Podcast Overview
<p>Most of what we believe was never actually chosen — we just find ourselves with it, then defend it to the death. In other words, we don't defend ideas because they're true; we defend them because they're ours. What to Believe is where former journalist turned master coach Neil Bierbaum exposes the bug in the human operating system — a bug that makes it hard for us to face the truth about ourselves, and keeps us believing and chasing things that are not real and don’t matter. He offers a method for looking at oneself and life more objectively, to find signal within the noise, and deal with what’s real and what matters. </p><p>Fans of Stoicism will find their next level here in the form of ontological coaching, the field in which Neil spent a four-year apprenticeship, and which he has spent two decades — more than 10,000 hours — practicing and teaching. It’s a method for looking at oneself and life more objectively, to find signal within the noise, and deal with what’s real and what matters. </p><p>Neil offers a solid foundation drawn from more than 20 years of coaching, 10 years before that as a journalist, and decades of contemplative practice running through both. (Neil also has an academic master’s degree, out of which he won a research award and published a peer-reviewed paper on executive coaching methods.) His methodology integrates ontological coaching, neuroscience-backed mindfulness, and evidence-based psychology. </p><p>Three formats: solo deep dives, listener Q&A, and live coaching conversations. </p><p>New episodes Sunday mornings. Come skeptical. Stay curious.</p>
Language
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Publishing Since
5/18/2026
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Recent Episodes
July 19, 2026
Why Your Story Doesn’t Matter
You didn't do what you said you'd do — and you offer a reason. The Wi-Fi bombed. The traffic was mad. Your team lost; you complain about the ref’s blunder, and explain what the coach should have done at halftime. A law you dislike gets passed; you opine that the country's going to the dogs. It all feels like it matters, like what you say will make a difference. It doesn’t. None of it. Your life continues in circles. You spend your life trapped in the same cycle, wondering why. Here’s he...
July 4, 2026
Why Feelings Fail You – And What Doesn’t
We've been told to honour our feelings — and mostly we've overcorrected, pandering to them at great cost to our motivation and discipline. Feelings do matter, but not for being effective. There’s a stronger foundation; one you walk past every day. It’s the single most powerful tool you have as a human being. This episode is about that foundation. We humans are linguistic systems. Our job is to maintain the integrity of that system. It’s the single most powerful thing you can do. In this episo...
June 28, 2026
Why Language is the Ultimate Human Technology
There's a technology you use every waking second that you’ve probably never recognised as a technology. It built every bicycle, every courtroom, every marriage, every World Cup final. It’s language. And we just handed it to the machines — with no guardrails. That's why AI frightens us at a level we can't quite name. And here’s what we can do about it. In Episode 8, I open the door on linguistic ontology — the field underneath the coaching I’ve practised for two decades, and refined into...
11 total episodes available
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- What is What To Believe?
<p>Most of what we believe was never actually chosen — we just find ourselves with it, then defend it to the death. In other words, we don't defend ideas because they're true; we defend them because they're ours. What to Believe is where former journalist turned master coach Neil Bierbaum exposes the bug in the human operating system — a bug that makes it hard for us to face the truth about ourselves, and keeps us believing and chasing things that are not real and don’t matter. He offers a method for looking at oneself and life more objectively, to find signal within the noise, and deal with what’s real and what matters. </p><p>Fans of Stoicism will find their next level here in the form of ontological coaching, the field in which Neil spent a four-year apprenticeship, and which he has spent two decades — more than 10,000 hours — practicing and teaching. It’s a method for looking at oneself and life more objectively, to find signal within the noise, and deal with what’s real and what matters. </p><p>Neil offers a solid foundation drawn from more than 20 years of coaching, 10 years before that as a journalist, and decades of contemplative practice running through both. (Neil also has an academic master’s degree, out of which he won a research award and published a peer-reviewed paper on executive coaching methods.) His methodology integrates ontological coaching, neuroscience-backed mindfulness, and evidence-based psychology. </p><p>Three formats: solo deep dives, listener Q&A, and live coaching conversations. </p><p>New episodes Sunday mornings. Come skeptical. Stay curious.</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Information about guest appearances is not available.
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