Next Level Human

Send us Fan MailNiyc Pidgeon believes, all the way down, that she is always going to be okay. That belief carried her through more than most people will ever name out loud. It also got her comfortable holding more pain than she needed to, for longer than she needed to. She calls that her survival story, and it is the one she says she is ready to put down.We spend the first half on something I have never heard anyone explain this cleanly. When life hits and you still have twenty people waiting on a Zoom call, what are you actually doing when you put the game face on? Niyc names it as dissociation and does not apologize for it. Her point is that dissociation is not the failure. Not going back is the failure. She schedules the return trip. Music, usually, at the end of the day, to get out of strategy and back into her body.I put a generalization to her and she pushed on it. Men tend to regulate so well they slide into suppression. Women are more often described as flooding. Niyc does a third thing, which is regulate on purpose and then return on purpose. She added the part I had missed, which is that this depends on capacity, and there have been long stretches where she did not have it.Niyc has a masters in positive psychology, wrote Now Is Your Chance, built the Positive Psychology Coach Academy, made a course with Tony Robbins, and has done policy work on suicide prevention. She is also in the same PhD program I am in, studying integral and transpersonal psychology. Her research question is what commonly stops people and what it actually takes to become unstoppable, with a focus on the trauma people carry behind a business nobody sees the back of.She talks about her mother's nervous breakdown when Niyc was five, and what it does to a kid who learns she has to fight to be loved. Everyone said she would be all right. She was. That is exactly the problem she is unpicking now.Then the second half turns, and we get into the part she is genuinely great at. Surrender, the dark night of the soul, why she loosened her grip on a life she was obsessed with, and the difference between being it and faking it.A note before you listen. Niyc speaks openly about a suicide attempt as a child, about losing twelve friends before they turned thirty, and about suicidal ideation returning during hard seasons. She is careful and clear about all of it. If that is a difficult subject for you right now, please take care of yourself. Resources are at the bottom.IN THIS EPISODE0:00Welcome And Why Nick Stands Out7:35Trauma History And The Unstoppable Question13:30Dissociation Versus Healthy Resilience20:05Making Space To Feel Again26:00PTSD Capacity Limits And Honest Mirrors32:05The Stories That Drive Survival37:45Strengths With Shadows And Radical Honesty44:30Surrender Dark Night And Changing Environment51:35Compounding Habits And Audacious Goals58:30Reading Alignment Intuition And Opportunities1:02:35Where To Find Nick And ClosingFIND NIYC PIDGEONInstagram is where she actually hangs out: @niycpidgeonWebsite: niycpidgeon.comBook: Now Is Your ChanceCertification: Positive Psychology Coach AcademyFIND METake the free quiz that names the pattern running your life: https://quiz.humanuniversity.comJoin a free Wednesday room at 3:30pm ET: https://nextlevelhuman.com/human-conversationsRead the newsletter: https://substack.nextlevelhuman.comIf you are struggling, you can reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the US by calling or texting 988. In the UK, Samaritans is free on 116 123. Nothing in this episode is medical advice or a substitute for care. Connect with Next Level HumanWebsite: [email protected] with Dr. Jade TetaWebsite: www.jadeteta.comInstagram: @jadeteta

Send us Fan MailDr. Chloe West is a neuroscientist who studies psychedelics. She explains being stuck like this: your brain guesses at the world and hands you the guess as if it were the world. When that guess gets rigid enough, no new evidence can get in and change it.Your brain runs a prediction of reality and checks it against what comes in through your senses. Most of the time, what you experience is the prediction. Chloe walks through what happens when a prediction about yourself gets so locked down that nothing can touch it. That, in this model, is depression. It is also why you can read every book, do every protocol, and still not move.Chloe grew up evangelical in the South and was taught she had to pick between science and religion. She went and got a PhD in neuroscience. When it came time to choose a dissertation, she chose psychedelics. She is early in her career, and the direction she wants to take her research is belief, particularly what happens to your beliefs about yourself. She also calls herself "a hard materialist most of the time," and says her skepticism comes and goes. That made the middle of this conversation a lot of fun.We get into what the default mode network actually is, why your sense of self comes apart at higher doses, and why the further that dissolution goes the better the outcome tends to be. Then I asked her the thing I could not work out on my own. If the brain is getting MORE disorganized under a psychedelic, why do people come back describing the most vivid and connected experience of their lives? You would predict the opposite. That question is where the whole filter debate lives, and neither of us pretended to have it settled.Then we told each other stories we cannot explain. Mine involved my grandmother, my sister, and a phone call. Hers involved a dream she asked for and did not get.If you have done the healing work and still feel stuck in the same loop, the mechanism in this episode is the one to understand.IN THIS EPISODE:0:00Welcome And Guest Introduction4:00Chloe’s Path From Faith To Science9:10Defining Psychedelics And Classic Compounds10:55Default Mode Network And Ego Death17:30Filtered Perception And The DMT Realm27:35Dreams Synchronicity And Meaning35:30Where Psychedelics Show Real Benefits38:20Predictive Processing And Belief Revision49:20Dosing Set Setting And Microdosing57:15Safety Religious Trauma And What’s NextFIND DR. CHLOE WESTSubstack: Born Again AgainYouTube: @DrChloeWestInstagram: @dr.chloewestFIND METake the free quiz that names the pattern running your life: https://quiz.humanuniversity.comJoin a free Wednesday room at 3:30pm ET: https://nextlevelhuman.com/human-conversationsRead the newsletter: https://substack.nextlevelhuman.com Connect with Next Level HumanWebsite: [email protected] with Dr. Jade TetaWebsite: www.jadeteta.comInstagram: @jadeteta

Send us Fan MailMoney is the one job that scares and confuses me most — so I brought in the person I go to when I need to understand it: my friend Brandon Belk.A few years ago, right as my business collapsed and I was starting over at 50, I gave Brandon $6K and forgot about it. Two years later it had become $60K. This episode is me dragging his thinking into the open so you can listen in on the conversation we keep having off-air.In this conversation, we get into:Why fear might be a compass pointing toward opportunity rather than away from itWhy Brandon invests in infrastructure and scarcity instead of the shiny objects everyone argues aboutWhat XRP and XLM are actually doing underneath the noiseDecentralization as a multi-century meta-trend — in knowledge, power, and moneyThe K-shaped economy and the "mud" that keeps so many of us stuckWhy he believes the next two years are the windowBrandon is on Substack @brandonbelk you can also find him at growinnerouter.com.This is a conversation between two friends, not investment advice.Chapters:0:00Welcome And The Four Jobs6:41Business Collapse And The 10x Wake-Up10:05Why The Fourth Industrial Shift Matters14:59Betting On The Infrastructure Layer20:11Scarcity Trades Energy Metals Commodities28:52Reading On-Chain Data And Adoption Signals36:56XRP And XLM Explained Simply45:48Do Banks Die Or Adapt52:57Inflation And The K-Shaped Economy1:01:24The Next Two Years And 20281:09:13A Practical Contrarian Playbook1:13:29How To Reach Brandon Connect with Next Level HumanWebsite: [email protected] with Dr. Jade TetaWebsite: www.jadeteta.comInstagram: @jadeteta

Send us Fan MailUnlock the transformative power of plant medicine and deep psychological insight with Dr. Jeff McNairy, a pioneer in psychedelic-assisted healing. Discover how ayahuasca and other psychedelics are not just tools for addiction recovery or trauma release but keys to profound self-awareness, expanded consciousness, and emotional resilience. Jeff’s incredible journey from UCLA researcher to Costa Rica retreat founder reveals how these natural medicines can unravel subconscious blocks, rewire the brain, and catalyze lasting personal growth.You’ll learn:The science behind how psychedelics alter brain networks, specifically the default mode network, to foster openness and connectedness.The vital role intention, set, and setting play in shaping healing experiences—why environment is everything. How plant medicines help dissociate ego-tethered patterns and facilitate emotional release, leading to clarity and inner peace.The difference between trauma and ongoing emotional drama—and how psychedelics can accelerate breakthroughs in both realms.The importance of integrating insights post-journey to turn breakthrough into sustained transformation. For spiritual seekers, mental health practitioners, and curious skeptics alike, this episode offers a compelling look at the intersection of science, spirituality, and healing innovation. Jeff shares both his personal awakening and the powerful protocols that make Rhythmia one of the world’s most advanced and compassionate retreat centers.In a world starved for genuine connection and emotional mastery, Jeff’s insights provide a blueprint to navigate the subconscious mud—those misguided, unresolved stories that keep us stuck. Whether you’re contemplating your first psychedelic experience or deepening your journey, this conversation can help you approach these medicines with clarity, respect, and intention—unlocking not just new insights but a higher way of being.Tune in for a conversation that will challenge your perceptions, deepen your understanding, and inspire you to take your next step toward emotional freedom. Because when we heal ourselves, we change the world—one purpose, one insight, one awakening at a time.Perfect for: seekers, healers, skeptics, high performers, and anyone curious about the future of personal transformation through sacred plant medicines.Chapters:0:00Welcome And Why Jeff Matters4:16From UCLA To Building Rhythmia12:10How Psychedelics Shift The Ego19:39Trauma Storage And Emotional Release24:42Intention Setting And Inherited Patterns30:22Set And Setting Inside Rhythmia35:24Spiritual Insight And The Pink Cloud45:27Empaths Boundaries And Energy Hygiene49:41Final Takeaways And Farewell Connect with Next Level HumanWebsite: [email protected] with Dr. Jade TetaWebsite: www.jadeteta.comInstagram: @jadeteta