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The Overexamined Life

Jonah Primo

The world's best philosophers and scientists on how to be happy. PhDs, bestselling books, or 17 years of silence in a cave... we don't discriminate. All we know, is that we want to experience life for all its beautiful richness, so we've tracked down the A-listers in the art of doing exactly that.


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The world is beautiful, full of fascinating people, and people I love, and I'm so lost in neurotic thought that I'm missing... most of it. I'm an overexaminer.


Why, when scubadiving in the Great Barrier Reef, instead of drinking in the marine wonders, am I just replaying that time I was picked last in P.E. basketball?


Why, at a close friend's wedding, did I miss half the groom's speech because I was thinking about my crap haircut.


If that sounds like you too, then join me on a quest to discover ways in which we can become more present, more fulfilled and more curious. Through stories, reflections and interviews with the wisest gurus, comedians, musicans, athletes and artists, maybe we can uncover a few secrets about what a life well-lived looks like.




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Follow Jonah Primo on Instagram or visit his Website

Email Jonah Primo at team@jonahprimo.com

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  • 24 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 55 min
  • English

Episodes 24

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  • S1 · E114
    Tuesday · 20 min

    Do We Have a "Self?"

    We’re gonna get to the bottom of whether or not “you” exist. Here’s why it matters practically. If you don’t exist, you might navigate life with so much more joy. Because what exactly are you protecting, every time you get defensive, jealous, insecure, anxious? Nothing. Sick of being ruled by your emotions? Join our Patreon for AD-FREE listening, Free Gratitude Club, bonus episodes, and mindfulness exercises that are actually fun: patreon.com/TOLclub Want to learn how to meditate? Get 30 days of the Waking Up App FREE: wakingup.com/primo WATCH THE PODCAST on Youtube Follow Jonah Primo on Instagram or Letterboxd visit his Website Jonah writes on Substack You can contact The Overexamined Life at team@jonahprimo.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E113
    September 1 · 1 hr 12 min

    Who Are You When No One's Watching? - Todd Fink

    Todd Fink has the ability to casually articulate some of the most complex spiritual paradoxes all while exuding an aura of warmth and love. We explore the ego, the healing effect of nature, and the way society and commerce can commodify art and turn spirituality into an industry - in an effort to figure out what’s real and what’s performance, what’s authentic - who are we really when nobody’s watching? More from Todd: michaeltoddfink.com Sick of being ruled by your emotions? Join our Patreon for AD-FREE listening, Free Gratitude Club, bonus episodes, and mindfulness exercises that are actually fun: patreon.com/TOLclub Want to learn how to meditate? Get 30 days of the Waking Up App FREE: wakingup.com/primo WATCH THE PODCAST on Youtube Follow Jonah Primo on Instagram or Letterboxd visit his Website Jonah writes on Substack You can contact The Overexamined Life at team@jonahprimo.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E112
    August 25 · 1 hr 14 min

    Emerging From 100 Hours of Darkness Retreat - Nate Green

    A tech founder tried the same dark retreat as Nate and tapped out after three hours. One of favourite friends of the show - Nate Green, did over a hundred, straight, alone, and with a real risk of losing his grip on reality. He walks us through what a hundred hours in blackout darkness does to your sense of time, your sense of self, and your ability to tell whether you're living or dying. Then faces the Reckoning of Self, my closing gauntlet of questions on fear, death, and regret. Sick of being ruled by your emotions? Join our Patreon for AD-FREE listening, Free Gratitude Club, bonus episodes, and mindfulness exercises that are actually fun: patreon.com/TOLclub Want to learn how to meditate? Get 30 days of the Waking Up App FREE: wakingup.com/primo WATCH THE PODCAST on Youtube Follow Jonah Primo on Instagram or Letterboxd visit his Website Jonah writes on Substack You can contact The Overexamined Life at team@jonahprimo.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E111
    August 18 · 1 hr 4 min

    A Modern, Attainable Definition of Nirvana - Stephen Batchelor

    What if Nirvana isn't a mountaintop, monastery thing, but something available to you right now wherever you are. Stephen Batchelor spent ten years as a monk chasing exactly that, including three-month stretches sitting in silence asking "what is this?" He came out the other side as a controversial figure with his own brand of secular Buddhism that requires no mythical beliefs - essentially, we've been overcomplicating the whole path. Today on The Overexamined Life Podcast: a modern attainable definition of Nirvana, what "embracing suffering" really means, and how to get there without leaving your house. Sick of being ruled by your emotions? Join our Patreon for AD-FREE listening, Free Gratitude Club, bonus episodes, and mindfulness exercises that are actually fun: patreon.com/TOLclub Want to learn how to meditate? Get 30 days of the Waking Up App FREE: wakingup.com/primo WATCH THE PODCAST on Youtube Follow Jonah Primo on Instagram or Letterboxd visit his Website Jonah writes on Substack You can contact The Overexamined Life at team@jonahprimo.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E110
    August 11 · 1 hr 19 min

    The Headless Philosophy That Changes How You See Everything - Richard Lang

    Buckle up you philosophy degenerates for one of our more "out there" ones. Richard Lang has spent his life teaching Douglas Harding's "Headless Way" — a philosophy that starts with a genuinely disorienting perceptual experiment and ends up somewhere close to boundlessness, reduced stress, and a different relationship with your own self-consciousness. We talk through the exercise itself, what people report feeling when it lands, and why something this simple has stuck with people for seventy years. Sick of being ruled by your emotions? Join our Patreon for AD-FREE listening, Free Gratitude Club, bonus episodes, and mindfulness exercises that are actually fun: patreon.com/TOLclub Want to learn how to meditate? Get 30 days of the Waking Up App FREE: wakingup.com/primo Want more from Richard? https://www.headless.org/ WATCH THE PODCAST on Youtube Follow Jonah Primo on Instagram or Letterboxd visit his Website Jonah writes on Substack Email Jonah Primo at overexamined@jonahprimo.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E109
    August 4 · 1 hr 20 min

    Athlete to Tetraplegic: How Paul Sagar Learned to Enjoy Life Again

    Paul Sagar was a world-class rock climber until a freak accident left him tetraplegic overnight, paralysed in all four limbs, torso, and pelvic organs, losing not just his body but the identity and dreams built around it. Paul is also a Cambridge-trained philosopher who teaches political theory at King's College London, and he brings that same rigour to unpacking his own experience, from the physical horror of his new reality to the depression that came with it. Somehow, and against every expectation, he's emerged with an ease around words like "lucky" and "happy" that most people couldn't muster on their best day. This is a hard listen that goes to some dark places before it climbs back out, but what Paul finds on the other side might change how you think about what actually matters. Sick of being ruled by your emotions? Join our Patreon for AD-FREE listening, Free Gratitude Club, bonus episodes, and mindfulness exercises that are actually fun: patreon.com/TOLclub Want to learn how to meditate? Get 30 days of the Waking Up App FREE: wakingup.com/primo WATCH THE PODCAST on Youtube Follow Jonah Primo on Instagram or visit his Website Jonah writes on Substack Email Jonah Primo at overexamined@jonahprimo.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E108
    July 28 · 24 min

    Does a "dopamine detox" work? The science vs the bullsh*t

    Can you actually do anything to change your dopamine levels? The "Dopamine Detox" is trending, but today we look into some studies to help figure out what's true and what's bollocks. I also go into some strategies that have really helped me enjoy every day life a bit more. Join the free Gratitude Club: patreon.com/TOLclub. WATCH THE PODCAST on Youtube Follow Jonah Primo on Instagram or visit his Website Jonah writes on Substack Email Jonah Primo at overexamined@jonahprimo.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Showing 1–20 of 24 episodes