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NOTE FROM JONNY —

Hello Curious Human 👋

After an extended hiatus... Curious Humans is back. Welcome to Issue 87!

The last few months have been filled with travel (I finally got my US green card), catching up with friends, and spending nourishing time in nature. It felt darn good to unplug for a while.

This month also marks the 8-year anniversary of this newsletter's inception (here's the first issue published back in 2017). Sheesh. A lot happens in 8 years.

It felt like time for a vibe refresh and a new lease of life — and, more importantly, an attempt to write and share from the person I am now.

Well, here goes. Like an out-of-shape runner squeezing into his running shoes. I feel my hands awkwardly bumbling across keyboard letters. Deleting, re-writing, so it is.

So please expect regular dispatches in the coming weeks (hassle me if you don't) — there are podcast episodes ready to go and interesting ideas floating around my mind that I'd love to share.

As David Whyte loves to say: 'Start close in, don't take the second step or the third, start with the first thing close in, the step you don't want to take'.

So, hopefully, you're game to be along for the ride while I take this awkward first step and remember how to write things.

Stay Curious Out There,

Jonny

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RECENT PODCAST APPEARANCES —

I've been enjoying doing the podcast circuit rounds lately and wanted to share a couple of my favorite conversations that aired of late.

Modern Wisdom with Chris Williamson Chris asked superb questions, and my hope is that this episode acts as something of a trojan horse to get emotional + nervous system work to go mainstream. Let's see! ​ ​Listen // Watch​

Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal We recorded this after a mastermind event, and had a ton of fun doing so. Some of the topics included: creating conditions for joy and enjoyment in life, the benefits of Men's Groups, and how we both relate to money. ​ ​Listen // Watch​

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FOR THOSE ON THEIR INNER ADVENTURE —

[Podcast] Discovering the Hero's Journey to Wholeness with Ben Katt

Ben is the author of the phenomenal new book: 'The Way Home: Discovering the Hero's Journey to Wholeness at Midlife'. I was excited to talk to Ben because the hero’s journey has been a framework that I still use myself as a way of orienting and meaning-making. Ben shares how his own life has been a series of spiraling journeys, embodying the hero’s path.

"Do I want to be fully alive, who's connected to myself, who's continually spiraling more and more into wholeness? That's what I want to do." ​ ​— Ben Katt

In this conversation, you can expect to learn:

📚 Challenges of refusing the call to adventure
🤷‍♂️ The transition between evasion and embracing the unknown.
🧘 The work of Bill Plotkin, and how it's influenced his life
👣 Exploring the significance of wandering as a means of revelation
🎁 A powerful concept of giving your gift in a generative way

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FOR THOSE WHO ARE INWARDLY CURIOUS —

[Training] Awakening Embodied Presence

I will be part of the faculty for my friend Peter McEwen's upcoming 8-week course exploring the intersection of therapeutic approaches and nondual awareness.

Peter McEwen is an ordained Buddhist yogi and someone whose work I hold deep admiration for. ​ The course aims to share practices for safely engaging with intense sensations, emotions, and bliss states while remaining grounded in the experience of immediate, open, non-interpretive awareness.

The course runs from August 28 – October 30 (with an integration break mid way through) and will guide students through various challenges including:

• Difficulty integrating breakthrough experiences from retreats back into daily life.
• Struggling to balance the desire for self-improvement with the need for self-acceptance.
• Feeling that meditation or therapy is not achieving the desired outcomes or benefits.

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FUN STUFF TO CLICK ON —

Et. Cetera ​

Deep Dive: A Topology of Sharing: exploring failure as stimuli for reinvention and how meaningful moments are formed (Via Studio D) Read​

Nerd Out: One of my favorite writers, Oshan Jarrow, explores flaming hot speculations from the frontiers of theoretical neuroscience — exploring 'Resonance' as a bridge from neuroscience to sociology. Read​

Useful AI Software: AI startup Every is on a roll lately. Their latest AI tool is called 'Sparkle' which magically organizes your files. Check it Out​

Self-Awareness Tool: estimate how much each hour is worth — such that you might make wiser decisions about spending them. Explore​

Life-changing Course: Former addict and dear friend Alex Olshonsky created a superb course called 'Life not wasted' (Hint: we're all addicts) Learn​

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FREE THINGS I'VE BUILT —

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PARTING WORDS —

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