PODCAST · health
Alchemy For Life
by Author Mark Bradford
Welcome to the Time, Energy, and Resources Coaching and Podcast! Our coaching style and podcast are all about helping you make the most of your time, energy, and resources so you can achieve your goals and live a more fulfilling life. Whether you’re looking to improve your productivity, reduce stress, or simply make better use of your time, we have the tools and strategies you need to get started. Join us on this journey and discover how to take control of your time, energy, and resources and unlock your full potential.
Episodes
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Gaslighting and the Toxic Group Organism
The Blind Spot to Blind Spots: Why your Mind Seeks Comfort Over Truth Well, hey there. Welcome back. You know, every article I’ve written, and I have over 3 million views on my articles on Quora, every non-fiction book I’ve written, and every one of these 350-plus podcast episodes, they were all...
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How are you?
Why We Hide Our Real Feelings When Asked “How Are You?” Well, hey there. Welcome back. How are you? No, I mean it. How are you doing? Are you okay? Are you good? Are you fine? Are you going through something? Odds are that right now you’re not really registering that someone is genuinely curious…
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Don’t Overthink This
Make the decision! Well, hey there. Welcome back. I’ve been thinking a lot about, well, overthinking. As someone who’s a self-professed overthinker, I also notice that I’m typically not accused of it by others. Do you think you overthink? Do you overthink a lot? Is it just sometimes? Is it only…
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Your brain is spooky (that pile of clothes is not a dog)
Understanding Predatory Bias, Evolutionary Survival Instincts and Cones & Rods (also pareidolia and apophenia) Well, hey there. Welcome back. Have you ever—oh, wait, what is… Oh, sorry. I was confused there. I thought the pile of clothing on the floor was a dog. Has that ever happened to you?…
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Trapping a Moment in Time
Trapping a moment of reality in time. Well, hey there. Welcome back. As someone who’s recorded over 300 of these episodes, I’ve become aware of something. And it might surprise you to know that I’ve listened to these, each one of them, probably at least twice. And no, it’s not because of some...
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Why Being Undecided Feels So Exciting
What It Really Means to Be on the Fence Well, hey there. Welcome back. You know, at one point, you might have been on the fence about whether you’re going to listen to this episode or stick with the podcast or subscribe to it. There may be hundreds of things you’ve been on the fence about in your...
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Why “Consistent” Triggers Defensiveness
Why the Word “Consistent” Triggers Defensiveness Well, hey there. Welcome back. Boy, you sure are consistent! Well, I just jump right into that, don’t I? Let’s talk about that. Let’s talk about being consistent and consistency, because that’s one of those words you hear and you’re like… what?…
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What Most People Get Wrong About Dopamine
What Most People Get Wrong About Dopamine But you’d be wrong. Well, hey there. Welcome back. I hope you brought a considerable amount of dopamine, because you’re going to need it. You hear that word a lot, don’t you? And when you hear dopamine, you think of reward, right? You think, “Oh, I got a...
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I would have written a shorter letter, but I didn’t have the time.
in 1656 Blaise Pascal wrote in a long letter at the very end (in French) “I have made this longer only because I did not have the time to make it shorter.” His point was that it takes effort to make something shorter. This is the effort that I have used to make my podcast episodes only about 10...
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Mapping Without Intent
Can you truly never go without intent? How important is intent in your everyday actions?
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Planners vs. Doers: Discovering Your Productivity Personality
Well, hey there. Welcome back. It takes a lot to keep coming back like this. And that’s actually what we’re going to talk about today. So, let me ask you this to hook you in the beginning. So, is there something that you do that you are kind of keeping tally on? Like it’s been X amount of days…
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The absence of something, anything, and everything is not nothing
A poetic episode.
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Theft by Proxy – Stealing in the Age of AI
Introduction: The Line Between Learning and Stealing Well, hey there. Welcome back. And I really mean that. I’m really glad you’re here. I’m really glad that you enjoy my vast library of information. In fact, I want you to do whatever you want with it. If you can accomplish something or…
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Willpower is a Finite Battery
Introduction: Do I Have the Will to Go On? Do I even have the will to go on with this episode? Well, hey there, welcome back. Do I even have the will to go on with this episode? Um, I do, but I also have something better. The Willpower Battery: Why “Raw Dogging” Change Fails Let’s talk about…
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It’s OK to be Curious.
The Stigma of Adult Curiosity You know it’s okay to be curious. You don’t need me to tell you that… or or or do you? Let’s think about this and we’re jumping right in. Let’s talk about curiosity and what it means to you. There have probably been a number of times in your life in which you either...
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Music, pattern matching, and good storytelling.
Well, hey there. Welcome back. Do you like music? The Hidden Magic of Good Music It’s a silly question because everyone likes some form of music and sometimes when someone asks you, “What’s your favorite kind of music?” sometimes that’s really hard to answer. I recently went down yet another…
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Timing it Makes it Valuable.
Oh crap. I have to take care of this. Well, hey there. Welcome back. How Time Dictates Perceived Value This podcast episode is about 10 minutes long. If it was about 30 minutes long, would you find it to be more valuable or less valuable? And do you ask me then? Well, Mark, it depends what’s…
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Learn to Prompt Both AI and Humans
If you are interested in working with AI (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, etc.), in human psychology, or both, you might enjoy this episode. If you ask yourself, “What is prompting” or “What is a super prompt” you’ll also enjoy this. Transcript: The Ubiquity of AI in Business So, what prompted you to...
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What an Anti-Vision Board Can Teach You
What is a vision board? What is an anti-vision board? Transcript Well, hey there. Welcome back. What’s your vision? The Traditional Vision Board So, here’s a question. Have you ever used a vision board? A vision board is typically a physical place, almost like a bulletin board. It’s usually...
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What behavioral mapping reveals about Elon Musk
Disclaimer: this episode is based on my proprietary behavior mapping system. This system is used in conjunction with a discovery conversation I have with an individual. In the case of mapping public figures this is purely an independent analysis and opinion based on publicly available research.…
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The Dark Side of Repetition & What’s Really Causing Your Pain
Well, hey there. Welcome back. Let’s talk about the dark side of things. I don’t mean the dark side of everything, even though that sounds kind of exciting, doesn’t it? Okay, let’s rewind. The Psychology of Motivation: Monsters and Unicorns My recent book because talks about fundamental building...
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Conflict resolution in just three words
Tell me the problem in three words. Well, hey there. Welcome back. The “Favorite Three” Listening Game Today I want to talk to you about something that was a communication tool and kind of a game. And it all centers around the number three. When my kids were younger, I used to play a game with…
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Why your resolutions failed and how to fix that.
If your resolutions failed this is why, and this is how you can have success in 2026. The New Year’s Resolution Check-In It’s February 1st. How did you do on your New Year’s resolutions? I know. I know. Here we go. But it’s not something I’m ever going to stop talking about. and we’ve had at…
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Taking the “fun” out of “funnel.”
The Discomfort of the Sales Funnel Have I said how funnels feel icky to me? Well, hey there. Welcome back. Do you like funnels? I don’t mean like for refilling your oil or delicious funnel cakes. I mean, well, let’s let’s talk about this. So, as many of you know, there’s a concept called the…
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The Last Episode
Transcript of episode: Well, hey there. Welcome back. Why We Remember Firsts But Miss the Lasts There’s a lot of talk about the first time you do something. You remember your first time at something. But the reverse isn’t exactly true because it takes a bit of time to realize it truly was the…
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Limitations
You do less, but you get more. Well, hey there. Welcome back. Do you have any limitations? Oh, yes, of course you do. Let’s talk about them. And I think your first reaction is, “Well, here we go. We’re going to explore how I’m not good enough at something or how I don’t even do a thing.” Nope,...
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Top 10 things you can do NOW to be successful in 2026
Getting unstuck Before you can move forward, you have to get unstuck a bit. Part of being stuck is worrying. Some people are really really good at it. Oh I’m sorry I’m raising my hand. Check out the how can I stop worrying episode. Sometimes life can get you really stuck. Circumstances can be…
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How Can I Stop Worrying?
There’s such a stigma that we can’t even talk about it. Well, hey there. Welcome back. The Stigma of Private Worry What are you worried about? No, really. What are you worried about? Maybe you say nothing. Maybe you say, “Oh, the usual, you know, the things everyone worries about.” We deal with...
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What is Friction and When is it a Good Thing?
Well, hey there. Welcome back. Redefining Friction: Physics vs. Process What does friction mean to you? For most of my life, friction has just simply described a physics concept in which something rubs against something else in some way, causing a slowdown and causing heat. But now, and now is...
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The beginner mindset makes you a better teacher
The beginner mindset makes you a better teacher—and it’s fun too! Well, hey there. Welcome back… to everyone who is an old pro at this podcast and those who are just beginners because at some point you are a beginner and we tend to forget that don’t we? In fact, there’s a phenomenon I would like…
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Surface Dwellers and the Pursuit of Knowledge
It sounds like I’m talking about the surface dwellers and we’re all the people who live underground. Well, hey there. Welcome back. The Discomfort of Partial Knowledge You may have figured out by now that I like to know things and I like to learn things. And I’ve probably figured out by now that...
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I think I found the perfect question
Transcript I think I found the perfect question. Well, hey there. Welcome back. The Perfect Question I think I found the perfect question. No, really. I found a question I can ask almost anyone. It will elicit a genuine, honest, thoughtful response. It’s a useful subject. It’s something that they...
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Joseph Mallozzi – Executive Producer Stargate franchise, Dark Matter
A fan As a longtime fan of Stargate SG1 and Stargate Universe I’d come to really appreciate so many elements of the storytelling that were done—the continuity, the characters, the character interaction, the dialogue, the growth, the well-done sets, the subtle and non-jarring humor, and more. As...
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Why selfish productivity may be the best productivity
Have you ever noticed that when there’s something you really, really love and really speaks to you that when you look at the backstory for it, the person that created it said that they “selfishly” just made it for them? Here’s why selfishness, like the comfort zone, gets a bad rap it doesn’t…
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The invisible Barrier
The invisible barrier you must cross to switch modes and why it fools you into thinking it would take too much effort to complete a task. Transcript Revisiting Multitasking and the Energy of Switching Tasks Do you multitask? Wait, we we already covered this. In a previous episode, we talked about...
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Learning styles and learning right in front of someone
What’s your learning style? Do you know what your learning style is? Did you know you have one? For a long time I have known about the diferent ways humans learn. People not only have aptitudes (someone is good with mechanical stuff, or math, etc.) but also differ in the way they learn. Same...
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What’s Apathy? Who cares.
Transcript What is Apathy? The Answer Might Surprise You Well, hey there. Welcome back. What’s this episode about? Who cares? So, many years ago, I was with a few of my friends and one of my friends said, “What’s apathy?” And my other friend said, “Who cares?” And it took a little while to…
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The Availability Gap: Why Your Energy Matters More Than Your Time
Are You Truly Available? The Critical Difference Between Time and Energy I’m going to ask you a simple question: Are you available right now? Of course, you’re listening to this, so your immediate answer is “yes.” But are you? For years, I’ve talked about the constant negotiation between our…
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A fast “no” is always better than a time-wasting “yes.”
The CEO Mindset: Why a Fast Decision Beats a Slow Promise In the world of productivity and time management, we’re often told to optimize our calendars and to-do lists. But what if the single most effective habit of top performers isn’t about complex systems, but about one simple principle? A fast...
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Mindfulness from Bhutan – my chat with a monk named Jamyang.
I find it quite illuminating to speak with people from all over the world. The power of our technology and interconnected world is that it allows me to have conversations I could never have. I had the pleasure of chatting with Jamyang in this week’s podcast. Jamyang Loden Jamyang Loden is a monk...
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The unnerving power of no
We deal with decisions every day. Many of the episodes deal with the decision process on both a grand and low level. Three Voices deals with how we communicate these decisions, work through them, talk to both ourselves and others about them. Going with your gut—the universal advice–is telling you...
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When the Devil Sounds Like a Unicorn
The Enduring Metaphor of Angels and Devils The metaphorical representation of a devil and an angel on a person’s shoulders dates back to the 16th century1. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, this concept was prominently featured in plays and allegorical art. By the early 1900s, it had found...
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Waking up to a Monster. Are you in Survival Mode?
A primer on the book BeCAUSE! For those that have yet to read my new book because. Here’s a quick primer. One day, I asked myself a question. If you could have anything you wanted, wouldn’t you? We already know how to do most things and if we don’t, we can Google them or talk to others about it.…
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A Dire Warning: the MIT study and ChatGPT
I’ve done two podcast episodes on large language models. I recently spun up and installed a large language model locally on my computer and built a project around it. I’m an avid user of echoes from Amazon. I have had Grammarly kick in to spellcheck for me. I tell my phone to add an appointment…
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What episodes are notable in 2025 so far?
Helpful episodes Every year I create a list of the top, most useful and helpful episodes of the previous year. This year because there has been a lot of interaction on current episodes. I’ve decided to do a midyear pause and reflect if you will. Here are the top episodes in 2025 so far Manuel...
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Hypnosis and speaking to your manager.
Speaking to the manager I want to speak to the manager. Rather, I want to speak to your manager. What do you think of when I say that? Do you think of the structure of your current employer? Do you make a joke that it’s your cat? Is there a spouse joke in there for you? Or are you immediately...
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Good or Evil?
A philosophical question for you. Don’t forget you can pause the episode to consider the question(s) as you move forward. How would you answer? Alchemy for Life™ podcast explores themes of experimental psychology, relationships, cognitive science, human behavior, mental models, consciousness, and...
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Non-Local Consciousness
Let’s talk about non-local consciousness, who you’re really talking to when you’re on the phone, what happens to me and possibly you when something is put on the back burner, and wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers in the United States, Brazil, Germany, India, China and Japan. Alchemy…
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Meaningful Exhaustion and the energy transfer
Getting energy and giving energy One of the things I’ve said from the very beginning is that a thing can give one person energy and take energy from another. in other words, one person’s activity that energizes them could also really be draining for another. But that giving of energy is also…
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Question Mark – Oh how the tables have turned
The normal format for this show is to introduce you to something and raise your perception. Then we discuss it and you typically leave with homework. This time you are giving me homework. Let’s talk about the importance of feedback and how each and every one of us has a struggle. What’s yours?
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Welcome to the Time, Energy, and Resources Coaching and Podcast! Our coaching style and podcast are all about helping you make the most of your time, energy, and resources so you can achieve your goals and live a more fulfilling life. Whether you’re looking to improve your productivity, reduce stress, or simply make better use of your time, we have the tools and strategies you need to get started. Join us on this journey and discover how to take control of your time, energy, and resources and unlock your full potential.
HOSTED BY
Author Mark Bradford
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Alchemy For Life have?
Alchemy For Life currently has 250 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Alchemy For Life about?
Welcome to the Time, Energy, and Resources Coaching and Podcast! Our coaching style and podcast are all about helping you make the most of your time, energy, and resources so you can achieve your goals and live a more fulfilling life. Whether you’re looking to improve your productivity, reduce...
How often does Alchemy For Life release new episodes?
Alchemy For Life publishes regularly with 250 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Alchemy For Life?
You can listen to Alchemy For Life on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Alchemy For Life?
Alchemy For Life is created and hosted by Author Mark Bradford.
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