Purple Elephant Radio

All this gets answered and more in this essential episode of Purple Elephant Radio about the intersection of personal freedom and personal responsibility. (Seriously, if this message does not click, then you will remain an ignorant pawn for, and at the mercy of, self-directed individuals). -- OFF WITH HIS HEAD (link below): (Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CTDWNXSC THE PURPLE ELEPHANT ARTIST (link below): (Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FCKHZXW -- TIMESTAMPS: [0:00] - Intro [0:53] - A Reading from “Off With His Head” [1:58] - Connecting Freedom & Responsibility [3:00] - A Few Key Definitions [6:41] - The 3 Tenets of Personal Freedom [9:42] - A Thought Experiment About Freedom [12:35] - REBUTTLE: What if I don’t want more responsibility? [14:06] - The Danger of Refusing Personal Responsibility [16:22] - Avoid the Self-help Black Hole [18:50] - The Case for Personal Responsibility [21:25] - A Powerful Metaphor to Cultivate Self-Direction [25:58] - “THINK, CONSUME, CREATE, BECOME” [28:21] - A Final Message -- (SUBSCRIBE - New Episodes Released on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/purple-elephant-radio/support

All this gets answered and more in this meditative episode of Purple Elephant Radio about the "creative gray zone" (i.e., when one project ends and another has yet to begin). -- OFF WITH HIS HEAD (link below): (Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CTDWNXSC -- TIMESTAMPS: [0:00] - Intro [0:35] - A Reading from “Off With His Head” [4:16] - A Quick Overview of the Book [5:25] - The End is Near ... [7:02] - Too Afraid to End Things? [9:27] - “Coping” with Short-Term Gratification [11:01] - The Anti-Creative Force Called “The Metrics” [12:46] - Without a Goal … People Turn to Metrics [13:25] - 3 Tips to Thrive in the “Creative Gray Zone” [13:45] - Tip #1 [16:18] - Tip #2 [17:40] - Tip #3 [19:42] - Outro -- (SUBSCRIBE - New Episodes Released on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube) #podcast #creativeideas #selfimprovement #purpleelephant #creativetips --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/purple-elephant-radio/support

All this gets answered and more in this exclusive episode of Purple Elephant Radio about my newest book “Off With His Head: A Guide to Spiritual Awakening in a Polarized, Radicalized and Digitized Society.” A special thank you to Zach Greene for doing the interview. -- OFF WITH HIS HEAD (link below): (Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CTDWNXSC -- TIMESTAMPS: [0:00] - Intro [1:38] - The Unique Process of Writing "Off With His Head" [4:47] - Which Spiritual Teachers Inspired the Essays? [7:06] - Who Would Benefit Most From Reading This Book? [11:57] - Resistance Explained: It’s Not Just “Stress” or “Anxiety” [13:20] - The Major Theme of the Book [17:27] - A Cultural Shift in Consciousness: Urban Versus Rural [24:23] - “Feel” Vesus “Think” [25:45] - The Buddhist Flower Sermon Story [28:58] - AI and the Ego [35:21] - Cancel Culture and the Ego: Avoid the Mob Mentality [43:09] - The Influence of Philosophy and Psychology in the Book [48:45] - Karma Yoga Explained [51:15] - Essays & Poems: The Order of the Book Explained [55:49] - Counterintuitive Advice for Book Writing [59:41] - Acknowledgements for the Book [1:02:50] - When and Where to Buy the Book [1:03:54] - Outro -- (SUBSCRIBE - New Episodes Released on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube) #nonfictionbook #philosophy #spirituality #nondualism #eckharttolle --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/purple-elephant-radio/support

All this gets answered and more in this CRITICAL episode of Purple Elephant Radio about how to develop intellectual humility in this era of social media and division. — BOOKS MENTIONED: Intellectuals & Society by Thomas Sowell (Amazon) https://a.co/d/4Ysro5k The Cartoon Guide to Statistics by Larry Gonick and Woollcott Smith *(Amazon) https://a.co/d/5QSe0eZ ^I recommend buying it used. — Gun Control in the UK vs. US (DETAILED): "New York City has had a murder rate some multiple of the murder rate in London for more than two centuries--and for most of those two centuries neither place had serious restrictions on acquiring firearms," Thomas Sowell, Intellectuals and Society. (Basic Books, A Member of the Perseus Books Group, 2012), p. 196. "The United States experienced an extraordinary increase in violent crime in the 1960s and 1970s and a remarkable drop in violent crime in the 1990s. The number of firearms, especially handguns, in private hands increased by several million every year during this period. The relentless growth in the privately held stock of firearms cannot explain both the crime wave of the first period and the crime drop of the second period," James B. Jacobs, Can Gun Control Work? (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002), p. 13. Both quotes, sourced from Intellectuals and Society, are NOT attempting to prove that guns are always safe and unlinked to crime. Rather, it points to the statistics credo "correlation does not equal causation," and, as it stands, the link between guns and violence is correlated but guns do not cause violence. — PURPLE ELEPHANT UPDATES: *BUY THE PURPLE ELEPHANT ARTIST BOOK (*I just knocked the price down to $19.99*): (Amazon) ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://a.co/d/2vWFsiv *Watch Bugging Me (On YouTube for a Limited Time!) (YouTube) ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/Njz3rxIXLn8?si=tV9q1HRF8Ntg8p1n — TIMESTAMPS: [0:00] - Coming Up ... [0:21] - Intro [1:33] - What are the 2 Major Ways Social Media Use Has Changed? [4:40] - How Has Social Media's Shift Led to More Intellectual Arrogance (& Divisiveness)? [6:50] - Why MUST You Cultivate Intellectual Humility in 2023? [8:24] - ONE ... #ContentBubbleAwareness [13:40] - TWO ... #FromTheHorsesMouth [17:31] - THREE ... #ReasonTrumpsAssertion [21:57] - FOUR ... #Statistics101 [28:50] - FIVE ... #PlayDevilsAdvocate [31:25] - BONUS ... #ABC [32:53] - Outro — (SUBSCRIBE - New Episodes Released on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/purple-elephant-radio/support

All this gets answered and more in this special episode of Purple Elephant Radio about outgrowing knee-jerk emotional reactions—like anger, stress, and anxiety—when life gets tough. — Caffeine & Anxiety (Further Explanation): It’s quite a complex relationship. It seems difficult to link caffeine to specific emotions with scientific studies--especially when caffeine tolerance is considered (thereby making a generalized recommended daily limit impractical). Plenty of studies note subtle increases in mood, but as the study linked below notes, it might have more to do with withdrawal reversal than anything else. (You may know someone who is “cranky” until they get their morning cup of joe): https://gwern.net/doc/nootropic/caffeine/2005-james.pdf The main point I was making about the connection between caffeine and anxiety is expressed well in a quote from a paper link below. “The resemblance between the symptoms of excessive caffeine ingestion and those of anxiety is obvious and they may both have a basis in overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system. It has been argued that the symptoms of caffeinism are indistinguishable from those of anxiety.“ “Caffeinism” does relate to doses higher than 1000mg (i.e., more than 10 cups of coffee), but I was attempting to point out their similarity as having “a basis in overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system.” https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/7C884B2106D772F02DA114C1B75D4EBF/S1355514600002637a.pdf/neuropsychiatric-effects-of-caffeine.pdf So, to reiterate, I was overly simplistic in the video, but I hope it’s clear that I am not trying to misportray or vilify caffeine (I am a heavy coffee drinker myself). — PURPLE ELEPHANT UPDATES: *BUY THE PURPLE ELEPHANT ARTIST BOOK (*I just knocked the price down to $19.99*): (Amazon) ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FCKHZXW?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 ⁠⁠⁠⁠ *Watch Bugging Me (On YouTube for a limited time!) (YouTube) ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/Njz3rxIXLn8?si=tV9q1HRF8Ntg8p1n — TIMESTAMPS: [0:00] - Intro [2:35] - Explaining “(Negative) Emotional Reactivity” [4:45] - Anger & Anxiety: What are the physical sensations of the emotion? [7:39] - The Difference Between Physical Sensations and Thought Patterns of an Emotion [11:20] - Social Media and Emotional Reaction (“Outrage Culture”) [12:15] - How Do You Feel [Negative] Emotions Without Thinking About Them? [13:40] - A Personal Story of “Getting Stuck in an Angry Thought Pattern” [16:33] - The Two Ways Emotions Arise [21:01] - How to Outgrow Emotional Reactivity by “Letting Go” [23:02] - How the Ego Holds Negative Emotions Longer Than Needed [25:45] - Persevering a Sense of Self With Negative Emotions [27:05] - A Wise Quote from the Buddha (About Anger) [29:08] - A Quick Overview of “Letting Go” and Closing Words [33:18] - Outro — (SUBSCRIBE - New Episodes Released on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube) #stressmanagement #meditation #ego #emotional #emotions #introspection --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/purple-elephant-radio/support

All this gets answered and more in this episode of Purple Elephant Radio about how to improve yourself without willpower or self-guilt (by shifting to "the integrated view of self"). -- PURPLE ELEPHANT UPDATES: *BUY THE PURPLE ELEPHANT ARTIST BOOK (*I just knocked the price down to $19.99*): (Amazon) ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FCKHZXW?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 ⁠⁠⁠⁠ *Watch Fontanini, Fontanini (*FOR FREE, only on YouTube for a limited time!) (YouTube) ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/WolL0xIVv_I⁠⁠⁠⁠ -- TIMESTAMPS: [0:00] - Intro [1:27] - "Don't Paint Legs on a Snake" Explained [2:30] - The Divided Self: What is it? [6:30] - Self-love & Self-hate: What connects them? [10:47] - Why is Advice-based Content so Popular These Days? [13:45] - What Makes it Difficult to Shift to the Integrated Self? [14:45] - The Integrated Self: What is it? [17:05] - The Rebuttal Against "The Integrated Self" View [19:30] - Healthy Eating: From the Divided Self to the Integrated Self [25:17] - Freewill Vs. Predetermism: How does it relate to this? [26:32] - Why the One's View of Self Matters in Daily Life [29:07] - Can You Still Set Goals with the Integrated View of Self? [30:18] - How Does the Integrated Self Relate to Being Present? [31:35] - A Metaphor About Gardening [33:44] - Outro -- (SUBSCRIBE - New Episodes Released on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/purple-elephant-radio/support

All this gets answered and more in this episode of Purple Elephant Radio about politics, science, and statistics (oh my!). -- LINKS: *Antifradgile by Nassim Taleb (Amazon) https://rb.gy/e9to1 *Economic Facts and Fallacies by Thomas Sowell (Amazon) https://rb.gy/xrzd2 ^This book posed the rational argument against rent control in NYC. *Heart Disease & Vegetable Oils Correlation (Further Research) https://openheart.bmj.com/content/5/2/e000898 ^This paper actually argues that there is a cause-and-effect relationship. -- PURPLE ELEPHANT UPDATES: BUY THE PURPLE ELEPHANT ARTIST BOOK (*I just knocked the price down to $19.99*): (Amazon) ⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FCKHZXW?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 ⁠⁠⁠ Watch Fontanini, Fontanini (*FOR FREE, only on YouTube for a limited time!) (YouTube) ⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/WolL0xIVv_I⁠⁠⁠ -- TIMESTAMPS: [0:00] - Intro [1:18] - The Death of Socrates [4:38] - Would Socrates be "canceled" today? [7:58] - Falsifiability in Science [11:00] - Subtractive Advice vs. Additive Advice [13:30] - Confirmation Fallacy (in Science and Politics) [15:40] - How Legacy Media Sensationalizes Data [20:40] - Is "proving something false" pessimistic? [23:50] - Statistics over Time (Understanding Trend Lines) [26:15] - The Overuse and Weaponization of "Misinformation" [32:42] - Lecturing the Bird to Fly (in Higher Education) [33:30] - Mundane vs. Intellectual Knowledge [39:20] - Consensus-driven Thought vs. Critical Thought (in Politics and Science) [41:30] - An Optionality vs. Narrative-based Lifestyle [43:30] - The Case for an Optionality-based Lifestyle [47:20] - The Case for a Narrative-based Lifestyle [49:45] - A Final Message -- (SUBSCRIBE - New Episodes Released on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/purple-elephant-radio/support

All this gets answered and more in this episode of Purple Elephant Radio about Chat-GPT and other generative AI. -- LINKS MENTIONED: Purple Elephant Radio - AI episodes The Creativity Code (Part 1) - https://open.spotify.com/episode/71vaUF3PyK6de6nHDopBjo?si=d9e5d757e1424351 The Creativity Code (Part 2) - https://open.spotify.com/episode/4oHLP3zMmENTXlAb88w354?si=e2f50921b95a44d8 Eckart Tolle's Podcast Personal Episode Recommendation - https://open.spotify.com/episode/1jMViF34b4QbE831TgnZ3h?si=ec1cf9bf9a884318 -- BUY THE PURPLE ELEPHANT ARTIST (*I JUST KNOCKED THE PRICE DOWN TO $19.99*): (Amazon) ⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FCKHZXW?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 ⁠⁠ Watch Fontanini, Fontanini (*FOR FREE, only on YouTube for a limited time!) (YouTube) ⁠⁠https://youtu.be/WolL0xIVv_I⁠⁠ -- TIMESTAMPS: -- (SUBSCRIBE - New Episodes Released on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/purple-elephant-radio/support

All this gets answered and more in the first-ever video episode of Purple Elephant Radio. BUY THE PURPLE ELEPHANT ARTIST (*I JUST KNOCKED THE PRICE DOWN TO $19.99*): (Amazon) ⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FCKHZXW?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 ⁠ Watch Fontanini, Fontanini (*FOR FREE, only on YouTube for a limited time!) (YouTube) ⁠https://youtu.be/WolL0xIVv_I⁠ TIMESTAMPS: (SUBSCRIBE - New Episodes Released on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/purple-elephant-radio/support

All this gets answered and more in this solo episode about Resistance with a capital "R". BUY THE PURPLE ELEPHANT ARTIST (*I JUST KNOCKED THE PRICE DOWN TO $19.99*): (Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FCKHZXW?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 Watch Fontanini, Fontanini (*FOR FREE, only on YouTube for a limited time!) (YouTube) https://youtu.be/WolL0xIVv_I TIMESTAMPS: (SUBSCRIBE - New Episodes Released Every Monday @7am) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/purple-elephant-radio/support

How can we model other people's content strategies without copying them? How important is frequent posting to growing a brand? What are some ways to grow your audience besides "making more content"? What is the mistake people make when aiming to "grow their followers" on any platform? Why is personal identity so integral to your brand identity? How can you make the two compatible? All this gets answered and more in this solo episode about strategic principles for growing a brand and creating successful content. TIMESTAMPS: Part 1 (Goals) - 2:22* Part 2 (Plans) - 8:26* Part 3 (Identity) - 24:27* BUY THE PURPLE ELEPHANT ARTIST (Only $19.99): (Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FCKHZXW?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 (SUBSCRIBE - New Episodes Released Every Tuesday @7am) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/purple-elephant-radio/support

What are the downsides of over-automating your life? Why is "everything always now" a thinking trap you need to avoid when working on multiple projects? How can you master the art of prioritization for yourself using questions? What do sailboats and motorboats have to do with our creative practice? All this gets answered and more in this solo episode about discovering your priorities in life. Articles/Studies/Videos Mentioned: (Jim Rohn Speech) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPJ-3WFC_vQ (GPS's Effect on the Hippocampus) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30009166/ (Differences Between Oral & Written Language) https://open.lib.umn.edu/publicspeaking/chapter/13-1-oral-versus-written-language/ BUY THE PURPLE ELEPHANT ARTIST (*I JUST KNOCKED THE PRICE DOWN TO $19.99*): (Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FCKHZXW?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 (SUBSCRIBE - New Episodes Released Every Wednesday @7am) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/purple-elephant-radio/support

All this gets answered and more in this solo episode about completing your marathon-length creative projects. BUY THE PURPLE ELEPHANT ARTIST (*I JUST KNOCKED THE PRICE DOWN TO $19.99*): (Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FCKHZXW?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 (SUBSCRIBE - New Episodes Released Every Wednesday @7am) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/purple-elephant-radio/support

use it All this gets answered and more in this solo episode about weathering the storm of creative flops. Resources Mentioned: The Long Tail by Chris Anderson - https://www.amazon.com/Long-Tail-Future-Business-Selling/dp/1401309666/ (Ira Glass Video) - https://youtu.be/91FQKciKfHI (More On Social Proof) - https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/social-proof (More on the Power Law) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_law BUY THE PURPLE ELEPHANT ARTIST: (Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FCKHZXW?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 (SUBSCRIBE - New Episodes Released Every Tuesday @7am) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/purple-elephant-radio/support

What can Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor, teach a content creator about envy? What is the artisan approach to making content and why does it matter? How can you turn envy toward someone into admiration for them? What is "generalized envy" and how does social media heighten it? All this gets answered and more in this practical solo episode about that gross emotion called ENVY. Books Mentioned: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - https://www.amazon.com/Meditations-New-Translation-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/0812968255/ Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb - https://www.amazon.com/Skin-Game-Hidden-Asymmetries-Daily/dp/0141982659/ BUY THE PURPLE ELEPHANT ARTIST: (Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FCKHZXW?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 (SUBSCRIBE - New Episodes Released Every Tuesday @7am) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/purple-elephant-radio/support

All this gets answered and more in the first episode of the NEW ERA of Purple Elephant Radio. BUY THE PURPLE ELEPHANT ARTIST: (Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FCKHZXW?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 (SUBSCRIBE - New Episodes Released Every Tuesday @7am) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/purple-elephant-radio/support

No more themed 10-episode seasons! Buckle up for the long haul. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/purple-elephant-radio/support

The show where we discuss the mindsets, philosophies, and strategies needed to make art and tell stories that make a dent in this era of abundance. This is a show for The Unbound Creative--the undefinable artists & the unidentified philosophers. Welcome to Purple Elephant Radio. Thanks for tuning in. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/purple-elephant-radio/support

Why is it so important to sell something other than ad space? What separates the content creator from the artist? Can we be both? How does someone know when it's worth making an online course for something? Why is structure just as important as content when it comes to creating a personal brand? All this gets answered and more in this special episode about BECOMING the content creator (featuring Sveta Wunnenberg). BUY THE PURPLE ELEPHANT ARTIST: (Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FCKHZXW?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 (SUBSCRIBE - New Episodes Released Every Monday @8am) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/purple-elephant-radio/support

All this gets discussed and more with entrepreneur - Zach Greene. BUY THE PURPLE ELEPHANT ARTIST - On Sale Now: (Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FCKHZXW?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 Bold by Peter Diamandis: (Amazon) https://tinyurl.com/ydwdp9wp (SUBSCRIBE - New Episodes Released Every Monday @8am) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/purple-elephant-radio/support