In this episode, philosopher and writer Amod Sandhya Lele joins Frank Lawton for a rich conversation on ethics, identity, Buddhism, and the pursuit of the good life. Amod shares a formative experience in his early twenties — a moment of personal crisis and reflection that led him to a life-changing encounter with Buddhist philosophy, particularly the insight that suffering arises from craving. This realization became the foundation of his lifelong inquiry into wisdom traditions across cultures.

Amod reflects on his journey from early political activism and Western philosophical inquiry to a deeper exploration of Buddhist thought, including both Theravāda and Mahāyāna perspectives. He speaks about his enduring interest in virtue ethics, personal cultivation, and the role of philosophy in shaping a meaningful life — drawing connections between Aristotle, Buddhism, and the evolving self.

Together, Frank and Amod explore how we can navigate ethical life without rigid rules or fixed identities. They delve into the transformative potential of self-reflection, the importance of cultivating virtuous habits, and the vision of the self not as something we uncover, but as something we consciously become over time. The episode weaves together deep philosophical ideas with grounded personal insights — offering listeners a map for living more wisely and authentically.

Explore more of Amod's work:

In this episode, Frank Lawton speaks with Edward Zaydelman — community builder, retreat center consultant, and core member of the nonprofit Leap Forward. Edward shares his personal journey from New York nightlife and Burning Man to building intentional communities in Costa Rica. He recounts the rise and fall of his first eco-retreat center and the profound lessons learned about sustainability — not just ecological, but emotional, relational, and spiritual.

The conversation dives deep into the invisible structures that make or break communities — values alignment, communication, integrity, and psychological safety. Edward emphasizes the importance of slowing down, rewiring the human mind, and doing inner work in tandem with outer change. Drawing from his work at Leap Forward, he illustrates how authentic growth emerges in community, not isolation. Together, they explore how our world is at a tipping point — and how small groups of committed people can lay the groundwork for a wiser, more integrated future.

Find more of Ed’s work at:

Leap Forward — a nonprofit community focused on rewiring the human mind, cultivating integrity, and evolving collective consciousness through deep inner and interpersonal work: www.leapforward.us

Mindform is an exclusive membership platform that gives you access to an ever-expanding toolkit for mental mastery and a community of passionate psychitects.

Apply to join Mindform or get the free Psychitect’s Toolkit at https://mindform.io/podcast

In this episode, Frank Lawton speaks with Amanda Saint — author, publisher, and founder of The Mindful Writer — about writing not as a performance, but as a practice of presence, healing, and self-discovery. Amanda shares how mindfulness transformed her creative process, turning writing into a channeling experience where characters reveal their own stories and wisdom.

She explains how fiction, when approached mindfully, can bypass the ego and open up profound inner transformation — both for the writer and the reader. Amanda describes how writing helped her heal emotional wounds and how the people she writes with have undergone life-changing shifts by letting go of control and listening deeply to what wants to be written.

Together, they explore the neuroscience behind storytelling, its role in shaping reality, and why the most important story is the one we tell ourselves about who we are.

Know more about Amanda Saint's Substack called The Mindful Writer here: https://themindfulwriter.substack.com/

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Apply to join Mindform or get the free Psychitect’s Toolkit at https://mindform.io/podcast

In this episode of The Mindform Podcast, Frank Lawton speaks with Robert Glazer—entrepreneur, author of The Compass Within, and host of The Elevate Podcast—about the profound power of discovering your core values. Robert shares his personal journey from being “unemployable” to founding a globally recognized marketing firm and eventually stepping into work that reflects his deepest beliefs.

Together, they explore how core values act as a compass for decision-making across relationships, careers, and communities. Robert introduces a practical framework for uncovering your values—not as aspirational ideals, but as non-negotiable guiding principles rooted in personal experience. He explains why one-word lists like "integrity" or "family" often fail to capture the depth of real values, and offers compelling metaphors—like the “electric fence” and “driving through a tunnel with the lights off”—to illustrate how misalignment leads to burnout and poor choices.

Frank shares his own discovery process, and the two dive into themes of self-reliance, trust, spiritual capacity, and how conflict often stems from invisible value clashes. By the end, listeners are left with a toolkit of reflection questions and the invitation to look within—to find not just what they believe, but who they truly are.

To learn more about Robert’s new book and dive deeper into this work:

Explore the book, The Compass Within: robertglazer.com/compass

Mindform is an exclusive membership platform that gives you access to an ever-expanding toolkit for mental mastery and a community of passionate psychitects.

Apply to join Mindform or get the free Psychitect’s Toolkit at https://mindform.io/podcast

In this rich and layered conversation, Professor Peggy Kern joins Frank Lawton to explore what wellbeing really means — beyond fleeting happiness or individualistic self-help ideals. Drawing from her deep background in positive psychology, health psychology, and systems science, Kern presents a nuanced, contextual model of human thriving.

She explains the Dual Continuum Model, where ill-being and wellbeing are not opposites, but dimensions that can coexist. A person can struggle with mental illness and still live a meaningful, values-aligned life. This insight reframes how we understand resilience, recovery, and human potential.

Kern critiques traditional positive psychology’s focus on individual flourishing, arguing for a more collective and systems-informed approach. She highlights how contextual factors like school culture, leadership involvement, and community belonging fundamentally shape wellbeing outcomes. Change, she insists, must often start with those in power — especially school leaders — to meaningfully support the whole community.

Themes of dialectics (acceptance and change), belonging, strengths-based language, and the pitfalls of commodified self-care run throughout the conversation. Peggy also shares her own lived experience with mental illness and how that journey informs her understanding of what it means to truly live well — with contentment, not just happiness.

Mindform is an exclusive membership platform that gives you access to an ever-expanding toolkit for mental mastery and a community of passionate psychitects.

Apply to join Mindform or get the free Psychitect’s Toolkit at https://mindform.io/podcast

In this episode, Frank sits down with resilience researcher Kyle Shepard, the creator of Resilient Mental State. Their conversation dives into the true meaning of resilience, showing that it is less about avoiding stress and more about adapting, recovering, and growing stronger through it. Drawing from his military background, Kyle explains how discipline and exposure to adversity can build mental toughness. He also opens up about fatherhood, describing how raising children tests patience, deepens responsibility, and creates opportunities for emotional growth.

To learn more about Kyle’s work and explore his writing and podcast, visit Resilient Mental State: https://www.resilientmentalstate.com/

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Mindform is an exclusive membership platform that gives you access to an ever-expanding toolkit for mental mastery and a community of passionate psychitects.

Apply to join Mindform or get the free Psychitect’s Toolkit at https://mindform.io/podcast

In this conversation, therapist and researcher Kasra Mirzaie explores the intersection of Internal Family Systems (IFS), adolescent development, and the search for meaning in an often fragmented world. Kasra shares how IFS offers a powerful framework for understanding and healing the inner lives of young people by relating to parts with compassion rather than control. He highlights the importance of listening deeply, creating rituals of meaning, and using gentleness instead of force when working with clients, especially adolescents. The episode moves through themes of spirituality, interoception, agency, and the role of systems thinking in therapeutic work. Kasra brings a rare combination of academic insight and heartfelt presence, offering listeners a model of therapeutic work grounded in curiosity, humility, and deep care.

Mindform is an exclusive membership platform that gives you access to an ever-expanding toolkit for mental mastery and a community of passionate psychitects.

Apply to join Mindform or get the free Psychitect’s Toolkit at https://mindform.io/podcast

Dr. Roger McFillin joins Frank Lawton to challenge the dominant mental health narrative — one that medicalizes emotional pain and fosters dependency on psychiatric drugs. He argues that conditions like depression are not diseases but natural human responses to life’s challenges, and that overreliance on diagnoses and medication often leads people away from true healing. Instead, McFillin advocates for a pro-human, pro-health approach rooted in personal resilience, community, nature, and spiritual connection. He emphasizes that suffering is not a problem to be fixed with pills, but a signal guiding us toward growth, change, and deeper meaning. Together, they explore the cultural, economic, and psychological systems that promote disempowerment and distraction. What emerges is a powerful call to reclaim our autonomy — and to face emotional struggles not with fear, but with presence, courage, and connection.

Mindform is an exclusive membership platform that gives you access to an ever-expanding toolkit for mental mastery and a community of passionate psychitects.

Apply to join Mindform or get the free Psychitect’s Toolkit at https://mindform.io/podcast

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More of Dr. Roger McFillin here: https://www.drmcfillin.com/

Frank Lawton speaks with Sabrina Ahmed, a resilience coach, neuroscientist, and artist, about the deep interplay between burnout, trauma, grief, and resilience. Sabrina shares her personal journey through mental health struggles, hospitalization, and the profound loss of her father—experiences that shaped her holistic approach to healing.

They explore how burnout extends beyond stress, involving emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and a sense of ineffectiveness—and how it often stems from unprocessed loss, misaligned values, or over-adaptive coping patterns like overthinking and perfectionism. Sabrina introduces the idea of burnout archetypes (e.g., the Busy Bee, People Pleaser) and explains how loss—especially bereavement—can trigger these patterns.

Together, they unpack how resilience is a trainable skill, developed through micro-habits, body awareness, community, and behavioral experiments. Through frameworks like the Drama Triangle and Empowerment Dynamic, Sabrina offers tools to shift from reaction to agency, and from burnout to growth.

Mindform is an exclusive membership platform that gives you access to an ever-expanding toolkit for mental mastery and a community of passionate psychitects.

Apply to join Mindform or get the free Psychitect’s Toolkit at https://mindform.io/podcast

In this raw and inspiring episode, Frank Lawton speaks with writer, boxer, and thinker Ed Latimore about the hard-won lessons that shaped his philosophy of life. From growing up in the projects to fighting professionally, from battling addiction to embracing fatherhood, Ed distills a lifetime of struggle and reflection into practical wisdom.

He shares why he gave up alcohol, how he learned to stop wasting time on the wrong people, and why relationships are “emergent properties” that can’t be reduced to their parts. Together, Frank and Ed explore the difference between being liked and being respected, why failure is essential training for success, and how boxing taught Ed to face fear, pain, and public judgment without flinching.

This conversation cuts through excuses, revealing a path grounded in responsibility, preparation, and resilience. Whether it’s building meaningful connections, confronting weakness, or cultivating order, Ed shows how to turn life’s hardest blows into the training ground for true strength.

Check out Ed's work ​here​: https://edlatimore.com/ And his new book, ​Hard Lessons from the Hurt Business​ here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0593716361

Mindform is an exclusive membership platform that gives you access to an ever-expanding toolkit for mental mastery and a community of passionate psychitects.

Apply to join Mindform or get the free Psychitect’s Toolkit at https://mindform.io/podcast