Know Thyself

Shi Heng Yi joins me to explore the path of self-mastery through the lens of the Shaolin tradition, and why, despite having more comfort and convenience than ever before, so many people still feel a deep sense of inner lack. We unpack the idea that external success, wealth, and achievement cannot replace a missing sense of inner stability, and how the constant search outside of ourselves often leads us further away from what we are truly looking for.

In this conversation, we explore the relationship between mind, body, and energy, and why true mastery begins with learning how to regulate and understand oneself rather than trying to control the external world. Shi Heng Yi shares how thoughts shape reality, why discipline and consistency are essential for growth, and what it means to become “transparent” by letting go of identity and the need to be someone. This episode is an invitation to shift from reacting to life toward consciously creating it from within.

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André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

___________
0:00 Intro
1:11 The Root of Suffering: Becoming Someone
1:50 Why Comfort Doesn’t Create Peace
4:56 The Inner Void Beneath External Success
9:16 The Path of Self-Mastery
16:04 Mastering the Mind, Not the World
21:07 Where Attention Goes, Energy Flows
27:21 Ad: OneSkin
28:43 The Essence of the Shaolin Spirit
36:29 Living with Intention and Integrity
44:14 Service Beyond the Self
46:34 The Freedom of Being No One
57:14 Ad: Mud/Wtr
58:56 Trust, Discipline, and the Inner Path
1:05:24 Strength Without Suppression
1:10:20 The Middle Way of Emotion
1:13:11 Structure as the Gateway to Freedom
1:19:00 Returning to the Body
1:35:36 The Body as a Tool for Awareness
1:42:32 Breath as the Bridge to Presence
1:46:38 Seeing Clearly: The End of Suffering
1:54:31 From Endless Seeking to Direct Experience
1:59:27 The Mind’s Five Obstacles
2:08:07 Turning Awareness Inward
2:11:20 Beyond the Illusion of Separation
2:14:25 Nothing to Gain, Nothing to Lose
2:15:30 Closing Thoughts
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Episode Resources:
https://www.shihengyi.online/
https://www.instagram.com/shihengyi.online

https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/
https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/
https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast
https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com

Dr. Nicole LePera joins me to explore how our childhood experiences shape the nervous system, emotional patterns, and identities we carry into adulthood. We unpack how many of the reactions, habits, and relationship dynamics that feel automatic today were once adaptations we developed to maintain connection and safety early in life. Nicole explains how emotional attunement in childhood forms the internal “home base” we return to, often recreating familiar patterns even when they no longer serve us.

In this conversation, we explore attachment styles, people-pleasing, parentification, and the unconscious roles we adopt in order to belong. Nicole also introduces the practice of reparenting—learning how to meet our own emotional needs through awareness, nervous system regulation, and body-based practices. This episode offers a grounded path toward understanding where our patterns come from and how we can begin to create a deeper sense of safety and home within ourselves.

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André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

___________
00:00 Intro
03:30 Unearthing What We Buried to Survive
09:12 The Childhood Roots of Our Coping Strategies
15:59 The Importance of Emotional Attunement
19:52 Understanding Attachment Styles
28:33 Ad: LMNT
30:35 From Seeking Love to Finding Home Within
34:54 Meeting Needs With Compassion
41:06 Ad: Mudwtr
42:29 The Impact of Status-Oriented Parenting
51:34 The Body as the Foundation of Healing
1:04:19 Simple Practices for Nervous System Regulation
1:12:07 Growing When Your Partner Isn't
1:26:07 Vulnerability as the Path to Connection
1:42:15 Healing the Need to Be Perfect
1:50:55 The Power of Inner Child Awareness
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Episode Resources:
https://www.instagram.com/the.holistic.psychologist
https://theholisticpsychologist.com/

https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/
https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/
https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast
https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com

Zen teacher and author Henry Shukman offers a clear and grounded introduction to the heart of Zen practice. We explore how awakening is not an escape from life, but a deeper participation in it — a realization that dissolves the illusion of separation and reveals a boundless field of awareness and love.

Henry shares his own spontaneous awakening experience at 19, the profound insight that life is not divided between self and world, and the difficult healing journey that followed. From mindfulness and meditation to flow states, jhanas, koans, and the role of trauma in spiritual growth, this conversation maps out a path that integrates awakening with emotional healing.

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André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

___________
00:00 Intro
01:26 An Introduction to Zen
13:10 The Premise of Original Love
17:14 Training the Mind Like the Body
20:54 Freedom From Identification With Thought
27:50 What Are the Jhanas?
32:50 Ad: Saily
33:54 Tasting Awakening for Yourself
45:17 Awakening vs Psychological Healing
50:17 Awakening as an Ongoing Path
54:54 The Distinct Path of Zen
59:13 Koans as a Path to Insight
1:13:53 The Enlightenment of the Mundane
1:20:07 The Freedom of Emptiness
1:26:16 The Necessity of Meditation Practice
1:34:32 Sweeping the Yard (A Zen Poem)
1:43:33 Beauty, Ethics, and Interconnection
1:47:33 The Journey to a Whole Heart (A Poem on Heartbreak)
2:02:58 Original Love in a Fragmented World
___________

Episode Resources:
https://www.instagram.com/henryshukman/
https://www.instagram.com/theway_app/

https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/
https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/
https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast
https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com

Dr. Sue Morter returns to explore what it truly means to awaken — not as a concept, but as a lived, embodied experience. Beneath our protective personality and performance-driven identity lies a deeper intelligence — an electromagnetic master system that governs healing, perception, and consciousness itself.

In this conversation, we explore how nervous system regulation opens the doorway to higher awareness, why triggers are invitations to reclaim lost parts of ourselves, and how building energetic circuitry transforms reactive patterns into creative power. From subtle anatomy and the Shoshumna channel to the relationship between consciousness and matter, this episode bridges science and spirituality in a grounded, practical way.

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Know Thyself Community Event Waitlist: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/live

André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

___________
00:00 Intro
5:48 The Illusion of Inherent Brokenness
11:37 The Fuel Behind Achievement
17:21 The Protective Personality
31:21 Ad: LMNT
32:46 The Return to Second Innocence
47:04 Ad: BON CHARGE
48:13 Expanding the Space Between Stimulus and Response
1:04:06 The Science of Subtle Anatomy
1:29:24 The Limits of Spiritual Language
1:43:07 Embodiment of Expanded Awareness
1:49:02 Moving From Joy Instead of Lack
1:54:16 The Transformative Power of Immersive Experience
2:15:22 Surrendering Fully Into Feeling
2:25:42 A Message to the Heart of Humanity
___________

Episode Resources:
Dr. Sue Morter's book: https://nt113.isrefer.com/go/HYHYL-Book/KnowThyself/
https://www.instagram.com/drsuemorter

https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/
https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/
https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast
https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com

Listen to the show:
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4bZMq9l
Apple: https://apple.co/4iATICX

Nir Eyal joins the podcast to explore one of the most foundational forces shaping our lives: belief. What if the way you see reality isn’t reality itself, but a simulation filtered through prior assumptions, expectations, and unconscious scripts?

In this conversation, we unpack the difference between fact, faith, and belief—and why most of our suffering stems from confusing the three. Nir shares powerful research on predictive processing, placebo and nocebo effects, learned helplessness, and how our expectations literally alter what we see, feel, and experience in our bodies.

From secular prayer and gratitude practices to Byron Katie’s turnaround method, this episode is a deep dive into how to move from limiting beliefs to liberating ones. If beliefs are tools, then the real question becomes: are the ones you’re using serving you?

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André's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list

___________
00:00 Intro
01:35 The Difference Between Fact, Faith, and Belief
05:36 Illusions of Reality
07:29 The Core of Our Perception
15:52 Where to Start Enacting Change on Your Life
19:53 Beliefs as Tools, Not Truths
25:28 Ad: Nord VPN
26:32 The Cosmic Slot Machine
37:39 Spotting Your Limiting Beliefs
46:39 The Prison of Our Own Making
51:33 Why We Perceive Threats Everywhere
1:00:18 Becoming Indistractable
1:12:57 What Attention Means Today versus the Past
1:26:44 The Motivation Triangle
1:32:00 Closing Thoughts
___________

Episode Resources:
https://www.instagram.com/neyal99
https://nir.substack.com/

https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/
https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/
https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcast
https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com