The Big Soup

About The Big Soup

Greetings traveller, sit down and let me get you a bowl of The Big Soup where we dip the ladle into life’s simmering cauldron of ideas, concepts and conversations. This isn’t about sugar coating the challenges we face awakening and seeking an aligned life in a weird spacetime, where cretins pose as croutons. This is about savouring the nuances of life’s flavours and exploring their textures. Why ‘The Big Soup’? Life is the big soup, everything is an ingredient but not all flavours are meant to go together! Your base broth may be different, but sometimes you’ve got people insistent on throwing in their flavours where they don’t belong, especially if their taste buds are used to a dominion of bland, boring, beige and belligerent textures. We want flavour. Texture. Nuance. Balance and a delicate dance between influences to create a harmony that tingles the tastebuds of the mind. This isn’t about walking past the soup-pot simmering and taking a whiff then claiming you’ve got a measure of it. This is about taking a sip, a slurp, dunking the bread and saying YEAH BWOIS. (This is a technical term). What to expect: Open conversation - unscripted, no stale bread ideas forcing themselves into the bowl. Forward thinking openness - the past already happened, we are here to create an expansive future. Not one that is based on an imagined vision of a rose-tinted past. We have to move on. Big ideas in smaller portions - because we approach life and the world expansively but take things step by step. Tangents - what is life without its meandering strolls down the avenues of the mind? Your Soup Server (Host): Alastair Ballentyne - someone who got bored of bland chat, recycled ideas, driven by curiosity and a desire to create mischief for a higher purpose. Always on the search for the best ingredients, interesting flavour combinations and something stimulating to the senses. All of it underpinned by a desire to talk, laugh, examine and challenge the things we cling to in life. Why you’ll love (or at least claim to): Kickflip the table - not your table, that would be inadvisable, but the tables we were raised to desire a seat at are no longer fit for purpose or function in this world. So let’s flip them with style and panache. Joining the dots - the world is more interconnected than we are lead to believe, that is something at the heart of this podcast’s mission to dive into A license to weird - consider the big soup your power juice to unleash your inner weirdo, go against the grain, you may not have listened yet but we’re already your big cheerleaders. Subversive and suggestive - the world needs some new flavour shakers, and in times that lack nuance, a way through it all is to get right down into the tiny cracks others may choose to ignore. Who will enjoy ‘The Big Soup’? You are bored of echo chambers claiming to be upholding ‘free speech and ideas’ You are hungry for ideas You believe that most ‘deep talk’ is so shallow it may as well be a puddle You believe life is too short for anything without flavour You like the sound of my voice You are a cool person

Publisher

Alastair Ballentyne

Category

religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

15 Jun 2025

Latest episode

7 Oct 2025

Latest episodes

13 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Oct 2025

   (Dr Love edition 3): Games in communication and dating are small vibes

   Games in communication and dating are small vibes In this third and final part of the Dr Love trilogy, we continue our journey through the list of shame of terrible dating and relationship. Communication advice scraped from social media. There are many reasons that we can end up in a situation where games are being played but the worst thing is when that is the vibe of the connection from the beginning. Not something pleasant to be on the receiving end of, and especially not pleasant when you have to unpack your own behaviours when you realise you’ve done this kind of thing in the past. Seeing that these points only serve to separate ourselves my own intuition, desires, once and needs, they only serve to create more disconnection, hopelessness, frustration and dissatisfaction. All energies that we can do with a lot less of in this life so there is no sense creating more of it for ourselves. If you would like my help on your journey, feel free to head over to my website and check out my Services to see which would be the best support for you: www.alastairballentyne.com (http://www.alastairballentyne.com)

2. 

   22 Sept 2025

   (Dr Love Edition): Commodified communication in relationships

   In this weeks episode of the big soup Dr love returns by popular demand to continue unpacking some gloriously heinous and daft dating advice found across social media. As we continue our journey through the list of shame, this week the topics discussed all point to the idea of treating people as commodities being a very bad thing. Of course you don’t need to listen to this podcast to tell you that, but as we float here in the big soup, we have to explore what enhances the flavour and what makes it taste kind of gross. If you want my support on your personal journey of becoming, relationships with yourself and others, head over to my website to explore all of the different ways, I can be a support for you. www.alastairballentyne.com (http://www.alastairballentyne.com)

3. 

   17 Sept 2025

   (Dr Love edition) Improving communication in connection

   In this episode of the big soup we are taking a little look at some of the wild and weird takes around communication and relationships from social media. We are living in very disconnected times and we are creating so many unnecessary rules for ourselves when it comes to connecting with other people and also communicating our needs. Everyone is different, every relationship is different. Not one piece of advice is going to work for everyone and we need to make sure that we carve our own pathways when it comes to connection of any kind, not just romantic relationships. As someone who is actively working in the spirituality/well-being/personal development world, a lot of of my work oscillates around helping people with their relationships. Whether that is the relationship with themselves or the relationship with others, part of the problem I see often is people struggle with self advocacy. One of the fundamental foundations of self advocacy is being able to communicate your needs as well as understanding your needs across the board in life. It is such a shame that we allow people to create these imaginary obstacle courses that people have to to navigate just to reach a foundational level of connection. As someone with a history of trauma and healing, there have been times in my life where I’ve been disconnected, difficult to know and also lacking an understanding of how this would create problems both for myself and others. As we start to explore different ideas around communication and connection, it can help act as a balm for these very disconnected times we’re living in. Because particularly regressive ideologies thrive in environments isolation, disconnection. Connect better with yourself, connect better with others and we are activating more drops in the wave of positive change.

4. 

   8 Sept 2025

   The Great Spiritual Reset - Revisting Saturn & Neptune in Pisces with the Pisces Full Moon Eclipse

   Welcome back to episode 10 of the biggest soup where we are exploring what I am referring to as ‘The Great Spiritual Reset’. At the time of recording, we were on the day of the Pisces full moon eclipse. This eclipse is returning as to themes particularly of the Saturn and Pisces transit as it is currently retrograde in the sign of Pisces for those of you following tropical zodiac (which I do due to its seasonal correlation as an earth - heavens bridging practice). But also over the coming months we will be revisiting themes of Neptune and Pisces when it retrogrades into Pisces itself. These two planets set the tone for a lot of of what we know to be spirituality, personal development, online business and various other different movements that Rose up since 2012 in our collective consciousness. Neptune in Pisces was a very boundary time, a lot of great stuff came from it, however it was also a time of rampant delusion, people proclaiming themselves to be divine Oracle, prophets anything that made them supposedly infallible and beyond scrutiny. Then Saturn rolled up in Pisces in 2023, we saw so many things get called into question. Accountability was sought and depending on how people reacted to it during this time will dictate how they will fair when Saturn & Neptune roll back into Aries for a 2.5 & 14 year transit respectively. Blood moon Eclipses are times of change, personal evolution, structures can evolve, shift or fall. But importantly, it was said to be a time where leaders would be toppled. So if we take that idea to look at how we can create better and more robustly supportive pathways of spiritual expression, we’re onto something! As the illusions and delusions folks are hanging onto from that time will not cut it come 2026 and beyond. If you want my help, support, and assistance on your personal journey of spiritual awakening, self development and wellbeing - head over to my site and explore the different options I have available for you! www.alastairballentyne.com (http://www.alastairballentyne.com)

5. 

   13 Aug 2025

   Finding home & hope in an uncertain world

   In this episode of The Big Soup, I share my journey around finding a sense of home within myself while moving through the human experience. Home to me had to become a feeling rather than a place after I had lost that place, then spent many years trying to fill that void with relationships, circles and connections. When I came back home to me, that allowed me to create a solid foundation within while being solid roots for the seeds of hope to grow into fruit bearing trees. A lot of us are exploited by those who capitalise on the fear of loss, change and moving through times we do not understand. If we can connect with and grow that sense of energetic home within, it can act as a balm to the rising populist toxicity which thrives by playing on these fears. From there we can begin to influence the world around us by following the inspiration the feeling of home acts as a platform for. Which is arguably the single biggest factor in the journey from feeling hopeless to hopeful, then empowered within that inner space. If you want to work with me, visit my site: www.alastairballentyne.com (http://www.alastairballentyne.com) and explore the different ways I can support you on your journey. Enjoy this bowl of The Big Soup!

6. 

   7 Aug 2025

   Bring back the love

   In this episode we explore why we need to bring back and lead with love in our lives/society. There’s so many things in our world that thrive because of the absence of love while capitalising on our insecurities, frustrations and sense of inadequacies. When we start to create a more positive relationship with ourselves, that expands outwardly in all directs while giving us a solid and healthy platform to base our lives around. For humanity to turn a corner, recognising we are all connected and interdependent on each other would be a good place to start. However, that doesn’t suit those who thrive on creating division, discord and domination. We do not need them in our world or lives, but we cannot free ourselves from these ideologies if we don’t lead with love for ourselves, each other, society, the world and the planet. If you want my help and support on your personal journey of becoming, head over to my website and see how I can support you: www.alastairballentyne.com (http://www.alastairballentyne.com)

7. 

   28 Jul 2025

   The unfolding and cyclical nature of healing

   In this Episode of The Big Soup we explore healing as an ongoing, ever unfolding process. This is important because when you take a one and done approach to healing, you can put yourself under unnecessary pressure, because you are an ever unfolding collection of ideas filtered through the lens of your experience. I share some examples from my own life so far and some points I felt to be resonate regarding healing in general. As ever it is the aim to support you on your personal path in life, an exploration of healing through this lens can help create more space around healing in your life. The most important thing is not to put yourself under pressure, while healing happens in stages and periods, each has their own texture and purpose. We can easily get lost at sea in any of these stages, and it’s important that healing doesn’t get confused with avoidance! Which is too easily done. I invite you to take a moment to enjoy this latest serving of The Big Soup with me. If you want my support on your journey, please visit my website at: www.alastairballentyne.com (http://www.alastairballentyne.com)

8. 

   21 Jul 2025

   'Street Spirituality', bringing it back to earth

   In episode six of the big soup we are exploring something that I like to call ‘Street spirituality’. Street spirituality is all about developing your own sense of personal spiritual expression through your journey of life. It’s very important to recognise that having a practice that is rooted in reality, and allows you to be grounded within yourself as you move through the world, allows that spark of divine inspiration to be realised through you. It’s very easy for people to get lost in the downloads, the visions, the experiences, and everything that makes the human journey more interesting than becomes a roadmap of diversions and bypassing. I also share a list of what I believe to be some of the more resident points of developing your version of Street spirituality and the reasons as to why I believe they’re important. Everything is drawn from my own experience and journey, I never say that my way is the right way, it is the way that has evolved through me just as your way can evolve through you. We get into the points around the 23 minute mark after some initial discussion. Street spirituality in essence as a spirit of Punkrock about it, it exists in defiance and as a vessel for those who are fed up with self appointed false power not just in the spiritual world but in the world at large. To work and connect with me visit my site at www.alastairballentyne.com (http://www.alastairballentyne.com)

9. 

   14 Jul 2025

   Navigating the shadows of Futurephobia

   This week in the Big Soup we are exploring Futurephobia and some of the shadows it casts over our society as we seek to carve paths and lay foundations for an as yet unwritten, unknown and undefined future. Futurephobic ideologies seek to restrict, contain and control free expression of self in the world that exists outside of the 'protected group', or shall we say: what is considered desirable, acceptable, professional and all the other stuff that makes life boring. As the world gets smaller, we become more connected and aware of different perspectives that don't align with what we may have grown up with. This shouldn't be an issue if we take a focus of learning, expansion, openness and curiosity. Unfortunately for the Futurephobes this undermines their position and desire to remain in control of the rest of us. Through spiritual awakening, practice and informed self-expression, we can find a way through this landscape to create something more expansive and interesting for the road ahead. Creativity, Imagination, Passion and Curiosity are hallmarks of what it means to be human. Your personal spiritual blueprint can act as both a roadmap, compass and key to unlock a deeper reality. From this perspective of a deeper reality we can take a stance of being constructive towards a better future and recognise what is obstructive to a better future. Futurephobes will regard the unknown with fear and aggression, they are reacting from their primal centres of operation. It's instinct, that doesn't mean it can't change. But for now, seeking to operate from a place of curiosity, openness and possiblity when entering into the unknown is key to navigate out from under the shadows cast by Futurephobic beliefs and ideologies. If you are a future focused person who seeks to live from a place of deeper personal spiritual awareness and are looking for support on your journey - head over to my website and see how I can help you. www.alastairballentyne.com

10. 

    7 Jul 2025

    Why we need spirituality in 2025 and beyond

    In this episode of The Big Soup we discussed why spirituality is essential in 2025 and beyond. Spirituality is the glue that holds our world together and we are having so many problems because we have become unstuck. This week we take a look specifically at how this has affected relationship dynamics And pushing people towards transactional connection which is inherently lacking in humanity. As ever we take a wander through the various interconnected aspects, areas of life, perspectives and perspectives as we unpack the overall theme of the episode. I made a few pages of notes for this one and the whole episode span off the first line alone! If you want my support and assistance on your personal journey, head over to my site and see the different ways we can work together. www.alastairballentyne.com (http://www.alastairballentyne.com) Let’s get soupy!

11. 

    30 Jun 2025

    Plastic or Gold?

    In this episode we explore some ideas and concepts around a plastic society that keeps us from connecting with the gold of our human spirit. Society has long taught us to covet and aspire to things that are plastic, but with the world getting ‘hotter’, plastic will melt in the heat. We are already seeing this in a shift away from ideologies, values and traditional perspectives that no longer serve a future where all will benefit rather than a select chosen few. Part of the symptoms of the spiritual deficit in society are the worship of plastic gods in celebrity, politics, influencers and their cults of personality. They do not serve us, only their personal interests and advancing their own cause. When we start to lean into connecting with the gold of the human spirit, we develop a broader personal expression. We can see the world from a wider horizon and it becomes a little harder to get sucked into the games of nonsense that keep us all under the boot of the plastic gods. We all deserve to connect with the gold of the human spirit and the same fire that will melt the plastic, will purify the gold and give us richer nuance, texture and realisation of our own spiritual selves. As ever these ideas are presented at times with tongue firmly in cheek, as there’s no need to tip toe around ideas that only serve to drag the world backwards. We’ve got to move forwards, and it is with the gold of the human spirit we can find ways that serve a more elevated and connected path. If you want to work with me and have my support on your journey, visit my site and book the service you need at: www.alastairballentyne.com (http://www.alastairballentyne.com)

12. 

    22 Jun 2025

    'Why you? Why not you!'

    In this episode of the Big Soup we explore the age old question of 'why me' that can slow us down and sometimes stop us when it comes time to step up into a higher calling in this life. I share some stories from my journey that lead to me taking on the responsibilities of being a spirituality practitioner in response to things I was seeing in the world and communities around me. While this episode serves as a good introduction to me as a practitioner, it is also a rallying call to any and all who have struggled when facing their inner critic, imposter syndrome and negative self concepts when they know they are here to do something important. I had to go through a lot of different experiences, circles, walks of life to get to a position where I was ready to be of service. Especially in a world where so many things are becoming homogenised and we need ideas that are different. Because meaningful progress, change and evolution always starts outside the circle. So, do your thing as we take a trip through some of the journey that has informed how I do mine. If you wish to work with me, check out my site and services here: www.alastairballentyne.com (http://www.alastairballentyne.com)

13. 

    15 Jun 2025

    Setting the scene

    Welcome to the first episode of the big soup where we set the scene for what we will explore in this ongoing journey through the human experience as seen through a spiritually informed lens. Everything is connected, and spirituality is the glue that connects all things in life. So many problems in our world and society stem from a spiritual deficit, the rabid championing of individualism and collective amnesia that we all depend on each other in varying degrees. We have to look at the world as a connected experience, everything has an influence, everything has a relationship. To separate ourselves from this is separating ourselves from a deeper reality that we can all access if humanity is to thrive in an as yet unwritten future. Recognising the unconscious interdependent web of humanity and navigating it consciously is one of the chief functions of personal spiritual development and awakening. Spirituality is there to help us meet the unknown with openness, curiosity, and the ability to respond. It is not there to stoke the fires of paranoia, anxiety, fear, and intentionally choosing to live under the shadow of distorted visions of the past templated onto the future before it can emerge organically. These are the themes we explore in this first episode as we set the stage for the ongoing journey. If you wish to work with me, check out my site and services here: www.alastairballentyne.com (http://www.alastairballentyne.com)

Podcast Authority Score: 4 / 100

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

Quality

7

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

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