The Radical Brilliance Podcast Arjuna Ardagh - Radical Brilliance

Today's episode of the Radical Brilliance podcast is with Dr. Vlatko Vedral, professor of quantum technology at Oxford University. I hope that it will blow your mind as much as it did mine. The more that I explore the cutting edge of quantum physics, the more new insight I have about what is happening in our world. We all get locked in the echo chambers of mutually exclusive narratives of meaning, which we defend literally as if we were under physical attack. The shift in how we understand reality, which Dr. Vedral explains in this video, may be what we need to move collectively from defending singular points of view to the capacity to easily embrace opposite narratives in a relaxed way.

So often when we listen to conversations with “experts,” they are people who have written the books, mapped out the landscape, and created a lifetime of credentials. Often, of course, these experts are baby boomers, now in their 50s 60s or beyond. Eric Hoffer once said, “In times of rapid change, it is the learners who will inherit the earth, while the knowers will be well-equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” We are in times of rapid change. Our very survival hangs in the balance. Things are changing so quickly, that it is the young and malleable minds who will determine the future of human life on this planet.

For this reason, I really loved having this conversation with Raj. He displays a very mature and balanced perspective on everything from the economy, to the environment, to social and political systems. Please enjoy this conversation, and get us your feedback at radicalbrilliance.com/ podcast.

5:46 -- The world through the eyes of a millennial

14:16 -- The skill of filtering information

21:30 -- Who can you trust?

30:20 -- Finding common humanity

37:00 -- Trends in the new world / “You are your most valuable asset”

The latest episode of the Radical Brilliance podcast is with Joe Mechlinski, the author of "Shift the Work," and the founder of Shift. His organization has a long track record of supporting organizations, from tens to thousands of employees, to change the work environment. Most of us find ourselves in unprecedented times of uncertainty. Just a few months ago, the economy was booming, unemployment rates were low, and everyone was busy hopping on and off planes to exotic destinations, eating in restaurants, dancing and going to parties. When the COVID19 pandemic hit, all of that went into stasis. Suddenly, we found ourselves staying at home, many businesses were forced to close or experienced great struggle, and millions of people are out of work. Now, we wonder what comes next.

Whenever there is a time like this of great disruption, we never go back. What comes after never looks like what came before. The same was true for both World Wars, for the Great Depression, and for the Spanish Flu. Times of great calamity also bring opportunity for great innovation and evolution.

In this conversation with Joe Mechlinski we explore how to ride times of turbulent change in a business environment, and how to thrive -- not only financially, but by becoming an agent of evolution.

4:30 -- Why go back when you can go forward?

15:12 -- Life without our costumes on -- the value of authenticity

20:51 -- What to do with the vacuum of clear vision of leadership? 

30:12 -- Rethinking life and work

42:28 -- The perils of outsourcing 

49:12 -- Agents of evolution

Welcome back to the Radical Brilliance Podcast.  This week our guests are Bill Kauth and Zoe Alowan, talking about the power of tribe.

Us homo sapiens have always done better when we collaborate. Truth is… we need each other, whether we're willing to admit it or not.

Historically, we all used to live tribally just in order to survive. But, over time, tribal ways were largely abandoned or actively destroyed, especially with the rise of urban development, systems of governance, religion, industrialization and colonization.

Though many indigenous tribes have survived, most of global society drifted (or was forced) away from the land and the ways of living with one another and the earth. Our social support units shifted then to the extended family… which narrowed down to the nuclear family… and then to the American dream where each individual has the opportunity to strive and become successful… but alone.

We can't wind the clock backwards. And - even if we could - there are many aspects of those ancient tribes we wouldn't wish to emulate. But we DO have an opportunity to learn from those who came before and consider how we, in this individuated/post-industrialized society, can return to what really matters. And we have an opportunity to consciously and deliberately create a sense of tribe that works for us now.

Bill Kauth and Zoe Alowan have done some brave work in forging the path for the rest of us. Please enjoy this podcast with two visionaries and trailblazers.





3:23 -- Historical precedence, current need 

13:07 -- The role of leadership 

21:09 -- Intentional communities and commitment 

32:24 -- A few best practices and learnings

47:43 -- Importance of transparency, connection and intimacy

"No one really knows why they're alive until they know what they would die for." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Death plays an essential role in the cycle of creativity. There's no light without darkness and there's no life without death. The most beautiful gardens grow from rich and dirty compost. As a society, we regularly try to cheat death and avoid discomfort but we're really just cheating ourselves of the opportunity to feel, grieve, fear, rage, fall, fail, learn, and eventually grow -- all necessary steps along the path to creating something meaningful.

Alex Ebert is constantly creating. He makes music and art, designs apps, writes books, founded a nonprofit, and even made a film, which we'll discuss in this episode. He's also pretty comfortable with discomfort and facing his own mortality. Find out about how these things are all related in our conversation here. And enjoy.





3:01 -- Creation and mortality, the role of gratitude

12:00 -- Truth, raw humanity, and the crucible

25:04 -- Different understandings of death, rites of passage, ritual and society

40:49 -- "Losing is learning", the initiation of parenthood

As an expert in personal transformation, I thought I had seen it all. Tried hundreds of modalities, and developed some as well. Read and written countless books, and coached thousands of people on how to be their best. So imagine my surprise when I stepped onto a Fusion dance floor and found myself completely blown away by the deep life lessons being offered to me in such an unassuming form.





 





Dance is a metaphor for life. Everything we need to work on in our personal and professional lives (e.g., leadership style, communication skills, ability to collaborate with others, ease of innovation) will be revealed as we learn to partner dance. This is especially true in Fusion Dance — which implicitly invites a certain level of mindfulness in its practice. Justin Riley, one of the founders of Fusion Dance, has no qualms about linking the lessons he’s learned in dance to inform and improve every aspect of his life. In this episode we talk about dance as a surprisingly powerful tool for personal and even global transformation. Enjoy.



3:07 -- Dance: More transformative than coaching?

22:22 -- History of Fusion Dance

33:53 -- Why dance is good for entrepreneurs?