Épisodes

  • #78 Jamie Butemeyer: Being Seen, Dropping the Masks and the Age of Performance

    #78 Jamie Butemeyer: Being Seen, Dropping the Masks and the Age of Performance
    Sep 24 2026

    Jamie Butemeyer works at the intersection of expression and belonging: the ways we learn to edit, perform and suppress parts of ourselves to stay connected, liked and safe.

    Her path began in theatre, dance and pageants, where being impressive became tied to love and belonging. Later came New York auditions, yoga, Aspen, organising, coaching and The School of Expression.

    Across the different forms, the question underneath stayed similar: what happens when we stop performing our way through life and let more of who we are be seen?

    Jamie is a transformational leadership coach working with founders, creatives and conscious leaders, bringing together embodiment and creative expression.

    Jamie and Sam move from Jamie's four-day “Love Fest” wedding into visibility, masks, belonging and becoming less offendable. Jamie makes an important distinction: becoming unoffendable isn’t pretending nothing hurts. It begins with learning to feel what hurts instead of intellectualising, bypassing or distracting ourselves away from it.

    They also talk about attention in an age of short-form content: protecting the first hour of the day, rebuilding the ability to sit with long-form ideas, and “create before you consume”. Closing out with seasonal living, shapeshifting and integration.

    Thank you to the natural genius of Marisa Hallsted for introducing us.

    Content note:
    This conversation includes discussion of psychedelics, psychedelic healing and integration. Laws and clinical frameworks vary by location. This is general information only, not medical or legal advice, or a recommendation to use any substance or treatment.

    What you’ll hear:

    • Belonging and the versions of ourselves we show the world
    • Being seen, visibility and dropping the masks
    • Why becoming “unoffendable” begins with feeling what hurts
    • Distraction, short-form content and protecting the first hour of the day
    • “Create before you consume” and rebuilding long-form attention
    • Shapeshifting with the seasons and making space for integration

    Guest links:

    • Jamie Butemeyer and The School of Expression: https://www.jamiebutemeyer.com/theschoolofexpression
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamiebutemeyer/
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-butemeyer-995327170/
    • Express to Expand free workbook: https://golden-paper-36209.myflodesk.com/wws8vm5npw
    • Jamie and Skippy's Love Fest wedding: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DbozSmQPXx5/

    Conversation mentions:

    • Marisa Hallsted, Natural Genius #62: https://youtu.be/5cgJeJxSQ4E
    • “Becoming unoffendable” - Natalie Hummel: https://nataliehummelcoaching.com/
    • Zack Kravits: https://www.instagram.com/zackkravits
    • Authentic Living, Lindsay Patterson + Beth Mobilian: https://www.lindsayandbeth.com/aspen-program
    • Walter and Elizabeth Paepcke / Aspen Institute: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/about/our-history-and-heritage/

    Chapters:
    00:12 Marisa, friendship and the Love Fest wedding
    04:28 Visibility, expression and being seen
    10:22 Becoming unoffendable by feeling what hurts
    13:45 Distraction, long-form attention and “create before you consume”
    20:33 Theatre, yoga, Aspen and the road into coaching
    27:04 Belonging, self-expression and the freedom to stop fitting in
    32:16 Shapeshifting with the seasons, integration and aliveness

    Explore further:
    Discover Natural Genius: https://naturalgenius.com.au
    Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au

    Credits:
    Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Kiama and Aspen, 19 August 2026.
    Produced at the Kiama office, 19 August - 24 September 2026.

    Natural Genius Podcast https://naturalgenius.com.au
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    44 min
  • #77 Graeme Boden: Family, Contribution and a Meaningful Life Without a Grand Plan

    #77 Graeme Boden: Family, Contribution and a Meaningful Life Without a Grand Plan
    Sep 15 2026
    Graeme Boden has built a life of significant professional achievement, deep family commitment and sustained contribution to others.Across a long career in finance, resources, corporate planning and governance, Graeme worked with BHP, Bougainville Copper, major US resources companies, Sons of Gwalia and numerous ASX-listed and emerging businesses. In his twenties he joined BHP’s Ok Tedi copper-gold project team in Papua New Guinea, working across an international feasibility team and gaining unusual exposure to senior executives and major global companies early in his career. There is a lovely story from his late twenties. Sitting in the Morgan Guaranty boardroom in New York with BHP’s Treasurer, Graeme was asked about an Australian mining project and gave a view that went against conventional wisdom. Afterwards, the Treasurer told him he was proud of how Graeme had represented BHP. Graeme tells the story humbly, acknowledging this as part of an extraordinary early education in competence, contribution and learning to think across disciplines. Family sat at the centre of it all.Graeme’s parents were profound role models. Their influence carried into Graeme’s own marriages, children and grandchildren, decades of involvement in his children’s schools and community, helping establish the Learning and Attentional Disorders Society of WA when ADHD was still poorly understood, and an ongoing commitment to philanthropy and volunteering. When his children were benefiting from what other people had built before them, Graeme felt it was his turn to “carry the baton”. He describes contribution as his thanks for what had gone before and his contribution to what would come after. Now retired, Graeme continues to contribute through organisations including Community First Development, ANZGITA and Foodbank WA, alongside supporting a wide range of charities. A recurring instinct throughout the conversation is looking out for people who have hit difficult times through no fault of their own. Sam knows Graeme as Uncle G, a gentleman she admires who's magnanimous, humble, generous and kind.This conversation moves through work, family, leadership, love, volunteering, grandchildren, travel, Australian red wine and what Graeme calls the ordinary “sweetness of life.”Asked how he built a meaningful life, Graeme offers something refreshingly simple. He hasn’t had a grand plan. Family has remained at the centre.What you’ll hear: • Building professional confidence at BHP and on the Ok Tedi project • Working internationally and learning alongside highly capable people • Leadership, decision-making and contributing beyond your own expertise • Why family remained central throughout Graeme’s career • Helping establish one of WA’s early organisations supporting families affected by ADHD • “Carrying the baton” for the people who come after us • Philanthropy, volunteering and helping people doing it tough • Parents as role models for love, respect and gentlemanly conduct • Children, grandchildren and the sweetness of ordinary family life • A meaningful life that emerged without a grand planGuest links: • Graeme Boden: https://www.linkedin.com/in/graeme-boden-11149611/Conversation mentions: • ADHD WA: https://www.adhdwa.org/ • Australia and New Zealand Gastroenterology International Training Association (ANZGITA): https://www.anzgita.org/ • Australian Doctors for Africa: https://ausdocafrica.org/ • Community First Development: https://communityfirstdevelopment.org.au/ • Australian Wildlife Conservancy: https://www.australianwildlife.org/ • The Smith Family: https://www.thesmithfamily.com.au • MacKillop Family Services: https://www.mackillop.org.au/ • Kids First Australia: https://www.kidsfirstaustralia.org.au/ • The Salvation Army: https://www.salvationarmy.org.au/ • Foodbank WA: https://www.foodbank.org.au/WA/Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to Graeme Boden 03:34 His father, BHP and the early career years 06:18 Confidence, international boardrooms and representing BHP 11:13 Leadership, ADHD WA and carrying the baton 14:18 Volunteering, philanthropy and helping others 17:01 Parents, role models and family legacy 21:19 Fatherhood, grandchildren and the sweetness of life 23:53 Family at the centre, without a grand plan 28:41 Contribution, Foodbank, travel and enjoying lifeExplore further: Discover Natural Genius: https://naturalgenius.com.au Learn more about Sam Bell: https://samanthabell.com.au Other platforms: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568387Subscribe for more long-form conversations with thoughtful leaders, founders, creatives and changemakers across business, human intelligence, AI, wellbeing and meaningful lives.Credits: Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Kiama and Burswood, Perth, 14 August 2026. Produced at the Kiama office, 14 August - 15 September 2026.Natural Genius Podcast https://naturalgenius.com.au
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    33 min
  • #76 Wendy Fyfe: Curiosity, Connection and Changing What You Believe Is Possible

    #76 Wendy Fyfe: Curiosity, Connection and Changing What You Believe Is Possible
    Sep 14 2026

    Wendy Fyfe has spent much of her career helping people see more possibility in themselves, their work and each other.

    In this episode, Sam Bell speaks with her long-time friend, strategist, facilitator and executive coach Wendy Fyfe about curiosity, connection, limiting beliefs and the small shifts that can change what feels possible.

    Wendy has spent decades working with executives, senior leaders and organisations through leadership development, culture and large-scale change, including Director-level work at Deloitte and executive coaching across complex transformations. Her approach is deeply human: suspend assumption, understand the person and their map of the world, build connection first, then work with what can change.

    The conversation moves from Wendy’s solo travels through South America to coaching, parenting, community, workshops and skiing. She reflects on how overthinking can stop us acting, why discomfort often accompanies growth, and how changing one belief, one action or one conversation can shift a trajectory.

    There is plenty of Wendy in this one too: jumping into a freezing pool fully clothed with her daughters, “Hoover energy” versus “groover energy”, deliberate playfulness at work, volunteering, chairlift conversations and the joy of feeling fully alive on skis.

    What you’ll hear:

    • Suspending assumptions and staying open to what another person can teach you
    • How old beliefs can constrain capability, confidence and possibility
    • Why curiosity can change the way we approach difficult relationships
    • Choosing spontaneity, mischief and joy in busy adult life
    • The energy we bring into a room, and why playfulness can deepen connection
    • Building relationship and connection before trying to create change
    • Small shifts, discomfort and the internal dialogue that shapes what we do next

    Guest links:

    • Wendy Fyfe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-fyfe/
    • Wendy Fyfe Consulting: https://wendyfyfe.com/

    Wendy recommends:

    • The Teenage Brain by Frances E. Jensen — a compelling read for parents of teenagers and anyone interested in adolescent brain development, decision-making, risk-taking, memory and addiction:
      https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-au/products/teenage-brain-book-frances-e-jensen-9780062067852
    • Susan David, The Gift and Power of Emotional Courage — one of Wendy’s favourite TED Talks, especially the idea of emotions as a rich source of data rather than a trigger for immediate action:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDQ1Mi5I4rg

    Chapters:
    00:12 Openness, assumptions and seeing possibility
    05:49 South America, fear and overthinking
    15:06 Curiosity and changing what you believe is possible
    19:34 Mischief, joy and “Hoover” versus “groover” energy
    29:18 Community, connection and how change really happens
    32:38 Skiing, aliveness and trusting the edge
    35:54 Small shifts, discomfort and changing the trajectory

    Explore further:
    Discover Natural Genius: https://naturalgenius.com.au
    Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au
    Other platforms: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568387
    Subscribe to hear future episodes.

    Credits:
    Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Kiama and Geelong, 26 May, 2026.
    Produced at the Kiama office, 26 May - 14 September, 2026.


    Natural Genius Podcast https://naturalgenius.com.au
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    48 min
  • #75 Pete Spence: Beyond the Mechanical Worldview: Stillness, Connection and Human Potential

    #75 Pete Spence: Beyond the Mechanical Worldview: Stillness, Connection and Human Potential
    Sep 10 2026
    What becomes possible when we become still enough to notice more of what is already available within us, between us and around us?Peter Spence returns to Natural Genius, moving beyond the high-performance foundations of his first episode into stillness, connection, human potential and quantum thinking.Pete has spent decades across Australian cricket and elite sport, including the NSW Cricket Association, Australian Cricket Board, AIS Cricket Academy and the Victorian Institute of Sport. He now works as a Sports & Performance Consultant.Beginning with Pete’s recent Peace of Mind retreat with Brahma Kumaris, the conversation moves through soul consciousness, rest and recovery, Danah Zohar and Ian Marshall “dreaming each other’s dreams”, different cultural and spiritual perspectives, non-locality, breathwork, connection to land and Ralph Van Gelder singing to a spring in Mongolia.The conversation is exploratory and throughout, Pete returns to a question that has shaped his work for decades: how might people retain openness and access more of what they are capable of?What you’ll hear: • Why stillness and recovery matter for performance and human potential • Moving beyond a purely mechanical worldview • Ideas that emerge between people, not only within individuals • What different cultural and spiritual perspectives can open in our thinking • Non-locality, consciousness and Pete’s curiosity about quantum ideas • Shamanism and connection to the land • Breathwork, mindfulness and becoming more receptiveGuest links: • Peter Spence: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-spence-6021016/ • Pete’s first Natural Genius: https://youtu.be/iNLPdw0oZls Conversation mentions: • Brahma Kumaris: https://brahmakumaris.org.au • 100 Days of Peace 2026: http://www.tiny.cc/100Days2026• Calm in the City: https://www.calminthecity.org.au/• Kalvinder Shields: https://sites.google.com/site/kalvindershields/ • Pete Williams’ Natural Genius: https://youtu.be/NX2G0g4asXc • Serana Hunt-Hughes’ Natural Genius: https://youtu.be/7CeCpefExpY • Margaret Wheatley / Berkana: https://www.margaretwheatley.com/ | https://www.berkana.org/ • Margaret Wheatley: Leadership and the New Science; A Simpler Way; Finding Our Way; Turning to One Another • Danah Zohar: https://danahzohar.com • Danah Zohar: The Quantum Self; The Quantum Society; SQ: Spiritual Intelligence; The Quantum Leader; Zero Distance • David Jones: https://davidjonesdrums.com/ • Carmen Warrington: https://www.carmenwarrington.com/ • Barney Mercer - breathwork facilitator Sam mentions: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barney-mercer-495863268/ • The Art of Breathing: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58958038-the-art-of-breathing • Deeper Mindfulness: https://franticworld.com/deeper-mindfulness/ • Catherine Freeman: https://www.instagram.com/cathyfreeman/Chapters: 00:00 Welcome back and the Peace of Mind retreat 05:27 Human potential and “dreaming each other’s dreams” 12:48 Rest, recovery and moving beyond the mechanical worldview 20:23 Time, culture and different ways of knowing 29:39 Non-locality, connection and a Mongolian spring 34:06 Openness, consciousness and experiences beyond the conventional 37:46 Breathwork, mindfulness and connection to the wholeExplore further: Discover Natural Genius: https://naturalgenius.com.au Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au Other platforms: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568387 Subscribe to hear future episodes.Credits: Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Kiama and Phillip Island, 16 June, 2026. Produced at the Kiama office, 16 June - 10 September, 2026.Natural Genius Podcast https://naturalgenius.com.au
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    43 min
  • #74 Hamish Curry: Leave Room to Discover, Rethinking Education and Thinking for Yourself in the Age of AI

    #74 Hamish Curry: Leave Room to Discover, Rethinking Education and Thinking for Yourself in the Age of AI
    Sep 8 2026

    Leave enough room to notice what you didn’t plan for.

    Six months after Hamish Curry’s first Natural Genius conversation, we catch up after his nearly two months of travel through Japan and the US. The stories begin with road trips, Hamish's adult children, the all-important snacks, unexpected festivals and places discovered simply because they sounded interesting. They open into a bigger question: what happens when we leave enough space for experience and discovery?

    Hamish is General Manager at Cool.org and has spent over three decades across schools, libraries and education organisations in Australia and internationally, including the State Library of Victoria, NoTosh and the Asia Education Foundation at the University of Melbourne.

    After speaking at the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Spring Learning Summit, Hamish reflects on students pushing back on default AI use, the invisible ways AI already influences decisions, and why education needs discernment rather than simply better prompting.

    We move through “baby adults”, risk, philosophy, the arts, real-world learning, overstimulation, purpose and the value of slowing down enough to think, wonder and ask better questions. And back to one of Hamish’s enduring themes: serendipity tends to appear when we make room for it.

    What you’ll hear:
    • Why the memorable parts of travel are often the unplanned ones
    • “Baby adults”, risk and getting feedback from the world
    • University students wanting space to think before using AI
    • The invisible AI already shaping health, banking, transport and shopping
    • Why Hamish would put philosophy and the arts back into education
    • Learning through real experience rather than simply absorbing information
    • Making room in work and life for ideas, adventure and serendipity

    Guest links:
    • Hamish Curry: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamishcurry
    • Attention to Detail: https://hamishcurry.com/2026/07/03/attention-to-detail/
    • Cool.org: https://cool.org/
    • Hamish’s first Natural Genius episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfNMrg6aMfg

    Conversation mentions:
    • Harvard Graduate School of Education / Next Level Lab Learning Summit: https://nextlevellab.gse.harvard.edu/homepage/spring-convening/
    • Liz Bull: https://www.instagram.com/lizzycphoto
    • Mark Lobo: https://www.marklobo.com.au/
    • Sam Neill’s chickens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2I2_GBawWI

    Chapters:
    04:30 Japan, adult children and leaving room for serendipity
    10:22 “Baby adults”, risk and learning from the world
    19:49 Harvard and changing approaches to learning
    24:03 Students pushing back on AI and its invisible influence
    28:37 Philosophy, the arts and asking better questions
    33:15 Slowing education down and learning through experience
    36:04 Making space for wider thinking, random walks and adventure

    Explore further:
    Discover Natural Genius: https://naturalgenius.com.au
    Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au
    Other platforms: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568387
    Subscribe to hear future episodes.

    Credits:
    Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Kiama and Box Hill, 17 July, 2026.
    Produced at the Kiama office, 17 July - 8 September, 2026.

    Natural Genius Podcast https://naturalgenius.com.au
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    39 min
  • #73 Tina Köstler: Women’s Pleasure, Menstruation and the Collective Feminine

    #73 Tina Köstler: Women’s Pleasure, Menstruation and the Collective Feminine
    Sep 5 2026

    In this second Natural Genius conversation, Sam Bell and Tina Köstler go deeper into women’s sexuality, menstruation, embodied consent, pleasure and women speaking openly with other women.

    Tina is an intimacy and embodiment coach, tantra facilitator and founder of TinaKoestler.com. After years in high-performance startup environments, including senior operations roles at Choco, she moved into work centred on embodiment, intimacy and the body. She now works with individual clients and women’s circles.

    The conversation begins with Tina’s years of recurring vaginal yeast infections and what changed when she started paying closer attention to her body. From there, we move through menstruation, rites of passage, The Red Tent, embodied yeses and nos, self-pleasure, relationships, women at work and the collective feminine.

    We finish somewhere unexpected: if AI takes on more cognitive work, could humans create more room for creativity, connection and being?

    Content note:
    This episode contains adult discussion of sexuality, menstruation, vaginal health, penetration, self-pleasure, polyamory and personal psychedelic experience. Tina shares personal experience and tantra/embodiment perspectives. Some perspectives discussed are experiential and are not presented as established medical claims. This episode is for general information only and is not medical or sexual-health advice. Please seek appropriately qualified professional advice for health concerns. Laws relating to psychedelics vary by location.

    What you’ll hear:
    • Recurring yeast infections and listening more closely to the body
    • Menstruation, rites of passage, The Red Tent and women gathering with women
    • Embodied yeses and nos, boundaries, pleasure and moving beyond performance
    • Polyamory, relationships and Tina’s changing understanding of her desires
    • Periods, clothing, safety and feminine expression at work
    • Moving from startup operations into client work and women’s circles
    • AI, productivity and more room for creativity and being

    Guest links:
    • Tina Köstler: https://tinakoestler.com
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-k%C3%B6stler-8a025880/
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tina.koestler
    • Tina’s first Natural Genius conversation: https://youtu.be/l66cgSLnzVU

    Conversation mentions:
    • The Red Tent by Anita Diamant: https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/anita-diamant/the-red-tent/9781529086348
    • David Stancel’s Natural Genius: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yPy6_tYHYY

    Chapters:
    00:00 Feminine eros, pleasure and embodied yes/no
    05:01 Yeast infections and listening to the body
    09:04 The Red Tent, women’s circles and the collective feminine
    12:27 Menstruation, rites of passage, womb, voice and intuition
    18:24 Pleasure, boundaries and moving beyond performance
    22:34 Sexuality, polyamory and learning through the body
    34:17 Menstruation at work, feminine expression and safety
    42:16 AI, productivity and more space for creativity and being

    Explore further:
    Discover Natural Genius: https://naturalgenius.com.au
    Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au
    Other platforms: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568387
    Subscribe to hear future episodes.

    Credits:
    Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Kiama and Bratislava, Slovakia, 21 May, 2026.
    Produced at the Kiama office, 21 May - 5 September, 2026.
    Natural Genius Podcast https://naturalgenius.com.au
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    47 min
  • #72 Julie Jungalwala: Beyond the Certainty Trap: The Courage to Do the Work That Is Yours to Do

    #72 Julie Jungalwala: Beyond the Certainty Trap: The Courage to Do the Work That Is Yours to Do
    Sep 3 2026
    Sometimes the clearest signal is short.Julie Jungalwala describes intuition as a quiet, non-insistent invitation. She describes today’s technological environment as “compression”, making space to hear your own signal a more deliberate practice.Julie is a Harvard instructor in Professional & Executive Development, author, workshop leader and executive coach. Through Human Possibility and the Terrain of Transition™, she helps people navigate change and move towards work that feels genuinely theirs. She is writing her second book, The Work You Were Made For: How to find it, do it, and live it, publishing in 2027.Her favourite coaching question is simple: “What do you want?” Julie says around 80% of people pause. Asking from first principles can feel both exhilarating and terrifying.The conversation moves through self-location, seasons of transition, intuition and the appeal of certainty, then into a practical way forward: follow curiosity, run “safe-to-fail experiments” and make choices. Small moves let us learn without demanding the whole answer first.Julie’s career moved from developing individual skills into systems thinking after realising “the environment wins every time”, then back towards the individual after watching people come alive doing work uniquely theirs. Her question now: what is my work to do amid this?What you’ll hear• “What do you want?” and asking from first principles• The Terrain of Transition™ and locating yourself in change• Northern Ireland, roots, safety and privilege• Intuition, technological “compression” and Julie’s three-to-five-word signal• Going slow to go fast and trusting your own internal system• Safe-to-fail experiments, curiosity and embodied choice• Systems thinking and work that brings people aliveGuest links• Julie Jungalwala: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliejungalwala/ • Human Possibility: https://www.humanpossibility.com/ • The Knowledge Era Is Ending. Here’s What’s Replacing It [Julie's post that re-connected Sam and Julie]: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/knowledge-era-ending-heres-whats-replacing-julie-jungalwala-ed-m--rkg9e/ • Institute for the Future of Learning: https://www.the-ifl.org/ • The Human Side of Changing Education: https://www.the-ifl.org/book • Terrain of Transition™ Reflection Tool: https://tot.humanpossibility.com/Conversation mentions• Clare and David Hieatt and The DO Lectures: https://thedolectures.com/info/ • Naomi Dyer-Jones: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-dyer/ • Hamish Curry’s Natural Genius: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfNMrg6aMfg • Raj / Series A Photography: https://www.seriesaphotography.com/about/ • Sara Walshe: https://www.upswellcoaching.com/sara • Maggie Doyne’s Natural Genius: https://youtu.be/k-CVbUT1O7E • Tim Ferriss: https://tim.blog/ • Annie Parker’s Natural Genius: https://youtu.be/mGH_mAgcZfc • Serana Hunt-Hughes’s Natural Genius: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CeCpefExpY • SXSW EDU: https://sxswedu.com/Chapters00:13 Reconnecting through The DO Lectures and Julie’s work07:29 “What do you want?” and the developmental edge10:19 Terrain of Transition™ and seasons of change11:42 Northern Ireland, roots, safety and privilege17:33 Intuition, compression and “woo in a suit”21:31 Go slow to go fast, certainty and your own internal system27:17 The work in your heart, safe-to-fail experiments and systems changeExplore furtherDiscover Natural Genius: https://naturalgenius.com.au Learn more about Sam Bell: https://samanthabell.com.au Other platforms: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568387Subscribe to hear future episodes.CreditsHosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Kiama and the Boston area, 18 August 2026Produced at the Kiama office, 18 August - 3 September 2026Natural Genius Podcast https://naturalgenius.com.au
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    43 min
  • #71 Tanner Gesek: What Comes After Freedom? Community, Depth and the Stories We Choose

    #71 Tanner Gesek: What Comes After Freedom? Community, Depth and the Stories We Choose
    Sep 1 2026
    What comes after a life designed for freedom?Tanner Gesek builds across startups, venture investing, writing and music. He is founder of Copilot, Venture Partner at WAGMI Ventures, and a pianist and composer whose music has passed 750,000 streams.In this conversation, Tanner and Sam explore a question sparked by David Brooks’ The Second Mountain. A long-held script shaped by The 4-Hour Workweek centred independence, flexibility, travel and adventure. Tanner is now asking what other stories are available, and what becomes possible when freedom also includes chosen commitments, community and depth.The question becomes tangible in a small weekly commitment. Tanner spends an hour most Saturdays improvising piano at a memory-care home, an experience with what he jokingly calls an “outsized meaning ROI”. The conversation follows that thread into friendship, the Network School “slipstream”, welcoming people wholeheartedly, composition, and choosing greater depth in work.What you'll hear:The Second Mountain, The 4-Hour Workweek and questioning the “total freedom” script Chosen commitments, community and another way of thinking about freedom Piano in memory care, Frank, impermanence and “outsized meaning ROI” Network School, friendship and the energy of growing together Courage, receiving other people’s courage and meeting people wholeheartedly Returning to music, three albums and 750,000+ streams Copilot and why niching can be an emotional as well as intellectual problem Guest links:• Tanner Gesek: https://tannergesek.com • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tannergesek/ • X: https://x.com/Tanner_Gesek • Music: https://tannerchristiangesek.com • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6X6UFv4MBpNgNmgzl7LggC?si=Ch47_3XmRri8X8sgVukx_g • Writing: https://tannergesek.substack.com • Copilot: https://thecopilotagency.co • WAGMI Ventures: https://wagmiventures.ioConversation mentions:• The Second Mountain by David Brooks: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/217649/the-second-mountain-by-david-brooks • The 4-Hour Workweek: https://fourhourworkweek.com • Presley Gonzales: https://www.linkedin.com/in/presleyjgonzales/ • Blossom Street Ventures: https://www.blossomstreetventures.com/ • Midjourney: https://www.midjourney.com/updates • Yiruma: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0fauHpmSHwodVYIjTqOGHz?si=d4QCkc9rQbeJGRdtlTUGAg • Lucas Maddy’s Natural Genius: https://youtu.be/AMbqTaou6Wk • Network School: https://ns.com/samanthaleebell/invite • The Win Without Pitching Manifesto: https://www.winwithoutpitching.com/books/the-win-without-pitching-manifesto/Chapters:00:48 What comes after freedom? The Second Mountain06:42 Piano, memory care and impermanence11:05 Network School, ambition and the slipstream15:08 Friendship, depth and real relationships17:14 Courage, Presley and welcoming people wholeheartedly20:21 Returning to music and higher standards30:18 Growth, Copilot and the emotional challenge of nichingExplore further:Discover Natural Genius: https://naturalgenius.com.au Learn more about Sam Bell: https://samanthabell.com.au Subscribe to hear future episodes.Credits:Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Kiama and Dallas, Texas, 17 July 2026Produced at the Kiama office, 17 July - 1 September 2026Natural Genius Podcast https://naturalgenius.com.au
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    37 min