Episodes

  • #65: The Story Behind Love Conquers Fear: Brett Hurt’s Fireside Chat With Byron Reese — June 23, 2026

    #65: The Story Behind Love Conquers Fear: Brett Hurt’s Fireside Chat With Byron Reese — June 23, 2026
    Jun 25 2026
    Order the Book! ► ⁠http://loveconquersfear.org/bookWhat you’ll hear in this episode:- How “Love Conquers Fear” grew from Brett’s search for meaning, reality, and humanity’s future- The psychedelic journey that inspired the book’s message, structure, and deeper calling- Choosing love over fear as AI, quantum computing, robotics, and brain-computer interfaces accelerate- Consciousness, the soul, reincarnation, spiritual texts, and the deeper nature of reality- Scarcity thinking, othering, social media fear loops, nuclear weapons, and zero-sum power- Agency, compassion, and global cooperation as paths to an Age of Abundance for All- Meditation, ancient wisdom, and spiritual awakening as catalysts for transformation- Josh Baer’s legacy of agency, generosity, entrepreneurship, and Austin’s startup ecosystemAbout Love Conquers Fear:In an era of exponentially evolving AI and robotics, one question looms: Will humanity make it? Love Conquers Fear is where leadership meets love, technology serves humanity, and vision becomes action. Host, Brett Alexander Hurt, tech entrepreneur and investor, sits down with some of the world’s most influential people to ask: Will we unite to create the Age of Abundance for All? These conversations are calls to action, awakening leaders everywhere to rise and help humanity choose the Light.Follow Brett Alexander Hurt on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretthurt/X/Twitter: https://x.com/brettahurtMedium: https://databrett.medium.com/Substack: https://brettahurt.substack.com/Watch on:YouTube: http://tiny.cc/LCF-YTSpotify: http://tiny.cc/LCF-SpotifyListen on:Apple Podcasts: http://tiny.cc/LCF-AppleAmazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/LCF-AmazonAbout Byron Reese:Byron Reese is an author, speaker, futurist, and entrepreneur known for bringing a deeply philosophical lens to questions about AI, consciousness, progress, and human potential. Over more than two decades, he has built and sold multiple companies, written books including “The Fourth Age”, “Stories, Dice, and Rocks That Think”, and “We Are Agora”, and spoken around the world about how emerging technologies may reshape work, education, society, and what it means to be human. His work is marked by curiosity, clarity, and a belief that humanity’s future can be better than its past.Timestamps:0:00:00 — Preview0:00:30 — Intro: Byron Reese, Josh Baer’s legacy, Amit Sharma0:10:36 — Lifelong search to understand reality, Vedanta, David Judson0:18:01 — Calling to write the book, existential questions, podcast, writing process 0:27:18 — Ancient spiritual texts, scarcity thinking, human agency, abundance, othering0:34:13 — Unlimited energy, end of disease, broken constructs, global heart shift0:45:03 — Human goodness, external accumulation, reincarnation, nuclear risk, awakening0:56:37 — Hard moral choices, accountability, meditation, AI leadership, catalyzing change1:14:27 — Open-source AI, AGI race, intentionality, decentralization, small acts of kindness1:27:31 — Closing reflectionsBooks mentioned in this episode:- The Fourth Age — Byron Reese- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — Douglas Adams- Bhagavad Gita — Stephen Mitchell (tr.)- Tao Te Ching — Stephen Mitchell (tr.)- Governing Business & Relationships — Avula Parthasarathy- Awareness — Anthony de Mello- How to Surrender to God — David R. HawkinsLinks:Capital Factory: https://capitalfactory.com/“Unknown: Cosmic Time Machine” doc: https://tinyurl.com/mw58x5vm“Disclosure Day” film: https://tinyurl.com/4karfc2rDavid Judson on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/y5p9nnweMalala Yousafzai’s TED Talk: https://tinyurl.com/z2mp67ftDario Amodei’s essay “The Adolescence of Technology”: https://tinyurl.com/235a2n3tUN on global food insecurity: https://tinyurl.com/4v4dx5smSwamiji Parthasarathy: https://tinyurl.com/4swp946wFulfillionaire: https://tinyurl.com/5xtw29snJP Newman’s “Fulfillionaire” podcast: https://tinyurl.com/2sezh553
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    1 hr and 29 mins
  • #64: Ancient Wisdom for a New Future: Culture, Women, and the Path to Liberation – Pardis Mahdavi

    #64: Ancient Wisdom for a New Future: Culture, Women, and the Path to Liberation – Pardis Mahdavi
    Jun 23 2026

    Order the Book! ► ⁠http://loveconquersfear.org/book


    What you’ll hear in this episode:

    - Pardis’ Iranian-American story of exile, identity, and learning to bridge worlds

    - Persian mysticism, Sufism, Rumi, Hafez, and dance as direct paths to the Divine

    - Awakening as a cultural choice, and how consciousness can fuel progress

    - Pardis’ journey from achievement and despair back to God, love, purpose, and liberation

    - Psychedelics, meditation, and ceremony as sacred tools for healing and awakening

    - Why psychedelics need wisdom, reverence, integration, and real safety for women

    - Rethinking education for a world where creativity matters more than information

    - AI as a force for expanding creativity, storytelling, education, and imagination


    About Love Conquers Fear:

    In an era of exponentially evolving AI and robotics, one question looms: Will humanity make it? Love Conquers Fear is where leadership meets love, technology serves humanity, and vision becomes action. Host, Brett Alexander Hurt, tech entrepreneur and investor, sits down with some of the world’s most influential people to ask: Will we unite to create the Age of Abundance for All? These conversations are calls to action, awakening leaders everywhere to rise and help humanity choose the Light.


    Follow Brett Alexander Hurt on:

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretthurt/

    X/Twitter: https://x.com/brettahurt

    Medium: https://databrett.medium.com/

    Substack: https://brettahurt.substack.com/


    Watch on:

    YouTube: http://tiny.cc/LCF-YT

    Spotify: http://tiny.cc/LCF-Spotify


    Listen on:

    Apple Podcasts: http://tiny.cc/LCF-Apple

    Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/LCF-Amazon


    About Pardis Mahdavi:

    Pardis Mahdavi is an author, entrepreneur, coach, keynote speaker, and medical anthropologist whose work explores human rights, gender, migration, education, consciousness, and culture change. She has written books including “Book of Queens”, “Hyphen”, “Passionate Uprisings”, and “Riding”, and has held senior leadership roles in higher education, including president, provost, dean, and professor. Through her writing, teaching, and work with Entheon, Pardis focuses on transformation, healing, creativity, and helping people imagine more liberated futures.


    Timestamps:

    0:00:00 — Preview

    0:00:25 — Intro: Meditation retreat in Bali, The Lattice, Brett's new book

    0:03:20 — Welcome Pardis Mahdavi

    0:06:17 — Ibogaine for healing, Iranian-American identity, pathways to love and the Divine

    0:13:37 — Embodied consciousness, ancient wisdom traditions, creating a more awakened reality

    0:21:25 — Revolutions start in culture, suffering shaping decisions, Iranian women’s resistance

    0:30:41 — Bodily defiance as liberation, Oneness, abundance, transcending cultural constructs

    0:41:36 — Storytelling, imagination, rethinking education and policy, creating the future

    0:51:29 — Meditation as daily communion, education access, psychedelics, mystery schools

    1:05:04 — Decoding reality, consciousness awakening, suffering, healing, purpose, inner journey

    1:18:39 — Psychedelic safety for women, women's historic role in medicine, humility, integration

    1:28:09 — Closing reflections


    Books mentioned in this episode:

    - The Immortality Key — Brian C. Muraresku

    - Book of Queens — Pardis Mahdavi

    - Passionate Uprisings — Pardis Mahdavi

    - Horsepower (forthcoming) — Pardis Mahdavi

    - Falcon’s Flight (forthcoming) — Pardis Mahdavi

    - Genesis — Craig Mundie, Eric Schmidt, Henry Kissinger


    Links:

    Americans for Ibogaine: https://tinyurl.com/27yhvjcs

    Executive order to fast-track psychedelic research: https://tinyurl.com/33by6ynm

    The University of Texas Systemwide Brain Research Summit 2026: https://tinyurl.com/mwnampfe

    Steve Jobs’ Stanford commencement speech: https://tinyurl.com/2dcxf33n

    Culturati Summit: https://tinyurl.com/4vzjuhd9
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    1 hr and 29 mins
  • #63: The Cyber Arms Race: Securing the Cloud as AI Escalates Risk — Doug Merritt

    #63: The Cyber Arms Race: Securing the Cloud as AI Escalates Risk — Doug Merritt
    Jun 16 2026
    Order the Book! ► ⁠http://loveconquersfear.org/bookWhat you’ll hear in this episode:- Why Doug says careers aren’t linear, and how “purpose” shaped his biggest choices- Doug’s leadership philosophy: empower the people closest to the work, then lock in accountability- Why cloud security plays by different rules when everyone is shipping fast- Aviatrix’s core idea: contain the blast radius when something breaks- AI agents as the next cyber risk, with attacks and defenses running at machine speed- Psychedelic-assisted therapy as sacred healing when done safely- Doug’s grounding practices: meditation and time in nature, with a push for more consistent quiet time- Souls and reincarnation as a lens for growth, with discipline as the way back to love fasterAbout Love Conquers Fear:In an era of exponentially evolving AI and robotics, one question looms: Will humanity make it? Love Conquers Fear is where leadership meets love, technology serves humanity, and vision becomes action. Host, Brett Alexander Hurt, tech entrepreneur and investor, sits down with some of the world’s most influential people to ask: Will we unite to create the Age of Abundance for All? These conversations are calls to action, awakening leaders everywhere to rise and help humanity choose the Light.Follow Brett Alexander Hurt on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretthurt/X/Twitter: https://x.com/brettahurtMedium: https://databrett.medium.com/Substack: https://brettahurt.substack.com/Watch on:YouTube: http://tiny.cc/LCF-YTSpotify: http://tiny.cc/LCF-SpotifyListen on:Apple Podcasts: http://tiny.cc/LCF-AppleAmazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/LCF-AmazonAbout Doug Merritt:Doug Merritt is a tech CEO and longtime enterprise software builder who has led companies through major inflection points in cloud and cybersecurity. He previously served as CEO of Splunk and now serves as Chairman, CEO, and President of Aviatrix, focused on securing cloud infrastructure as AI raises both the upside and the risks of software at scale. Doug’s leadership approach emphasizes empowering teams close to the work and building clear accountability as organizations navigate rapid change.Timestamps:0:00:00 — Preview0:01:09 — Intro: Psychedelic research, Jim Fadiman, Culturati Summit, Brett's new book0:11:03 — Welcome Doug Merritt0:13:41 — Non-linear career path, tech as a force for good, early SaaS and workforce analytics0:22:19 — Timing as the decisive factor, inflection points, market waves, empowering teams0:34:09 — Scaling Spunk, cloud transformation, cybersecurity pivot, public-company turbulence0:43:17 — AI agents escalating cyber risk, workload-layer cloud security, containment0:50:53 — Why AI makes hacking easier, breach locks, exponential tech, abundance potential0:58:59 — AI panic, navigating today’s risks and long-term abundance, no slowing down AI1:12:15 — Truth-seeing models, messy emergence, UBI vs. concentration, consciousness, meditation1:33:21 — Closing reflectionsBooks mentioned in this episode:- The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide — James Fadiman- Deep Future — Pablos Holman- Pattern Breakers — Mike Maples Jr., Peter Ziebelman- The Order of Time — Carlo Rovelli- Journey of Souls — Michael Newton- After the Ecstasy, the Laundry — Jack KornfieldLinks:Executive order to fast-track psychedelic research: https://tinyurl.com/33by6ynmAmericans for Ibogaine: https://tinyurl.com/27yhvjcsJim Fadiman on The Tim Ferriss Show: https://tinyurl.com/ycka6tsxCulturati Summit: https://tinyurl.com/4vzjuhd9Aaron Levie on the opportunity with AI consulting: https://tinyurl.com/537knwwjBill Gross’ TED Talk: https://tinyurl.com/mpdd46ytMichael and Susan Dell giving over $1B to UT Austin: https://tinyurl.com/yd8zcfyzUT Dell Medical Center: https://tinyurl.com/33pd2fue“The AI Doc” documentary: https://tinyurl.com/mt7wj8ctMalala Yousafzai’s TED Talk: https://tinyurl.com/454j5bk3
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    1 hr and 35 mins
  • #62: Rebuilding Trust: AI Agents, Human Dignity, and Universal Basic Capital — Peng T. Ong

    #62: Rebuilding Trust: AI Agents, Human Dignity, and Universal Basic Capital — Peng T. Ong
    Jun 9 2026
    Order the Book! ► ⁠http://loveconquersfear.org/bookWhat you’ll hear in this episode:- How fear-fed algorithms and fake news break shared reality- Why trust is scarce in the AI era, and how AI can rebuild it at scale- The abundance gap in education, with hundreds of millions still at risk of never learning to read- AI as a coach and cheerleader that can expand human potential- Universal Basic Capital (UBC) as a stronger answer than UBI when intelligence gets cheap- How AI forces a metaphysics conversation, and why “AI is conscious” is prematureAbout Love Conquers Fear:In an era of exponentially evolving AI and robotics, one question looms: Will humanity make it? Love Conquers Fear is where leadership meets love, technology serves humanity, and vision becomes action. Host, Brett Alexander Hurt, tech entrepreneur and investor, sits down with some of the world’s most influential people to ask: Will we unite to create the Age of Abundance for All? These conversations are calls to action, awakening leaders everywhere to rise and help humanity choose the Light.Follow Brett Alexander Hurt on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretthurt/X/Twitter: https://x.com/brettahurtMedium: https://databrett.medium.com/Substack: https://brettahurt.substack.com/Watch on:YouTube: http://tiny.cc/LCF-YTSpotify: http://tiny.cc/LCF-SpotifyListen on:Apple Podcasts: http://tiny.cc/LCF-AppleAmazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/LCF-AmazonAbout Peng Ong:Peng Ong is a Singapore-based entrepreneur and investor who has spent decades building and backing technology companies across the U.S. and Asia. He’s the founding partner of Monk’s Hill Ventures, and his work spans company building, venture investing, and long-range thinking about how technology reshapes society. Peng’s core focus is what comes next as AI scales: trust, education, human-centered guidance, and economic models designed for abundance.Timestamps:0:00:00 — Preview0:01:09 — Intro: UT Dell Medical School, Brett's new book0:05:06 — Welcome Peng Ong0:07:43 — Singapore roots, purpose, entrepreneurship, unlocking human potential0:24:17 — AI commoditizing intelligence, scarcity of trust, fact-checking + trust agents0:40:11 — WW2 survival, AGI race, tribalism, economic singularity0:56:23 — Algorithmic fear, UBI vs. universal basic capital, spiritual texts, human-centered tech1:12:17 — Avoiding a future of inequality, freedom vs. control, consciousness vs. intelligence1:24:07 — Consciousness as a full-body mystery + consciousness books1:29:35 — Closing reflectionsBooks mentioned in this episode:- The Tao of Willie — Willie Nelson, Turk Pipkin- From Third World to First — Lee Kuan Yew- The AI Ten Commandments — Jamie Metzl- The Diamond Age — Neal Stephenson- The Fourth Age — Byron Reese- Deep Future — Pablos Holman- Bhagavad Gita — Stephen Mitchell (tr.)- Tao Te Ching — Stephen Mitchell (tr.)- The Singularity Is Nearer — Ray Kurzweil- The Singularity Is Near — Ray Kurzweil- A World Appears — Michael Pollan- The Secret of Secrets — Dan Brown- Living in a Mindful Universe — Eben Alexander, Karen Newell- Proof of Heaven — Eben Alexander- The Map of Heaven — Eben Alexander- Stalking the Wild Pendulum — Itzhak BentovLinks:UT Dell Medical Center: https://tinyurl.com/33pd2fueMichael and Susan Dell giving over $1B to UT Austin: https://tinyurl.com/yd8zcfyzPlato’s "Allegory of the Cave" (8-Bit Philosophy): https://tinyurl.com/46kh4632Fix the News: https://fixthenews.com/The Progress Network: https://tinyurl.com/4sdm8ddfElon Musk’s interview with Larry Fink at Davos 2026: https://tinyurl.com/nhj4uef7Michael Dell gifting $6.25B to U.S. children born from 2025 to 2028: https://tinyurl.com/3xak6e3aDario Amodei’s essay “The Adolescence of Technology”: https://tinyurl.com/235a2n3tHartmut Neven’s TED Talk on quantum computing: https://tinyurl.com/535w253cAnil Seth’s TED Talk on AI intelligence vs. human consciousness: https://tinyurl.com/465a9jyt
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    1 hr and 33 mins
  • #61: Psychedelic Science: What the Latest Research Teaches Us About Transcending Fear — Greg Fonzo

    #61: Psychedelic Science: What the Latest Research Teaches Us About Transcending Fear — Greg Fonzo
    Jun 2 2026
    Order the Book! ► ⁠http://loveconquersfear.org/bookWhat you’ll hear in this episode:- Greg’s research on the brain circuits that drive depression, PTSD, and chronic stress- How brain imaging and targeted treatments aim to shift threat, fear, and survival states- What psychedelics can unlock when other treatments fail and why the research is accelerating- Ibogaine’s promise and safety risks, and why clinical standards matter- How Ram Dass and psilocybin influenced Greg’s interest in psychedelics and mental health- Why psychedelics challenge the idea that consciousness is just brain chemistry- Meditation and psychedelics as paths to altered states, expanded awareness, and loveAbout Love Conquers Fear:In an era of exponentially evolving AI and robotics, one question looms: Will humanity make it? Love Conquers Fear is where leadership meets love, technology serves humanity, and vision becomes action. Host, Brett Alexander Hurt, tech entrepreneur and investor, sits down with some of the world’s most influential people to ask: Will we unite to create the Age of Abundance for All? These conversations are calls to action, awakening leaders everywhere to rise and help humanity choose the Light.Follow Brett Alexander Hurt on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretthurt/X/Twitter: https://x.com/brettahurtMedium: https://databrett.medium.com/Substack: https://brettahurt.substack.com/Watch on:YouTube: http://tiny.cc/LCF-YTSpotify: http://tiny.cc/LCF-SpotifyListen on:Apple Podcasts: http://tiny.cc/LCF-AppleAmazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/LCF-AmazonAbout Greg Fonzo:Greg Fonzo is an assistant professor at UT Austin’s Dell Medical School and co-director of the Charmaine and Gordon McGill Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy. He studies the brain circuitry behind depression and PTSD, combining neuroimaging, brain stimulation, and psychedelic therapies to pinpoint what drives suffering and what helps people heal. Greg’s work focuses on how the brain’s threat responses can be retrained to support recovery and long-term resilience.Timestamps:0:00:00 — Preview0:01:08 — Intro: Dells' gift to UT Austin, Brett's new book0:03:22 — Welcome Greg Fonzo0:06:31 — Spiritual roots, AI ethics, psychedelics, brain imaging, fear circuits, psychedelic research0:20:15 — Ibogaine’s promise, limited data, safety risks, clinical standards, psychedelics as last resort0:35:07 — Panpsychism, non-local consciousness, science + spirituality, meditation as path to altered states0:54:17 — Focused ultrasound, ego + division, abundance + energy, surrender vs. control1:10:22 — Fear as constricted awareness, infinite layers of reality, letting go of ego, returning to love1:26:49 — Closing reflectionsBooks mentioned in this episode:- Be Here Now — Ram Dass- Quantum Psychology — Robert Anton Wilson- The Fabric of the Cosmos — Brian Greene- Tao Te Ching — Stephen Mitchell (tr.)- Bhagavad Gita — Stephen Mitchell (tr.)- We Are Agora — Byron Reese- Stalking the Wild Pendulum — Itzhak Bentov- Irreducible — Federico Faggin- The AI Ten Commandments — Jamie Metzl- The Last Question — Isaac Asimov- LSD and the Mind of the Universe — Christopher M. Bache- A World Appears — Michael Pollan- Deep Future — Pablos HolmanLinks:Michael and Susan Dell giving over $1 billion to UT Austin: https://tinyurl.com/yd8zcfyzThe Vatican’s report on AI: https://tinyurl.com/3bz23w2y“Ram Dass, Going Home” doc: https://tinyurl.com/yms8t4w7Executive order to fast-track psychedelic research: https://tinyurl.com/33by6ynmAmericans for Ibogaine: https://tinyurl.com/27yhvjcs“In Waves and War” doc: https://tinyurl.com/456mf76wThe Telepathy Tapes:(S1): https://tinyurl.com/4pyansfe(S2): https://tinyurl.com/2khfa57mSwamiji Parthasarathy: https://tinyurl.com/4swp946wJim Carrey videos on his awakening and finding true happiness:https://tinyurl.com/3cy93jpchttps://tinyurl.com/2j9n4mz7
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    1 hr and 28 mins
  • #60: AI Without Layoffs: The Enterprise Playbook for Upskilling at Scale — Brandon Gadoci

    #60: AI Without Layoffs: The Enterprise Playbook for Upskilling at Scale — Brandon Gadoci
    May 26 2026
    Order the Book! ► ⁠http://loveconquersfear.org/bookWhat you’ll hear in this episode:- Brandon’s path from creative work to business to tech- The data.world origin story and the “aha” moment that pulled Brandon into AI adoption- The AI demos and breakthroughs that shifted Brandon’s view of what’s coming next- Why AI adoption is really change management, and why rollout is the hard part- AI and jobs, and why Brandon prioritizes AI upskilling over layoffs- How Brandon’s path to faith ran through reasoned debate and Christian apologetics- Synchronicities as signs and meditation as a way to become more aware of themAbout Love Conquers Fear:In an era of exponentially evolving AI and robotics, one question looms: Will humanity make it? Love Conquers Fear is where leadership meets love, technology serves humanity, and vision becomes action. Host, Brett Alexander Hurt, tech entrepreneur and investor, sits down with some of the world’s most influential people to ask: Will we unite to create the Age of Abundance for All? These conversations are calls to action, awakening leaders everywhere to rise and help humanity choose the Light.Follow Brett Alexander Hurt on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretthurt/X/Twitter: https://x.com/brettahurtMedium: https://databrett.medium.com/Substack: https://brettahurt.substack.com/Watch on:YouTube: http://tiny.cc/LCF-YTSpotify: http://tiny.cc/LCF-SpotifyListen on:Apple Podcasts: http://tiny.cc/LCF-AppleAmazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/LCF-AmazonAbout Brandon Gadoci:Brandon Gadoci is an AI adoption and change-management leader and the founder of Gadoci Consulting, where he helps companies transform AI from experimentation into repeatable day-to-day use. He was the first employee at data.world where he helped build early enterprise applications that let teams search and use internal knowledge through conversational AI. His focus is on helping everyday teams adopt AI with clear use cases, internal champions, and momentum.Timestamps:0:01:08 — Preview0:01:28 — Intro: Psychedelic research, ibogaine, Brett’s new book0:10:01 — Welcome Brandon Gadoci0:12:55 — Alternative to cold calls, building RAG-based chat, AI creativity + productivity0:28:21 — AI adoption, change management, internal champions, “aha” moments0:43:58 — AI tool acceleration, systems to track new releases, abundance and responsibility0:59:33 — Consciousness + identity, synchronicity + meditation, faith through service1:15:12 — Divine spark, human destiny, automated science + energy, Bhutan, rising stakes1:31:04 — Pace and scale of change, existential risk, love as governance1:48:18 — Closing reflectionsBooks mentioned in this episode:- Who Moved My Cheese? — Spencer Johnson- Abundance — Peter H. Diamandis, Steven Kotler- An End to Upside Down Thinking — Mark Gober- The Celestine Prophecy — James Redfield- Extreme Ownership — Jocko Willink, Leif Babin- Pattern Breakers — Mike Maples Jr., Peter Ziebelman- The Singularity Is Nearer — Ray Kurzweil- A World Appears — Michael PollanLinks:Brandon Gadoci on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/58638nb3Gadoci Consulting: https://tinyurl.com/2en5bkwfExecutive order to fast-track psychedelic research: https://tinyurl.com/33by6ynmAmericans for Ibogaine: https://tinyurl.com/27yhvjcsSteve Jobs’ Stanford commencement speech: https://tinyurl.com/2dcxf33nMichael and Susan Dell giving over $1 billion to UT Austin: https://tinyurl.com/yd8zcfyzEthan Holland’s weekly AI newsletter: https://ethanbholland.comViral “Claude update” meme: https://tinyurl.com/3rfxxyv9Chris Hyams’ “Responsible AI” course: https://tinyurl.com/46vn3cy7Anil Seth’s TED Talk on consciousness: https://tinyurl.com/465a9jyt“You Can Do Magic” by America: https://tinyurl.com/3p2y3xfrEthan Mollick on Mythos as marketing hype: https://tinyurl.com/4yztavevOpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger’s TED Talk: https://tinyurl.com/bd47pnzHartmut Neven’s TED Talk: https://tinyurl.com/535w253c
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    1 hr and 50 mins
  • #59: The Big Differentiator: How to Stand Out When Everyone Has the Power of AI — Mitch Joel

    #59: The Big Differentiator: How to Stand Out When Everyone Has the Power of AI — Mitch Joel
    May 19 2026
    Order the Book! ► ⁠http://loveconquersfear.org/bookWhat you’ll hear in this episode:- Why AI isn’t just a tool, it’s a test of how human you stay- The answer-engine trap vs. keeping your agency and sharpening your thinking- Why “pretty good” becomes the baseline and what actually makes you stand out- Brand and story as the real moat in an AI-saturated world- The power question behind AI: energy, infrastructure, and control- Meditation as an exhaust valve for anxiety, overthinking, and screen-driven attention overloadAbout Love Conquers Fear:In an era of exponentially evolving AI and robotics, one question looms: Will humanity make it? Love Conquers Fear is where leadership meets love, technology serves humanity, and vision becomes action. Host, Brett Alexander Hurt, tech entrepreneur and investor, sits down with some of the world’s most influential people to ask: Will we unite to create the Age of Abundance for All? These conversations are calls to action, awakening leaders everywhere to rise and help humanity choose the Light.Follow Brett Alexander Hurt on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretthurt/X/Twitter: https://x.com/brettahurtMedium: https://databrett.medium.com/Substack: https://brettahurt.substack.com/Watch on:YouTube: http://tiny.cc/LCF-YTSpotify: http://tiny.cc/LCF-SpotifyListen on:Apple Podcasts: http://tiny.cc/LCF-AppleAmazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/LCF-AmazonAbout Mitch Joel:Mitch Joel is a digital strategist, author, keynote speaker, and host of the “Thinking With Mitch Joel” podcast, where he’s interviewed business and culture leaders for nearly two decades. He founded the agency Twist Image, and wrote “Six Pixels of Separation” and “Ctrl Alt Delete”. Today, as co-founder of ThinkersOne, he advises leaders on navigating tech shifts through the lens of culture, humanity, and trust.Timestamps:0:01:08 — Preview0:02:02 — Intro: TED2026, Anthropic, Brett’s new book0:10:48 — Welcome Mitch Joel0:13:21 — Love as business advantage, AI as answer engine vs. thinking tool, brand as differentiator0:49:17 — Open source vs. monopoly control, real progress vs. hype, abundance, scarcity, trust1:25:11 — AI hope + risk, redistribution, UBI, meditation, sleep hypnosis, books2:02:43 — Closing reflectionsBooks mentioned in this episode:- Sam Walton: Made in America — Sam Walton- Six Pixels of Separation — Mitch Joel- Ctrl Alt Delete — Mitch Joel- In the Beginning… was the Command Line — Neal Stephenson- Enshittification — Cory Doctorow- The AI Ten Commandments — Jamie Metzl- The Seat of the Soul — Gary Zukav- The Cluetrain Manifesto — C. Locke, D. Searls, D. Weinberger- Purple Cow — Seth Godin- Atomic Habits — James Clear- The War of Art — Steven Pressfield- Bird by Bird — Anne Lamott- Aflame — Pico Iyer- Work — James Suzman- Trust — Hernan Diaz- 11 Days in May — JD Messinger- An End to Upside Down Thinking — Mark Gober- LSD and the Mind of the Universe — Christopher M. Bache- Proof of Heaven — Eben Alexander- The Map of Heaven — Eben AlexanderLinks:AI-generated TED Talk on humanity’s past and future: https://tinyurl.com/34cfbpaw“Free Hugs” video by Sick Puppies: https://tinyurl.com/3jruswnbCulturati Summit: https://tinyurl.com/4vzjuhd9“Thinking With Mitch Joel” podcast: https://tinyurl.com/4nb8addhDemis Hassabis on the quest for the nature of our reality:TED Talk: https://tinyurl.com/mmabm42dX post: https://tinyurl.com/yc4fcfnwEthan Mollick’s LinkedIn post on AI water use: https://tinyurl.com/34hyu4ssDario Amodei’s essays:“Machines of Loving Grace”: https://tinyurl.com/mvteumf2“The Adolescence of Technology”: https://tinyurl.com/235a2n3tChris Hyams’ “Responsible AI” course: https://tinyurl.com/46vn3cy7“The AI Doc” documentary: https://tinyurl.com/mt7wj8ctRory Sutherland on Alex O’Connor’s podcast: https://tinyurl.com/5ekp5rzySleep hypnosis videos recommended by Mitch:https://tinyurl.com/3axc9v92https://tinyurl.com/tu7jv5nr
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    2 hrs and 5 mins
  • #58: AI as the Great Equalizer: Entrepreneurship and the Coming Small Business Boom — Ross Buhrdorf

    #58: AI as the Great Equalizer: Entrepreneurship and the Coming Small Business Boom — Ross Buhrdorf
    May 12 2026
    Order the Book! ► ⁠http://loveconquersfear.org/bookWhat you’ll hear in this episode:- Why choosing love over fear is the difference between healthy culture and toxic leadership- How Ross uses Zen Buddhism and Stoicism as daily inner-work for leadership decisions- Ross’ “Fear Is a Liar” mantra (and upcoming book) and how it shaped his leadership mindset- How ZenBusiness went all-in on AI early and pushed adoption across the whole company- Ditching the product roadmap building from live customer signals in this AI era- Agentic AI for small business and what ZenBusiness’ AI agent “Velo” changes for founders- How AI gives entrepreneurs time back and delivers advisor-level guidance on demand- Implementing a strong remote culture, with radical clarity and customer support as a core pillarAbout Love Conquers Fear:In an era of exponentially evolving AI and robotics, one question looms: Will humanity make it? Love Conquers Fear is where leadership meets love, technology serves humanity, and vision becomes action. Host, Brett Alexander Hurt, tech entrepreneur and investor, sits down with some of the world’s most influential people to ask: Will we unite to create the Age of Abundance for All? These conversations are calls to action, awakening leaders everywhere to rise and help humanity choose the Light.Follow Brett Alexander Hurt on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretthurt/X/Twitter: https://x.com/brettahurtMedium: https://databrett.medium.com/Substack: https://brettahurt.substack.com/Watch on:YouTube: http://tiny.cc/LCF-YTSpotify: http://tiny.cc/LCF-SpotifyListen on:Apple Podcasts: http://tiny.cc/LCF-AppleAmazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/LCF-AmazonAbout Ross Buhrdorf:Ross Buhrdorf is the CEO and co-founder of ZenBusiness, a public-benefit company unicorn that helps entrepreneurs start, run, and grow a business through a single platform that combines technology with human support. A longtime builder and operator in tech, Ross is known for championing small business owners and making entrepreneurship more accessible. Ross emphasizes building trust-first teams and is especially focused on how agentic AI can act like a co-pilot for founders who can’t afford a big team.Timestamps:0:01:08 — Preview0:01:47 — Intro: Brett’s thoughts on “The AI Doc” documentary0:06:19 — Welcome Ross Buhrdorf0:08:57 — Entrepreneur roots, "Fear Is a Liar" framework, choosing the startup path0:18:59 — Leading with love, self-awareness, building the right team, trauma, attachment, grit0:29:03 — Employee-first culture, customer success, feedback loops, company rituals0:38:19 — AI-first execution, using Velo for real-time customer feedback, leveraging unified data0:49:17 — ZenBusiness hires Builders, bespoke software, small business boom, AI gives time back1:03:13 — Learning from mistakes, AGI race, abundance potential, cautious optimism1:11:25 — How fast AI is moving, Stoic balance and thinking, cooperation and restraint1:19:33 — Accountability, justice, trillionaire dystopias, inner work, choosing love over fear1:35:42 — Closing reflectionsBooks mentioned in this episode:- Fear Is A Liar (forthcoming) — Ross Buhrdorf- The Celestine Prophecy — James Redfield- Guns, Germs, and Steel — Jared Diamond- The Worlds I See — Dr. Fei-Fei LiLinks:ZenBusiness: https://www.zenbusiness.com/ZenBusiness’ AI agent “Velo”: https://tinyurl.com/4cexa38hChris Hyams’ “Responsible AI” course: https://tinyurl.com/46vn3cy7“The AI Doc” documentary: https://tinyurl.com/mt7wj8ctSteve Jobs’ Stanford commencement speech: https://tinyurl.com/2dcxf33nDo More Good’s “ROI of Why” conference: https://tinyurl.com/4jjc8kk7Santa Fe Institute: https://www.santafe.edu/Culturati Summit: https://tinyurl.com/4vzjuhd9Dario Amodei’s essay “The Adolescence of Technology”: https://tinyurl.com/235a2n3tDemis Hassabis on “60 Minutes”: https://tinyurl.com/3hu2jdwmBrett’s piece on Dr. Fei-Fei Li’s book: https://tinyurl.com/5henkxx5
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    1 hr and 37 mins