No Pranablem

About No Pranablem

Conversations about deep end meditation, skills for emotional fluidity, and living a life with more authenticity. All grounded in our work and relationships.

Publisher

Pranab Sachithanandan

Category

health & fitness · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

26 Mar 2023

Latest episode

23 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

10 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   23 Oct 2026

   Toby Sola: How Can Meditation Make Us More Effective?

   I spoke with Toby Sola about meditation, effectiveness, and the feedback loops between deep practice and living a meaningful life. Timestamps: 0:00 Meditation is unnecessary and insufficient 5:35 Meditation and real-world effectiveness 9:39 Deep practice, creativity, and productivity 14:48 Building feedback loops between meditation and life 20:43 Procrastination as sensory experience 28:35 How Shinzen Young still procrastinated 31:57 Why meditation instruction alone isn’t enough 40:38 Discernment as a trainable skill 52:00 Happiness independent of conditions 56:20 Seasons of transcendence and engagement Toby Sola is the founder of Brightmind (https://www.brightmind.com/), a meditation teacher, and longtime student of Shinzen Young. We discuss Toby’s view that meditation is neither necessary nor sufficient for becoming effective in the world, but that practice and everyday life can be deliberately connected so that each strengthens the other. Toby calls this “feedback loops”. We talk about ways deeper practice can support creativity and effectiveness, Shinzen Young’s struggles with procrastination, therapy and accountability, developing discernment, and why happiness independent of conditions still needs to sit within a broader engagement with life. Meditation offers a tractable way to train attention, awareness, and your ability to stay with discomfort. But you can develop deep insight without changing your habits. To become more effective, you need to apply those skills to specific situations, like starting an avoided task and deep listening during a difficult conversation. We also need to seek feedback and support from others. Meditating more isn’t always the missing step. As you build this feedback loop between meditation and action, you also build the self-trust and support to practice more deeply, developing meditation and effectiveness together. Sponsor: This podcast is sponsored by Attention Copilot (https://attncopilot.com). You can spend all day working and still avoid the things that would make the biggest difference. Our form of executive coaching helps you identify, prioritize, and face them. During an 80-minute to three-hour call, we help you shift your affect, share your screen, and do your actual work. Your coach helps you work through stress, make decisions, and stay clear-headed. Links: Brightmind Meditation (https://www.brightmind.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Instagram (Tobyornottoby3000) (https://www.instagram.com/tobyornottoby3000/) Shinzen Young — Periodic Table of Happiness Elements (Happiness Grid) (https://www.shinzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Happiness.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

2. 

   15 Oct 2026

   Dr. Gena Gorlin: The Builder’s Mindset and the Psychology of Ambition

   I spoke with Dr. Gena Gorlin about the Builder’s Mindset, self-authorship, and how we can update beliefs and behaviours. Timestamps: 0:00 Introspection vs rumination 4:28 The Builder’s Mindset and treating life as your central project 17:39 Drill Sergeant, Zen Guru, and the Builder 25:39 Choosing your own ladder and making work meaningful 38:22 Are we naturally builders? 45:27 “Death is the default; default is not destiny” 53:19 From repairing yourself to building your life 1:01:54 How beliefs change 1:08:27 Noisy minds, intrusive thoughts, and OCD 1:14:47 The Builder’s Mindset in relationships Gena is a psychologist, founder coach, and Clinical Associate Professor at UT Austin. She is writing a forthcoming book with Penguin on the Builder’s Mindset. We discuss Gena’s Drill Sergeant, Zen Guru, and Builder framework: pushing yourself up inherited ladders, stepping away from them, or deciding what actually matters to you and building from there. We talk about meaningful work, therapy as repair versus building, parts work, changing entrenched beliefs, intrusive thoughts, and why Gena sees healthy relationships as fundamentally positive-sum. Learn more through Gena’s newsletter, The Psychology of Ambition (https://builders.genagorlin.com/). This podcast is sponsored by Attention Copilot (attncopilot.com (https://attncopilot.com)). You can spend all day working and still avoid the things that would make the biggest difference. Our coaches help you identify, prioritize, and face them. During an 80-minute to three-hour call, you settle in, share your screen, and do your actual work. Your coach helps you work through stress, make decisions, and stay clear-headed. Over time, you can feel more satisfied with your weeks, more confident taking on bigger things, and more at ease in your work. Gena links Gena Gorlin’s website (https://genagorlin.com/) The Psychology of Ambition (https://builders.genagorlin.com/) Gena on X (https://x.com/Gena_I_Gorlin) Founder coaching with Gena (https://genagorlin.com/coaching.php) Gena’s forthcoming book is being published with Penguin and is currently projected for fall 2027. Paid subscribers to The Psychology of Ambition can also book a complimentary 30-minute conversation with Gena. Resources mentioned The Hard Thing About Hard Things — Ben Horowitz (https://a16z.com/books/the-hard-thing-about-hard-things/) Eternalism, nihilism, and meaningness — David Chapman (https://meaningness.com/preview-eternalism-and-nihilism) Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) (https://contextualscience.org/act) Internal Family Systems (IFS) (https://ifs-institute.com/) The Sovereign Child — Aaron Stupple (https://www.thesovereignchild.com/)

3. 

   8 Oct 2026

   Maija Haavisto: Meditation, Dissociation, and Healing

   I spoke with Maija Haavisto about meditation, dissociation, living with chronic illness, and her severe physical symptoms after a nondual shift. Timestamps 0:00 Chronic illness, loving-kindness, and discovering meditation 8:55 When meditation helps and harms 18:29 Awakening, suffering, and spirituality as connection 25:18 Two forms of dissociation 32:20 Trauma, parts, and the fiction of personality disorders 39:29 Is society built on dissociation? 46:23 Why you can’t speedrun healing 59:04 Somatic parts work 1:01:57 Nonduality, energy, and physical illness 1:20:05 Bulgaria, intuition, and spiritual practice Maija Haavisto is a writer, therapist, and author of Loving Awakening and Shattered White-Out. We discuss meditation’s benefits and risks, how to view all inner and relational dynamics through a "parts model" of the mind, and the function of dissociation. We also talk about the label of personality disorder, speedrunning healing, somatic work, and Maija’s experience of physical illness following meditation and nondual shifts. We finish with her move to Bulgaria, Balkan music, and her changing relationship to spiritual practice. This podcast is sponsored by Attention Copilot (attncopilot.com). You can spend all day working and still avoid deep work on the things that would make the biggest difference. Our coaches help you identify, prioritize, and face them. During an 80-minute to three-hour call, your coach helps you work through stress, make decisions, and stay clear-headed as you make progress on actual work. As you build this skill, you can feel more satisfied with your weeks, more confident taking on bigger things, and more at ease in your work. Maija links Website (https://lovingawakening.net/) Medium (https://maija-haavisto.medium.com/) X (https://x.com/DiamonDie) YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/diamondie) Guiding and somatic work (https://lovingawakening.net/guiding/)Books and writing (https://lovingawakening.net/) Both Loving Awakening and Shattered White-Out are available to download for free. You can reach out to Maija to explore working with her. Resources mentioned • Loving Awakening: A Practical Guide to Embodied Spirituality and Healing with Metta, IFS, the Imaginal and Community — Maija Haavisto (https://lovingawakening.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/lovingawakening.pdf) • Shattered White-Out: How Trauma and Dissociation Mold the World, Your Relationships and You — Maija Haavisto (https://lovingawakening.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/shatteredwhiteout.pdf) • Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation (TWIM) (https://www.dhammasukha.org/twim-faq) • Internal Family Systems (IFS) (https://ifs-institute.com/resources/articles/internal-family-systems-model-outline) • Maija’s guided meditations and hypnosis (https://lovingawakening.net/guided-meditations/) • Ken McLeod — Unfettered Mind (https://unfetteredmind.org/about-ken-mcleod/)

4. 

   14 Sept 2026

   Dan Grossman: Somatics, Psychedelics, and Scientific Rigor

   I spoke with Dan Grossman about how to take the somatic side of psychedelics and therapy seriously. Along the way, we explore the relationship between compelling narratives, meaningful experiences, and good science. Dan is a clinical psychology PhD candidate studying the bodily dimensions of psychedelic experiences, including shaking, movement, and vocalization, which many describe as central to their healing work. People can find these experiences deeply meaningful and healing, and it’s interesting that they seem to show up across different substances. But that doesn’t necessarily confirm the explanations we attach to them. Does the body literally store and release trauma? What evidence supports the idea that animals “shake off” traumatic experiences? And how should we approach frameworks like polyvagal theory when people find them useful, but their scientific claims remain contested? We also discuss parts work, the role of symbols and imagery in healing, and the relationship between meditation and therapy. Dan describes meditation as a form of “epistemic hygiene”: a way to engage with powerful experiences without taking every interpretation at face value. Throughout, we ask how the worlds of vibes and science might learn from each other. You can get in contact with Dan via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-grossman-906873119 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-grossman-906873119) This podcast is sponsored by Attention Copilot (attncopilot.com (https://attncopilot.com)). You can spend all day working and still avoid the things that would make the biggest difference. Our somatic productivity coaches help you identify, prioritize, and face them. During an 80-minute to three-hour call, you settle in, share your screen, and do your actual work. Your coach helps you work through stress, make decisions, and stay clear-headed. Over time, you can feel more satisfied with your weeks, more confident taking on bigger things, and more at ease in your work.

5. 

   23 Aug 2026

   Scott Britton: Conscious Accomplishment and Using Work to Deepen Your Growth

   Scott Britton and I explore how ambition and spiritual practice can become one path. We talk about using resistance at work as data, widening the choices we can see, and building a culture where inner development supports meaningful action. Learn more through Scott’s website (https://scottbritton.me/), his book Conscious Accomplishment (https://consciousaccomplishment.com/), his recruiting firm Conscious Talent (https://www.conscioustalent.com/), and the EvolutionFM podcast (https://podcast.scottbritton.me/). 0:00 Integrating ambition and spiritual practice 4:22 The limits of “succeed first, wake up later” 8:05 How business coaches make spiritual ideas usable 13:45 The outside-in paradigm behind achievement 19:04 Resistance is data, not proof of misalignment 22:24 How stress hides better options 25:24 Better thinking inside the box versus expanding the box 28:20 Awareness as a practical source of capacity 31:50 Holding truth lightly in disagreement 35:31 Hiring people who already value development 40:24 Self-leadership makes flatter organizations possible 41:52 AI raises the value of small, mature teams 46:53 Pausing work can be the higher-leverage move 48:54 Who Conscious Accomplishment is designed to help 52:46 The inverse journey: from spirituality back to action

6. 

   20 Jan 2026

   Michael Taft: Intro to His Meditations and the Stack Model

   Michael Taft is a meditation teacher, creator of the podcast Deconstructing Yourself, and co-founder of the Berkeley Alembic meditation center. This podcast serves as an introduction to his teaching and how to engage with his hundreds of guided, nondual meditations on youtube. Resources: Michael's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelTaft108 Deconstructing Yourself: https://deconstructingyourself.com Michael's Courses: https://deconstructingyourself.org - Hacking the Stack starts January 26, 2026 Timestamps: 0:45 Why students come to Michael after other resources (apps like Waking Up, retreats like Goenka and Jhourney, and books like The Mind Illuminated) 2:40 Where Michael fits in the meditation ecosystem 5:34 Respecting traditions while being meta-systematic 7:51 Where can practice actually go? The real goals 9:23 A student with severe chronic pain (morphine pump story) 14:38 Emotional pain uses the same brain circuitry 15:02 The Stack model, and understanding "progress" in meditation 16:47 Level 1: Conceptual (thinking about experience) 17:06 Level 2: Phenomenological (qualia, direct sensation) 21:36 Level 3: Flux (everything is changing) 24:45 Level 4: Openness and emptiness 28:14 Vast Sky Mind and applying the stack to all sense gates 30:00 Why Michael uses mantra, chanting, and visualization 31:45 The arc of Michael's guided meditations on YouTube 33:02 How to engage with Michael's work 35:00 The power of sangha and community

7. 

   22 Nov 2025

   Anne Laure Le Cunff: The Fallacy of “Follow Your Passion” and the Power of Tiny Experiments

   Anne-Laure is the author of Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World. She also founded Ness Labs, a learning community for ambitious knowledge workers. You can learn more about her work at https://nesslabs.com (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa3A5aHh0bDNyMlF6eHdQT2paVTZxa3pKb2Zzd3xBQ3Jtc0ttU0paWk5IaFJLd3BnVHNPUjNTNEdUbWJkMkQzcjdJaVRsWTRqcUVLdW42YWd2VzVPc0pUbkVHSm1HTTFQOHBjalk2UTM2cmU4SmJVUng5V3NCMEVkcW1xVTFBUURNRWFuWFc1RktYSXp4V2xJelVJSQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fnesslabs.com%2F&v=rrjnRhFcvWE) 01:30 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrjnRhFcvWE&t=90s) – Anne-Laure’s shift from Silicon Valley’s default success script 03:30 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrjnRhFcvWE&t=210s) – Critique of the “follow your passion” fallacy 06:00 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrjnRhFcvWE&t=360s) – Pranab’s personal experiment in meaningful work 11:20 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrjnRhFcvWE&t=680s) – Cynicism as emotional self-protection 16:30 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrjnRhFcvWE&t=990s) – Audience unpredictability and the paradox of online writing 18:30 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrjnRhFcvWE&t=1110s) – Pact method and intentional habit formation 24:00 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrjnRhFcvWE&t=1440s) – Four mindsets model: Cynicism, Escapism, Perfectionism, Experimentalism 45:30 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrjnRhFcvWE&t=2730s) – ADHD, hyper-curiosity, and evolutionary perspectives 53:10 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrjnRhFcvWE&t=3190s) – Mindful productivity and managing emotions in knowledge work 56:00 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrjnRhFcvWE&t=3360s) – Emotional coping strategies, interstitial journaling, and metacognition

8. 

   1 Aug 2025

   Becoming a Sane Saint with Tucker Peck

9. 

   6 Aug 2024

   Peter McEwan -- Tummo, Dzogchen, Lineage, and Healing

   Peter McEwen is a meditation teacher in Boulder, Colorado. Visit his site (https://thefield.us) or https://x.com/techgnostic to learn more about his work. 00:00:00 Introduction and Upcoming Course on Tummo 00:04:56 Fruitional View and Dzogchen Practice 00:09:15 Self-Improvement vs. Self-Acceptance 00:10:12 Role of Emotions in Teaching 00:10:24 Emotional Healing in Practice 00:13:10 Understanding Tummo Practice 00:14:00 Explanation of Tummo Practice 00:15:11 Trapping Air in Central Channel 00:21:22 Healing Trauma with Tummo 00:24:52 Influences and Trainings 00:29:23 Secrecy in Lineages 00:34:24 Value of Tibetan Lineages 00:34:39 Monastic Safety and Structure 00:41:28 Reflections on Trungpa’s Legacy 00:45:39 Bruce Tift as a Teacher 00:51:58 Unconditional Kindness vs. Relative Behavior 00:56:12 Tolerance for Well-being 00:59:21 Untangling Self-sabotage Patterns 01:06:16 Upcoming Course Details

10. 

    26 Mar 2023

    Christine (@christineist): Twitter, Journalling, IFS

    In this podcast, I talk to Christine about about the twitter community where we became friends, her experience with journalling, and our journeys with IFS (internal family systems therapy) as a lens on life. 0:00 Climbing & community 6:20 How did Christine get into Twitter? 11:30 Experiential difference between CBT & IFS (cognitive behavioral therapy & internal family systems) 16:00 Impro, act before you think 18:10 IFS & Journalling, relationship to journalling 25:00 Documentation & 2nd Brain stuff 28:00 Life Timeline, atheist to agnostic 31:45 What are your values? 34:30 On imaginal thinking & somatic vs. visual IFS 41:00 Recurring IFS characters, parts constellations (“garlic cloves”) 46:20 Journaling, IFS, & Existential Kink. Understanding shadow work & existential kink 54:50 Being held by your Self, Self Love 57:00 IFS as a helpful ontology & framework 58:20 Should parts always exist or occupy a new role? 1:00:30 Oneness with division, enjoying the journey. Feeling like an orchestra. 1:06:20 IFS multiplicity of mind vs. Dissociative Identity Disorder Further links: Christine's twitter: twitter.com/christineist Christine's mega Google doc: bit.ly/3IpZDtl - Includes links to her "Intro to Twitter/TPOT" guide, IFS threads, "Life Timeline" doc, and more She's also building a cozy, project-focused alternative to twitter called 3'rd space. Check it out: 3rdspace.app ----- Check out my Twitter (most active): twitter.com/nopranablem Read the newsletter (in progress): pranab.substack.com

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

9,457

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Spotify

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 17 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

4

Social presence

0

YouTube

74

Engagement

0

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