Ideas so wild they might just work.
JJ spent fifteen years climbing the success ladder: top organisations, Oxford MBA, three continents. The higher he climbed, the more concerned he became. This series was created after walking away — an inquiry into purpose and meaningless work, grief and faith, trauma and healing, drugs and growth, disconnection and hope. He became convinced human civilisation isn’t working: the stakes are high and time is short.
A series for anyone who wants to go further in questioning what we're doing here.
Welcome to the wilderness. Welcome to Wild Ideas.
Let’s dream about the body’s wisdom, collaborating with nature and awakening from the nightmare of separation.
In this earthy episode you’ll dream:
that nature is calling you to walk with her
about the embodied journey from burnout to care
of awakening from the human nightmare of separation
The full text, images and references can be found here: https://substack.jjvandevyver.earth/p/are-we-living-in-the-earths-dream (https://substack.jjvandevyver.earth/p/are-we-living-in-the-earths-dream)
(00:00) - Introduction
(02:21) - The dream
(03:27) - Preparing for a journey, autumn 2023
(11:24) - The dream of death
(14:05) - This path doesn’t go on, summer 2024
(20:00) - The dream of humility
(22:08) - Twisted in knots, spring 2025
(27:44) - The dream of courage
(30:03) - The ground speaks, summer 2025
(40:39) - The dream of wilding
(42:37) - Finding my way, spring 2026
(49:52) - The dream of care
(52:32) - Is the Earth waking us up?
(58:51) - Acknowledgements
A huge thank you to:
Jo for your feedback on an early draft
Louise for your feedback and creative guidance
Leigh and Lesanne for encouraging, shaping and holding space for this series
Phillip-Jan van Zyl for his beautiful piano collection “Spiral”
My partner Ash for your love and support as these pieces came to life
The wild spaces, the butterflies and the whispering Earth
The many wonderful humans who inspired these words through our conversations.
I'll see you in the wilderness.
16 Sept 2026
Can magic mushrooms evolve human consciousness?
Let’s enter a mind-altering world where a mushroom can change your life and save our species.
In this reality-bending episode you’ll learn:
how I almost lost my mind during an ayahuasca ceremony
the role that psilocybin mushrooms can play in personal development
what a healthy partnership with plant medicine looks like
The full text, images and references can be found here: https://open.substack.com/pub/jjvandevyver/p/can-magic-mushrooms-evolve-human (https://open.substack.com/pub/jjvandevyver/p/can-magic-mushrooms-evolve-human)
(00:00) - Introduction
(02:06) - The night I lost my mind
(08:13) - A seed is planted
(14:54) - Drugs are bad
(20:20) - An Easter Journey
(30:28) - A whole new world
(36:47) - Ayahuasca Curandero Initiation Course
(46:28) - Lost in my mind
(51:01) - The work begins
(54:27) - Facilitation
(01:04:02) - The journeys ahead
(01:14:12) - On the next episode
(01:14:46) - Acknowledgements
A huge thank you to:
Storm for your feedback on an earlier draft
Leigh and Lesanne for encouraging, shaping and reviewing this series
Phillip-Jan van Zyl for his beautiful piano collection “Spiral”
Louise for guiding my way to inspired creativity
My partner Ash for your love and support throughout this project
The incredible plants and facilitators who shaped my journey
The many wonderful humans who inspired these words through our conversations.
I'll see you in the wilderness.
9 Sept 2026
What if Mommy healed her past?
Let’s uncover the power of stories, how we inherit trauma and disease, and what it takes to heal.
In this very personal episode you’ll discover:
the spiritual transformation that my mom experienced with cancer
the echoes of stories and trauma that shape who we become
what a miracle can look like
The full text, images and references can be found here: https://open.substack.com/pub/jjvandevyver/p/what-if-mommy-healed-her-past? (https://open.substack.com/pub/jjvandevyver/p/what-if-mommy-healed-her-past?)
(00:00) - Introduction
(02:08) - A story about a stone
(04:55) - Heike Rothauge
(13:08) - My first rose quartz
(19:58) - Tracing our roots
(24:41) - A bag of stones
(30:02) - Crystals in the desert
(39:08) - That little girl
(44:28) - A gift
(48:02) - On the next episode
(48:31) - Acknowledgements
A huge thank you to:
Jayni, Ash and Axel for your generous feedback on early drafts
Leigh and Lesanne for encouraging, shaping and reviewing this series
Phillip-Jan van Zyl for his beautiful piano collection “Spiral”
Louise for guiding my way to inspired creativity
My partner Ash for your love and support throughout this project
The many wonderful humans who inspired these words through our conversations.
I'll see you in the wilderness.
2 Sept 2026
What if I was meant to be there when Daddy died?
Let’s explore death, faith and that fateful morning when everything changed, in the cathedral without a roof.
In this very personal episode you’ll discover:
the mysterious circumstances leading to the morning I lost my dad
the cathedral without a roof and the soul imprints within it
what it took to find my own way to the divine
The full text and images can be found here: https://open.substack.com/pub/jjvandevyver/p/what-if-i-was-meant-to-be-there-when?
(00:00) - Introduction
(02:57) - The cathedral without a roof
(12:51) - Three buck on a hill
(21:10) - Lamb in a field
(25:41) - The crypt
(41:49) - The shell and the sunset
(53:39) - A song and a prayer
(59:34) - On the next episode
(01:00:08) - Acknowledgements
A huge thank you to:
Jayni for the gift of the cathedral without a roof, the generous feedback on early drafts and for your beautiful mandala artwork included in the print version of this piece
Phillip-Jan van Zyl for his beautiful piano collection “Spiral”
Leigh and Lesanne for encouraging, supporting and shaping this work
Louise for guiding my way to inspired creativity
My partner Ash for your patience and support throughout this project
The many wonderful humans who inspired these words through our conversations.
I'll see you in the wilderness.
26 Aug 2026
What if I can’t find meaning in corporate?
Let’s look across a career to ask whether meaningless work is a personal problem or a feature of the economy.
In this episode you’ll find out:
why I quit my job and walked away from everything
what each step up the career ladder actually revealed
the unnerving answer keeping our current world in place
The full text, images and references can be found here: https://substack.jjvandevyver.earth/p/what-if-i-cant-find-meaning-in-corporate? (https://substack.jjvandevyver.earth/p/what-if-i-cant-find-meaning-in-corporate?)
(00:00) - Introduction
(02:40) - Journey's end
(07:35) - Piece 1: What I chose to study
(11:26) - Piece 2: How I spent my working hours
(16:53) - Piece 3: Which jobs are deemed valuable
(20:48) - Quick recap
(21:39) - Piece 4: How success is measured
(27:04) - Piece 5: What organisations prioritise
(35:46) - Piece 6: Where money is invested
(41:15) - Piece 7: My return on investment
(46:53) - Putting the pieces together
(50:56) - A seed of hope
(54:38) - On the next episode
(55:10) - Acknowledgements
A huge thank you to:
Barbara Okhrati for her skilled hand in creating the visuals for the print version of this piece
Ben and Hunter for the generous feedback on early drafts
Dan Perez for his audio recordings of gaita music along the Camino de Santiago
Phillip-Jan van Zyl for his beautiful piano collection “Spiral”
Leigh and Lesanne for encouraging, supporting and shaping this work
Louise for guiding my way to inspired creativity
My partner Ash for your patience and support throughout this project
The many wonderful humans who inspired these words through our conversations
I'll see you in the wilderness.
13 Aug 2026
Into the wilderness
Welcome to the wilderness.
After fifteen years climbing the success ladder, JJ decided to walk away. He began to write to make sense of it all - the meaningless work, losing a parent, intergenerational trauma, psychedelics, coming home. This is where the journey begins.
Wild Ideas launches 26 August 2026 with a five-part series. Follow now to walk into the wilderness together.
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