I sit down with Beacon, NY artist Matt Harle to talk about his conversion to Judaism. We talk about how he wrestles with God, how Judaism relates to his art, and his fascination with Jewish death practices.By Jacob Lyles

I sit down with Philosophy PHD dropout Jon Badiali (IsDoBe.com) to talk about his journey into Christianity. He goes through nihilism, stops by Heidegger, and binges on Spinozan Pantheism but finds it all a deeply unsatisfying answer to the problem of suffering. Ultimately, he finds his rock in Christ. We talk a bit about Eastern Orthodoxy and Fr. …

Mike Elias is a crypto entrepreneur and spiritual seeker (mikeelias.com). He discusses with me his spiritual journey through Radical Honesty, many different kinds of meditation, and many dark times and happy coincidences to ultimately find his rest in Christ Jesus.By Jacob Lyles

Youtube creator John Barnes and talk about his journey from nihilism to becoming a Roman Catholic.By Jacob Lyles

Josh Whiton is CEO of Make Soil, https://www.makesoil.org a company dedicated to healing the environment through helping people make compost in their communities. He is a frequent speaker about the intersection of business, environmentalism, and spiritual growth. Keep in touch with Josh's activities and writings at http://joshwhiton.com/…

Today I have a poignant conversation with Joel and Dany from San Francisco Suicide Prevention, a crisis hotline based in San Francisco. I started volunteering there a few months ago, and I noticed that people in my life found it interesting. So, I figured I'd do an episode on it! We talk about why we joined, how de-stigmatizing suicidal feelings he…

Diana Brown is an improv teacher at Leela SF. She was also my first improv teacher and one that I keep coming back to. There is something magical about watching Diana perform, and I want some of that magic for myself. We talk about how improv is a microcosm of life, the importance of staying out of your head and connected to your environment, and D…

Derek is a pastor at Trinity Church Winston Salem. http://www.trinitychurchws.com/ We went to college together and we've been discussing and debating on the topics of God, faith, and religion ever since. In this podcast, we also touch on some politically charged topics and talk about the proper role of the church in political life. Finally, we talk…

UNEDITED VERSION Click this version if you want a lot more humorous banter. In this episode, I sit down with an old friend, Matt English, at his home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. We talk about his experience raising a child with nonverbal autism and how video games have shaped our lives. Mentioned in this podcast is the work of Jean Varnier: h…

In this episode, I sit down with an old friend, Matt English, at his home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. We talk about his experience raising a child with nonverbal autism and how video games have shaped our lives. Mentioned in this podcast is the work of Jean Varnier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OInnXGvC2q0 Prelude No. 2 by Chris Zabriskie …

Ned Buskirk is the founder of You Are Going to Die (http://www.yg2d.com/), an open mic and non-profit dedicated to exploring the topics of death and loss. I met Ned when I went to You Are Going to Die shows and I felt there was something special in the air. We talk about the meaning and origin of the show and a lot about death.…

Guy Sengstock is the inventor of circling and founder of The Circling Institute (http://www.circlinginstitute.com/) where I am a student. Circling is a method of having mindful conversations where participants are encouraged to follow aliveness and go in search of what is true. The result is conversations that are often surprising, emotional, and d…

I knew this guy from Mountain View like 5 years ago. He leaves, and the next thing I know I'm seeing pictures of him on facebook dressed in army fatigues, carrying around weapons, and riding on armored vehicles. Barry was one of the few people ever to leave Silicon Valley for the US Army. It's such a contrarian life choice, I had to pick his brain …

In today's episode, I talk with Presbyterian minister Derek Radney about whether or not smart people can be religious, faith, and FOMO. Here are some resources mentioned in the episode: Tim Keller's "Questioning Christianity" lectures: https://www.redeemer.com/r/qc_audio_2015 "A Secular Age" by Charles Taylor: http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php…

Today's podcast is with Director of One Salon SF, Helen Tsim. We talk about overcoming social anxiety, vulnerability and its limits, building community and deep connections.By Jacob Lyles

My guest Charlie Deist runs the libertarian group blog Let a Thousand Nations Bloom. He's interested in seasteading and an adult convert to Roman Catholicism. We talk about seasteading as personal praxis, the experience of learning to sail, the philosophy of Rene Girard, and the conflict between grace and responsibility. Charlie is currently the pr…

Scott Jackisch is the founder of the Oakland Futurists. You can find him online at http://oaklandfuturist.com/. We talk about the PERMA model of happiness, Ephemerisle, community and subculture. Here are some resources mentioned in today's show: "Flourish" by Martin Seligman "Geeks, Mops, and Sociopaths in Subcultural Evolution" by David Chapman "A…

I sit down with worldly philosopher Michael Gibson, founder of the 1517 fund. We talk about living the philosophical life, Nozick's vision of utopia, polycentrism, zen, and education. Here's a list of resources mentioned in today's podcast: Blog Posts - David Chapman on Robert Kegan's 5 stages of adult moral development - Scott Alexander's Archipel…

In this episode I discuss existential crisis with guest Dane Johnson. Check out Dane's website at http://ramblewithaplan.com/By Jacob Lyles