Episodes

  • #152 Activism & Spiritualism (with Satish Kumar)

    #152 Activism & Spiritualism (with Satish Kumar)
    Sep 26 2020
    Hello! This week’s guest on Under The Skin is the incredible activist Satish Kumar! Satish been a Jain monk, a nuclear disarmament advocate, pacifist and he is the current editor of Resurgence & Ecologist magazine of which he is very proud! Satish is next level. He is an advanced elder and he speaks with wisdom, authority, compassion and insight. He has met other incredible activists, including Martin Luther King and Bertrand Russell. He is well known for his 8,000 mile Peace Walk where he walked around the world with a friend with no money in protest of nuclear weapons. We spoke about the importance of localisaton, decentralisation and how we can create change and revolution now. We also discussed the need for the Social Justice Movement to be rooted in Environmental Justice in order for it to be holistic and powerful. Questions were raised as to whether icons of activism such as Gandhi and MLK should be scrutinised for their flaws? And how can we unify the people from all backgrounds to fight for change that will ultimately effect us all More info on Satish and his work:  Satish is the editor emeritus of The Resurgence Trust, an environmental educational charity which publishes Resurgence & Ecologist magazine, runs The Ecologist website and organises educational events www.resurgence.org The charity’s annual Festival of Wellbeing is taking place on 31 October featuring lots of well-known speakers. More details can be found at www.resurgence.org/wellbeing20 And an online auction to raise funds for the charity will run from 12 November until 3 December at www.resurgencetrustauction.com Twitter: @Resurgence_mag
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    19 mins
  • #151 Is The Rise Of Tech Addiction Really Irresistible? (with Adam Alter)

    #151 Is The Rise Of Tech Addiction Really Irresistible? (with Adam Alter)
    Sep 19 2020
    This week’s guest on Under The Skin is Adam Alter! Adam is an Associate Professor of Marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business and author of Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked - which considers why so many people today are addicted to so many behaviours, from incessant smart phone and internet use to playing video games and online shopping.  In this episode we discuss nature of tech addiction, how social media and tech are designed to turn us in addicts and what the moral and ethical questions are surrounding that premise. Is it our fault that we are addicts? Should we just have more self-control? Or should the producers of these technologies be more responsible when designing these products? Could there be a hypocritical oath for tech giants, in order to protect us from becoming chained to our devices? Let us know what you thought of it on social media! Adam’s book “Irresistible” is available now. US link: https://www.amazon.com/Irresistible-Adam-Alter-audiobook/dp/B06WGMQBBM/  UK link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Irresistible-addicted-technology-yourself-free/dp/1784701653/#ace-3536363283  adamalterauthor.com Twitter: @adamleealter
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    22 mins
  • #150 A Chance For Another Now (with Yanis Varoufakis)

    #150 A Chance For Another Now (with Yanis Varoufakis)
    Sep 12 2020
    This week we have a returning guest to Under The Skin, and one of our favourites, Yanis Varoufakis! Yanis is a Greek economist, academic, philosopher and politician. A former member of Syriza, he served as Minister of Finance from January to July 2015. He is co-founder of the international grassroots movement, DiEM25, and in 2019 he won election as one of its representatives in the Greek Parliament. He is currently Professor of Economics at the University of Athens. These are just some of the topics we discussed; the current political climate, the failure of The Left, the difference between internationalism and globalisation, what a scalable socialist institution should and could look like, and the relationship between the working class and left-wing political parties. Yanis has an incredible insight into how all these institutions work, you’re bound to learn from this episode. If you enjoyed this episode, go back and listen to our first Under The Skin podcast together a few years ago! His new book, Another Now: Dispatches from an Alternative Present is released this month in hardback, ebook and audiobook. + Vintage Books Twitter + Vintage Books Instagram + Yanis Varoufakis Twitter
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    23 mins
  • #149 Call of The Shaman (with Jay & Kestral)

    #149 Call of The Shaman (with Jay & Kestral)
    Sep 5 2020
    Jay and Kestrel Oakwood are specialists in Shamanism.  They run The Bridget Healing Centre which is a centre for shamanic studies and spiritual empowerment and Glastonbury's most established healing centre. They are a non-profit company that has been a pillar of the local community for over 25 years. In addition to offering one on one healing sessions and group retreats, they run an internationally recognised year-long training course called ‘Call of the Shaman.’ We discussed what the work of a Shaman actually entails, the history of this kind of wisdom, the role animals and omens play in understanding symbols and their aims as healers.  You can find more information at bridgethealingcentre.co.uk and their Facebook Jay is on Instagram @jayoakwood and Facebook
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    15 mins
  • #148 Fame & The Spiritual Life (with Yusuf Cat Stevens)

    #148 Fame & The Spiritual Life (with Yusuf Cat Stevens)
    Aug 29 2020
    This week I spoke to one of most iconic sing-songwriters Yusuf Cat Stevens! In this podcast we delve into what it’s like striving for fame and affirmation to then denounce it all in favour of living a spiritual life.  Info Yusuf / Cat Stevens is a British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His musical style consists of folk, pop, rock, and, in his later career, Islamic music. He was one of the most successful and beloved artists of the 1960s and 1970s but left his musical career behind to devote himself to educational and philanthropic causes in the Muslim community. He has been awarded two honorary doctorates and the Man of Peace Award for his humanitarian work. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. This year is the 50th anniversary of his iconic album, Tea for the Tillerman, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens is set to release the re-recorded and reimagined ‘Tea for the Tillerman²’ on 18th September. Instagram / FB / Twitter Handle: @yusufcatstevens Youtube link  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69yOu8hrQ6Q T4TT2: https://catstevens.lnk.to/TFTT2
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    14 mins
  • #147 Authentic Self (with Bill Burr)

    #147 Authentic Self (with Bill Burr)
    Aug 22 2020
    This is an incredible podcast with the fantastic comedian Bill Burr. We discuss the role and skill of the comedian, what it’s like becoming famous and the best advice Bill was given by Seinfeld. It also got a little deep, touching on grief and why God created psychopaths! This podcast will make you laugh and might even make you cry. Enjoy! Bill’s latest stand-up special, Paper Tiger, is streaming now on Netflix and the fourth season of his animated Netflix series, F Is For Family, has just been released.  He co-founded the ‘All Things Comedy’ network and has hosted ‘The Monday Morning Podcast’ twice weekly since 2007. He can currently be seen in Judd Apatow and Pete Davidson’s heartfelt comedy, The King of Staten Island. The movie is available to own on Digital now and will released on Blu-ray & DVD – featuring over two hours of bonus content and alternate endings - on August 25th in the US and September 14th in the UK.
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    14 mins
  • #146 Access The Awareness Beyond (with Mooji)

    #146 Access The Awareness Beyond (with Mooji)
    Aug 15 2020
    This week’s guest on Under The Skin is the incredible spiritual teacher Mooji. I practice a lot of Mooji’s meditations, which you can find on YouTube for free, and I’ve found them a really valuable asset to my daily spiritual practices. In this podcast Mooji answers a lot of my questions about meditation, identity and awareness, he also leads me in a guided meditation. I hope you will find this episode enlightening and educational. We have been looking forward to having him as a guest on Under The Skin for a long time! More info: Mooji is a renowned spiritual teacher, who, for over 20 years, has been guiding countless seekers worldwide in search of true happiness, peace and freedom.  Mooji’s way of teaching is direct and compassionate, encouraging that Self-discovery need not be difficult. He teaches that the true nature of human beings is not a personal self or ego but pure, formless awareness.  Mooji claims that when this is fully grasped, delusion and suffering come to an end and is replaced by a lasting peace and pure love. His talks, called Satsang, bring seekers into the experiential recognition of their true Self—and all with his characteristic humour, wisdom and love.  His teachings are widely available online, and more info can be found at mooji.org. facebook.com/moojiji Twitter: @moojiji Instagram: @mooji.official
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    20 mins
  • #145 The Unified Field & Limitless Potentialities 

    #145 The Unified Field & Limitless Potentialities 
    Aug 8 2020
    This week I spoke with Dr. John Hagelin! John is a quantum physicist, public policy expert, President of the David Lynch Foundation and Chair of the Center for Leadership Performance. For the past 25 years he has been leading a scientific investigation into the foundations of human consciousness and is one of the world’s pre-eminent researchers on the effects of meditation on brain development, and the use of meditation to address critical problems in the field of education, rehabilitation, crime, social violence, and post-traumatic stress. Dr Hagelin teaches the doctoral program in physics at the Maharishi International University. This is a very in depth conversation that marries the scientific world view with the spiritual. A fascinating, if sometimes challenging, but rewarding listen!
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    11 mins