Why take the stairs instead of the escalator? Turns out, it's really important, and we unpack how it matters to your life in this episode. Getting Things Done Making it All Work
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Mind Castle is where Reagan and Austin discuss how to develop their optimal selves, be productive, and discuss the lessons they're learning from what they're reading. New episodes when we get around to it.
Reagan and Austin recently filmed a documentary series across Europe. 3 weeks, 6 countries, all combining into 10 episodes to be released in 2026. This trip created a profound sense of the importance of history; humans are historical beings, and we ignore the lessons of history to our own peril. The documentary series YouTube channel
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Mind Castle is where Reagan and Austin discuss how to develop their optimal selves, be productive, and discuss the lessons they're learning from what they're reading. New episodes when we get around to it.
There's an important concept in philosophy called techno-feudalism, which deeply affects all of us in the modern world. As the world moves farther and farther towards subscriptions and a lack of ownership, there are many hidden costs in all our lives. What effect does this have on human psychology? Are we destined to live in a world where we own (and owe) nothing but subscriptions and rent?
Jared Henderson's video on techno-feudalism
Austin's Newsletter
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Austin's Goodreads
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Mind Castle is where Reagan and Austin discuss how to develop their optimal selves, be productive, and discuss the lessons they're learning from what they're reading. New episodes when we get around to it.
Austin spent nearly a year working on a special project: creating a physical notebook planner and using it instead of technology. While that seems counterintuitive in a tech-driven world, Reagan and Austin discuss the importance of focus and the value of going back to analog tools.
Hyperfocus Planner - Email Course
The Clock of the Long Now - Book
Reagan's Newsletter
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Mind Castle is where Reagan and Austin discuss how to develop their optimal selves, be productive, and discuss the lessons they're learning from what they're reading. New episodes when we get around to it.
In this episode, we discuss a simple tactic to break any skill down into a manageable to-do list with something called the Law of Inversion. It uses our natural bent towards the negative to solve our problems, instead of restricting and limiting us. After all, if something can be learned, it's a skill, and if it's a skill, it can be taught. Whether you're teaching yourself or someone else, this episode gives you a useful tool for progress.
Reagan's Newsletter
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Mind Castle is where Reagan and Austin discuss how to develop their optimal selves, be productive, and discuss the lessons they're learning from what they're reading. New episodes when we get around to it.
Austin tells a few of the lessons he learned from living in Mexico, learning Spanish. Learning a language is perhaps one of the highest bars of learning and is not for the faint of heart.
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Mind Castle is where Reagan and Austin discuss how to develop their optimal selves, be productive, and discuss the lessons they're learning from what they're reading. New episodes when we get around to it.
We finally wrap up the book Essentialism, ending in part 4 which holds many important things to consider. This part is about execution, specifically, the essential parts of life that we have defined.
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
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Mind Castle is where Reagan and Austin discuss how to develop their optimal selves, be productive, and discuss the lessons they're learning from what they're reading. New episodes when we get around to it.
We continue our deep dive of the book Essentialism, specifically how to say no and eliminate what is not important in our lives. It's essential to learn this skill, without it we will never fully commit to what matters most.
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
Sugar coated lies - (Mind Castle podcast)
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Mind Castle is where Reagan and Austin discuss how to develop their optimal selves, be productive, and discuss the lessons they're learning from what they're reading. New episodes when we get around to it.
This is part 2 of our deep dive through the book Essentialism, specifically how to explore and discern what matters most in life. This concept comes from the belief that we must determine the vital few and eliminate the rest.
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
Quitting caffeine cold turkey - (video on Austin's channel)
Austin quits caffeine... and nearly goes blind - (Mind Castle podcast)
Sugar coated lies - (Mind Castle podcast)
Mind Castle is where Reagan and Austin discuss how to develop their optimal selves, be productive, and discuss the lessons they're learning from what they're reading. New episodes when we get around to it.
What does it means to live a life as an "essentialist"? What is essentialism and how can it impact our lives? There's a lot to break down on this topic, and the next few episodes will continue exploring this concept.
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives
Mind Castle is where Reagan and Austin discuss how to develop their optimal selves, be productive, and discuss the lessons they're learning from what they're reading. New episodes when we get around to it.
Habits have the potential to change your life, and there's a formula that helped me understand this. In the words of Aristotle: “We are what we repeatedly do…excellence, therefore, isn’t an act, but a habit." This is a short little update episode about why we haven't been creating new podcasts, and why Austin is in Mexico right now.
The Compound Effect (book)
Mind Castle is where Reagan and Austin discuss how to develop their optimal selves, be productive, and discuss the lessons they're learning from what they're reading. New episodes when we get around to it.
In this episode, Austin and Reagan take a deep dive into how we can become better listeners. Without a doubt, being a good listener is one of the most effective tools we can use, and a much needed skill. A few of the concepts discussed in this episode are the indirect approach, active listening, and listening for the words a person isn't saying.
Jock Willink: The Indirect Approach
Mind Castle is where Reagan and Austin discuss how to develop their optimal selves, be productive, and discuss the lessons they're learning from what they're reading. New episodes when we get around to it.
In this episode, Austin and Reagan talk about the core of what makes good communication. The art of simple, clear, concise communication is not easy but will create huge results in your life. Below are the resources mentioned in the episode.
Tony Robbins Communication Jordan Peterson - How to have a conversation
Never Split the Difference Andrew Huberman (example of a good communicator) Talk Like Ted
Mind Castle is where Reagan and Austin discuss how to develop their optimal selves, be productive, and discuss the lessons they're learning from what they're reading. New episodes when we get around to it.
In this episode, we discuss some of our many curiosities. Bouncing off of a previous episode where we discussed the benefits of being curious, here we explore what that looks like. This episode is a wild ride, discussing Dutch colonialism, ego, Freud, alchemy, the foundations of science, and rocket engineering. It all makes sense, we promise.
Mind Castle is where Reagan and Austin discuss how to develop their optimal selves, be productive, and discuss the lessons they're learning from what they're reading. New episodes when we get around to it.
In this episode, the Mind Castle Podcast discusses how one man's life can have a profound impact on the rest of the world. How our choices do matter and how to make the best choices we can. This episode comes to terms with the harsh reality that our choices affect the world around us, for good or for bad, and how we should respond to that.
Links to references in the podcast:
James Jani - exposing myths and scams in our world
Mind Castle is where Reagan and Austin discuss how to develop their optimal selves, be productive, and discuss the lessons they're learning from what they're reading. New episodes when we get around to it.
What do skydiving, polar plunges, and learning Spanish have in common? In this episode, Austin and Reagan discuss expanding of frameworks of reality and how to see the world differently. We look at why it's so important to intentionally put ourselves in experiences that reshape our view of reality.
Mind Castle is where Reagan and Austin discuss how to develop their optimal selves, be productive, and discuss the lessons they're learning from what they're reading. New episodes when we get around to it.
Austin and Reagan discuss what curiosity is and how pulling on the thread of curiosity is essential for a vibrant life. Many of us have heard sayings like "curiosity killed the cat" but what is that really telling us? Is it good advice? What is curiosity and how does it change our lives?
Links to references in the podcast:
Ego is the Enemy - Ryan Holiday
Johnny Harris' YouTube Channel
Mind Castle is where Reagan and Austin discuss how to develop their optimal selves, be productive, and discuss the lessons they're learning from what they're reading. New episodes when we get around to it.
In this episode, Reagan and Austin talk about time and how we relate to it. For example, when you think of "now" what do you think of? Over the years the world concept of "now" or the present moment, has shrunk from a few hundred years to a few minutes. The main theme here is that we are incredibly shortsighted. It's a call to look forward and build something that lasts, something that goes beyond ourselves.
Mind Castle is where Reagan and Austin discuss how to develop their optimal selves, be productive, and discuss the lessons they're learning from what they're reading. New episodes when we get around to it.
In this episode, Austin talks about how he did something most 22-year-olds probably don't do, and Reagan explains why the number 4,000 will change your life. We discuss how life is finite and how thinking about death can be one of the most important things you can do for your life.
Mind Castle is where Reagan and Austin discuss how to develop their optimal selves, be productive, and discuss the lessons they're learning from what they're reading. New episodes when we get around to it.
