What is actually going on at the NHS? Where is medicine going? And are we evolving our mainstream model of treating the body from a reductionist to a holistic one? 

Dr Mahiben Maruthappu is the former Senior Fellow to the CEO of NHS England, where he co-founded the NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) and the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme. He is currently co-founder of the social care technology start-up, Cera (https://ceracare.co.uk). 

There's a lot of controversy in the UK regarding the state of the NHS, and so sitting down with Ben gave me an opportunity to find out more about exactly what is going on behind closed doors. Aside from UK healthcare, the conversation covers the future of medicine, exercise, mental health, while also unravelling some of the philosophy behind our current approach to the mind and body.

Dr Rory Mac Sweeney is an avid explorer of altered states of consciousness. He holds a phD in genetics and his primary area of interest is lucid dreaming, using the dream state as a probe for investigating the nature of reality. This has led to him forging his own metaphysical theory of mind, the double edge self theory, which he discusses in his book, The Paradox of Lucid Dreaming.

In this episode we explore lucid dreaming, the nature of reality, religion, psychedelics and the future of humanity. It's a super fun episode, and anyone with an interest in discussions around consciousness and reality should enjoy some of the content. 

Rory can be found hosting and participating in consciousness-based conferences throughout London, and can be contacted on his home site at wakeupinyourdreams.com

Michael Carthy is a London-based transformation specialist. An experienced coach and therapist, he helps clients become the best version of themselves through techniques including hypnotherapy, cognitive behavioural coaching and rapid dynamic therapy. 

He holds a Masters degree in Positive Psychology and runs the UK's first virtual reality therapy clinic.  In this episode we dive into the ever-growing fields of positive psychology and virtual reality therapy, and also discuss the mental health of men and the courage of vulnerability. 

Max Harris is an Examination Fellow at All Souls College, University of Oxford. He completed his BA/LLB(Hons.) at the University of Auckland, during which time he spent short stints working for the South Australian Department of Premier and Cabinet and the American Civil Liberties Union. He is the author of The New Zealand Project, a progressive vision for the future of New Zealand politics, and speaks about the 'politics of love' through his work. In this episode, we dive into Max's interest in values-based politics, which includes the reintroduction of love into the mainstream narrative. We discuss justice, creativity and masculinity, as well as touching on his new book, The New Zealand Project.