valuable, check out the new extension of Impostors Anonymous at impostorsanonymous.substack.com where you can find additional content and even submit your own work to be shared, anonymously of course, with the IA community.

Mentions of note:

A bias checker that highlights how both sides of the political spectrum are covering certain issues - https://ground.news/

Ray Dalio's "Principles for Success" mini-series -https://www.principles.com/principles-for-success/#play

Eddie Huang's show on Vice - https://www.vicetv.com/en_us/show/huangs-world

Anthony Bourdain's most prominent project, the travel/food TV series "Part's Unknown" - https://explorepartsunknown.com/