It’s All Happening is back from a self-imposed hiatus with the genius of Miko Matsumura. Miko goes beyond his role as tech titan and takes you into a profound vision where technology, consciousness, spirituality and the human condition all dance together in a divinely orchestrated goal for the future. Our conversation covered the implications of the blockchain, why the end user matters and how to make sense of economic chaos. Keeping up with Miko is a task, let me tell you. He is a big brain, big heart human that is one of the finest thinkers around today.
Intro Rant – Heartbreak, The Grateful Dead and being hurt
Miko Matsumura is a General Partner with Gumi Cryptos, a US $30M venture capital fund focused early stage blockchain startups and a Venture Partner with BitBull Capital, a cryptocurrency fund-of-funds. He is also an advisor to Arrington XRP Capital. He has been a keynote speaker at dozens of blockchain conferences around the world. He is also cofounder of crypto exchange Evercoin.
The love, light and sublime magic that is Deva Premal and Miten comes beaming in to this episode of the podcast. Recorded at a gorgeous ocean view villa in Malibu, our conversation covered the history, inspiration and philosophy that makes their life's offering in the form of song so special. In some ways it's hard to convey the potent and serene wisdom that being in their presence conveys, it's beyond words to some extent. They emit a sense of sereneness that I've rarely encountered. For over 25 years Deva and Miten have traveled the world delivering their brand of mantra infused sacred music to audiences near and far. The way that they share their gift of song and mantra goes beyond the traditional relationship of performer and audience and into a communal exchange of ceremony and ritual that is entirely unique and must be experienced. I hope some of their love is transmitted in this conversation.
Intro Rant - How we can take back effects of the "filter bubble"
Sponsored by - The Yoga of Strength - A Hero’s Journey into the Heart of Reality - A New Book by Andrew Mark Rowe
Deva Premal and Miten -
Awakened to the treasure of her childhood, Deva began asking her Indian friends to teach or reacquaint her with mantras, and Miten began composing original harmonic melodies for the ancient chants, with Deva singing lead. In her mother’s kitchen in 1998, Deva and Miten recorded their first album, The Essence, expecting it simply to circulate among Osho followers. Instead, it exploded at yoga studios, massage clinics, and retreat centers globally, introducing the world to a brand new sound, with album sales reaching 300,000 in hard copies alone. And so Deva Premal & Miten were born.
Father Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries, shares his passion and history of his life's work on this episode of the podcast. Homeboy Industries is the largest gang intervention and re-entry program in the world and Father Greg's light created it. In the podcast he shares the origin story of Homeboy Industries, why healing and tenderness works and a vision for healing all of our inner cities. Father Greg is truly one of the great inspirations in the world of service and social outreach, his work has touched countless souls. Please check out what Homeboy Industries is all about if you're not familiar with them. He is truly doing the lords work.
Sponsored by - The Yoga of Strength - A Hero’s Journey into the Heart of Reality by Andrew Mark Rowe
Father Greg Boyle - In the face of law enforcement tactics and criminal justice policies of suppression and mass incarceration as the means to end gang violence, he and parish and community members adopted what was a radical approach at the time: treat gang members as human beings.
In 1988 they started what would eventually become Homeboy Industries, which employs and trains former gang members in a range of social enterprises, as well as provides critical services to thousands of men and women who walk through its doors every year seeking a better life.
Father Greg is the author of the 2010 New York Times-bestseller Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. His 2017 book is the Los Angeles Times-bestseller Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship.
He has received the California Peace Prize and been inducted into the California Hall of Fame. In 2014, the White House named Father Boyle a Champion of Change. He received the University of Notre Dame’s 2017 Laetare Medal, the oldest honor given to American Catholics.
This episode of the show features an exclusive interview with the legendary Dr. Andrew Weil. The interview centers around the new science of psychedelics and why current research plays such an important role in crafting a new model for overall integrative medicine. Dr. Weil lends his insight and expertise into the areas of psychedelic research that go hand in hand with his decades long work into alternative medicine and overall well being. Dr. Weil has seen 50 years of psychedelic research go through many peaks and valleys and we're honored to have gotten his input for this amazing interview.
Intro rant – Documentaries on dysfunctional anti-heroes
Andrew Weil, M.D., is a world-renowned leader and pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, a healing oriented approach to health care which encompasses body, mind, and spirit.
The cosmic genius of the mind, Dr. Dan Siegel, returns to the It's All Happening podcast! Dan's new book Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence sparks a discussion that weaves together spiritual awareness, the constructs of the human condition and the inherent nature of the mind. Dan has done decades of work into studying the nature of our inter-personal relationship with the mind and how it can be understood resulting in methods for living a better life. Dan is the rare voice who can blend science and spirituality together to form an awe inspiring yet pragmatic daily practice and philosophical approach to our place in the universe.
Intro rant – The Green New Deal (extra long)
Order your copy of Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence today!
Dr. Dan Siegel
Daniel J. Siegel, MD is a contemporary psychiatrist and writer who specializes in interpersonal neurobiology and coined the term mindsight.
It's All Happening returns to the airwaves with one of the most important and culturally relevant discussions of today. Roger McNamee, Silicon Valley legend and author of the new book Zucked - Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe takes us through the monumental problem that social media is presenting in today's culture. Never before has such an influential insider taken a step back to rethink his earlier position that's resulted in becoming a whistle blower of the practices and methods that these platforms inflict upon us daily. Zucked must be read and each one of us must honestly take on this problem as best we can. This is one of the most important topics ever covered on this podcast. Enjoy.
Intro rant - My take on social medias growing influence into problematic territories
Roger McNamee began his career in 1982 at T. Rowe Price Associates, where he managed the top performing Science & Technology Fund and co-managed the New Horizons Fund. In 1991, he launched Integral Capital Partners, the first crossover fund (combining later stage venture capital with public market investments), in partnership with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Morgan Stanley & Co. In 1999, Roger co-founded Silver Lake Partners, the first private equity fund focused on technology businesses. In 2004, Roger and his partners launched Elevation Partners, an investment partnership focused on the intersection of media and technology. Since April 2017, Roger has been engaged, along with former Google design ethicist Tristan Harris and others, in a campaign to trigger a national conversation about the dark side of social media. Roger’s book about that experience, Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe, was published in February 2019.
The first It's All Happening podcast of 2019 launches with the explosively brilliant Dave Stringer. Our conversation took form around the connection between consciousness expansion and mantra music (kirtan). Dave went deep as he explain how the various methods for self inquiry all share similarities in how they shift our awareness of the self's relationship to universal consciousness. And that's just scratching the surface. Dave is one of the most thoughtful practitioners of eastern mysticism in the west and also one of the finest musicians in the genre. Enjoy!
Intro rant - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her sudden and important impact on the American political scene
Dave Stringer is a Grammy™-nominated record producer and composer who has been widely profiled as one of the most innovative artists of the modern Yoga movement. He’s both an inspiring singer and a captivating public speaker, resolving neuroscience, yoga philosophy and music into a participatory theatrical experience. Stringer’s sound invokes the transcendent mysticism of traditional Indian instruments with the exuberant, groove-oriented sensibility of American gospel and the ringing harmonies of Appalachia. He is featured in the upcoming documentary films Mantra: Sounds Into Silence and The Power of Mantra and has toured extensively, leading concerts, workshops and retreats all over the world.