Tom and Dorion give their collective (and) conscious take on the conversation with Carl Jung, exploring his insights on personality and psychological traits and revealing aspects of Jung’s complicated personal life — which may have led to some of his greatest work.

Topics discussed:

• What’s your psychological “brand”?
• The difference between serendipity and synchronicity (including some fascinating real-life examples)
• Jung’s idea of the persona
• The impact of Jung’s relationship with patient, student, colleague, and lover, Toni Wolff, on his personal and professional life
• A magical illustration of what Jung was trying to do (courtesy of Doug Henning)
• What Carl Jung and UFOs have in common (no, it’s not a joke — it’s a true story! Although there is a great Freud-themed dad joke in the main Jung episode…)

You’re not dreaming: finally, an in-depth conversation with Carl Jung, the father of analytic psychology, about the vast and varied power of the unconscious mind (personal and collective). As you’ll hear from the source, Jung’s psychological theories never get old; not only did he introduce terms you hear in today’s casual conversation (like “introvert” and “extrovert”), but he also influenced popular personality assessments, like the Myers-Briggs test.

Topics discussed:

• The inside scoop on Jung’s falling out with his inspiration and mentor, Sigmund Freud

• Jung’s belief that spirituality provides psychological value (and vice versa)

• The benefit of understanding and working with your “shadow” self

• The enduring power of the archetype in storytelling and life and how it informs our popular culture (Hint: It’s what Star Wars, The Wizard of Oz, and The Hobbit have in common)

• The ever-evolving nature of personality and why, with intention and conscious work to become whole and integrated, you can enjoy a more fulfilling, authentic life

• The lessons of a golden scarab and why life’s synchronicities should be treasured

Tom and Dorion reveal themselves to be the ultimate Marcus Aurelius stans as they review their conversation with the ever-popular Stoic philosopher. You’ll probably agree our world would be much better off if our leaders had even one iota of Aurelius’ character — and philosophy.

Topics discussed:

• Virtue-driven vs. ambition-driven leadership (and, relatedly, a musing on if politicians had garage sales…)
• What Stoicism and Buddhism have in common
• The pitfalls of human reasoning
• A dog’s tale about how to view your enemies, plus the consequences of rage
• The power of Nature (and how doing what comes naturally can be the most heroic move of all)
• Why everyone in Cirque du Soleil owes Aurelius a debt of gratitude

We’d say Marcus Aurelius was a rock star philosopher, but that would fly in the face of what being a Stoic is all about. Imagine being the most powerful person in the world yet taking time every night to jot notes to yourself about how to be a better person. That’s the kind of guy Aurelius was, and it’s also why his wisdom on navigating life’s complexities is as relevant to this day as they were in his time — and clearly something to, well, meditate on.

Topics discussed:

• What Aurelius’ famed “Meditations” really were — and why his deeply personal observations weren’t meant to be shared
• Why the mind is the battlefield that this Roman Emperor was most focused upon, even as he led the Romans through 12 years of war (the Roman–Parthian War of 161–66 and the Marcomannic Wars)
• The dance between the ebb and flow of nature and that of the will of human beings… and how that impacts the future
• How Aurelius embraced the Stoic doctrine and how he deviated from it (Hint: Cue the song “Feelings” by Morris Albert)
• The best way to handle anger (along with all of your impulses and emotions)
• Plus a few biggies: how to find true happiness, what’s the purpose of life, and what the heck he meant by “the universe is transformation: life is opinion”

Tom and Dorion dive back into the depths of their conversation with Friedrich Nietzsche to surface the core personal development golden nuggets that have only gotten more valuable over time.

Topics discussed:

• How Nietzsche’s concepts are forerunners to today’s pop positivity, encouraging us to passionately embrace life, live authentically, and fully engage with each moment
• Why we’ve got to be active — not passive — players in our own lives
• A closer look at the Will to Power, and how our state of mind and character traits can help us drive toward excellence
• The “why” of life — and why it’s all about self-expression vs. an endgame goal or purpose
• Why suffering and struggle are essential components of growth and self-mastery
• The double-edged nature of hope

The ever-memeable, often misunderstood, always compelling Friedrich Nietzsche might be best known for declaring “God is dead,” but it doesn’t mean he lived without beliefs, faith, and convictions. Join Dorion and Tom as they go deep with the rebel prodigy who urges us to become who we think we are by embracing suffering, rejecting absolute truths, and celebrating our individual creativity and expression. (Not what you’d expect from a renowned nihilist, is it?)

Topics discussed:

• Why and how to welcome boredom and despair
• Insights into his core concepts, including the ideals of the Übermensch (or Overman) and the Will to Power, and why nefarious actors, notably the Nazis, misappropriated them
• How the Greek Gods Apollo and Dionysus can help us understand the inherent struggle of life: reason and rational thinking vs. feeling and intuition
• The joys of embracing your fate (“Amor Fati”) — both the good and the bad — to affirm life
• Nietzsche’s take on morality (Hint: it’s not what others say/do/impose; it’s an inside job)
• The secret to a happy marriage (from this famously never-married philosopher)

Tom and Dorion reflect on our conversation with Jesus and dive a bit deeper into the holy waters — after all, Tom was an altar boy, his mother's brothers were ministers, and he’s even been saved. So, of course, he’s got some added insights into WWJD.

Topics discussed:

• Why much of our misunderstandings about Jesus are due to language
• How people who interpret historical accounts of their time see things through a particular cultural lens — and why it’s critical to examine its relevance to today's world
• Where the “Christ” moniker came from
• How the concept of “flow” relates to Jesus (and his Father)
• Why your “trait of character” is more important than your state of mind
• And a fun fact about why we pronounce the holiday “Chrismas,” not “Christ-mas” (Hint: It has to do with Elon Musk’s favorite letter — not that he and Jesus have anything else in common…)

Listen in and hear the truth from the Truth, about what most people get wrong about his life and his message.

Topics discussed:

• Is it okay to use OMG?
• The two most important commandments
• What it really means to be born again
• The true meaning of taking God’s name in vain
• Original sin and the essence of evil
• Images and archetypes
• Did he even exist?
• The power of myth
• Seeing his face in a pancake

Tom and Dorion go over our Plato conversation, covering everything from the nature of reality and knowledge to Plato’s problem with popular entertainment (although we know he would’ve loved Rocky, Braveheart, Gladiator, and maybe especially Erin Brockovich).

Topics discussed:

• Plato’s “think it all out” schtick and what’s fun got to do with it. (Hint: not much)

• Happiness, according to Plato. (Hint: it’s not about pleasure)

• Why what could be a tagline for spicy potato chips is a good synopsis for Plato’s definition of happiness

• Plato’s idea of a “perfect” society

• How Socrates spurred Plato on to define human beings (the guy lived to define things!)

• Why Plato was a control freak

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Thoughts? Dead guest suggestions? Email us at hello@iheardeadpeople.com or visit www.iheardeadpeople.com.

If you’d like your own urn-sized coffee mug featuring your favorite dead person, you can champion your luminary at this link.

We go deep with the G.O.A.T. on the secrets behind his enduring philosophy, his feelings about Ancient Greece, and the killing of his beloved Socrates. Plato also chimes in on our present day obsession with mindless entertainment.

Topics discussed:

• The paradoxical nature of Ancient Athens

• Socrates and “Know Thyself”

• The Academy

• Who were the Sophists?

• The Socratic method

• Was Socrates schizophrenic?

• Fake news and the trial of Socrates

• The Allegory of the Cave

• Image-makers and mindless entertainment

• Platonic love

• What is knowledge?

• Eudaimonia

Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

Thoughts? Dead guest suggestions? Email us at hello@iheardeadpeople.com or visit www.iheardeadpeople.com.

And if you’d like your own urn-sized coffee mug featuring your favorite dead person, you can champion your luminary at this link.

Tom and Dorion revisit our conversation with Siddhartha Gautama to cut through the pithy Buddha quotes and enlighten us on how to apply his teachings to our daily lives.

Topics discussed:

• The downsides of navel-gazing and fuzzy rumination

• Why we're all just clapping each other's hands

• How not to "miss the flower"

• Houdini's Buddhist schooling

• How to stop living in a cage (metaphorically speaking, of course)

• The most surprising (and random fact) about the Buddha (Hint: It'll put a toothy grin on your face)

Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

Thoughts? Dead guest suggestions? Email us at hello@iheardeadpeople.com or visit www.iheardeadpeople.com.

If you’d like your own urn-sized coffee mug featuring your favorite dead person, you can champion your luminary at this link.

Siddhartha Gautama speaks from the heart, giving you a little peace of mind with his views on suffering, the Noble Truths, Self discovery, and enlightenment. Blissful insights abound; Zen not included.

Topics discussed:

• Siddhartha’s early life and “spiritual journey”

• How it feels to be dead

• The true nature of reality

• Being tempted by the demon Mara

• The problem with pleasure

• The Four Noble Truths

• The real cause of suffering

• The Eightfold Path

• How it feels to be enlightened

• The problem with non-dualism

• Is it okay to use email?

• Interdependent co-arising

Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

Thoughts? Dead guest suggestions? Email us at hello@iheardeadpeople.com or visit www.iheardeadpeople.com.

If you’d like your own urn-sized coffee mug featuring your favorite dead person, you can champion your luminary at this link.

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to grab a coffee with the greatest thinkers and doers who’ve ever lived? You can stop wondering.

I Hear Dead People™ is the podcast that brings history’s most renowned thinkers, leaders, and teachers back to life… sort of.

The conjurers of these thought-provoking, life-affirming conversations are dead-serious students of history, philosophy, and human behavior. They’re passing on authentic wisdom from the great beyond to bring to life fresh ideas, inspiration, and insight for today’s listeners.

The first enlightening conversation with the O.G. Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, launches October 11, 2023. Don't miss it!

Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

Thoughts? Dead guest suggestions? Email us at hello@iheardeadpeople.com.