PODCAST · education
Unlearning Project
by Al
We attempt to examine and breakdown our beliefs, biases, and assumptions' origins, most of which are impressed upon us by society and our upbringing. We encourage awareness of our thoughts, and embrace the question "why?" Welcome to our introspective, sometimes crast, show where we explore philosophy and different perspectives on everyday issues.Original music by Spybaby at www.spybabyband.comFor more, visit www.unlearningproject.org
Episodes
-
Whose Responsibility is it Anyway?
Where do we draw the line in terms of who's responsible for protection? Do we expect the government to protect us from everything? Life is risky, and to an extent, each person is responsible for the risks they choose to subject themselves to. This brings up the question that at what point is the...
-
Die with Zero
"Why does it have to be that so much of your energetic years are committed to earning income or saving or working? " Society has ingrained in us that we have to work 50 weeks out of the year and only get two weeks off, but when you really think about it, that puts you on a path toward spending…
more -
The Bubble
There are seasons of life in which all your energy, time, and mental space is taken up by your circumstances. The thing is, you probably don't even realize you were in a bubble until you come out of it. One major "bubble" of life is the 20 year period in which you have kids, are driving your…
more -
COVID and Beyond
Have you ever noticed a tendency to view yourself as invincible? It's not a true belief of invincibility, but rather a perception that other people's experiences couldn't or wouldn't ever happen to us. Virginia and I both admit to this when it comes to being sick. It's not typically something…
more -
Conspicuous Consumption
You probably know someone who's always showing off their latest purchase- maybe it's gourmet lunch, a new car, the latest tech - you name it. When someone buys goods or services in an attempt to show their success, they are participating in conspicuous consumption. These days, everyone posts on...
-
Preventing Rock Bottom
"You shouldn't deny somebody their bottom." In the end, hitting rock bottom may be the only thing that will save you. In this episode, Virginia joins me as we discuss helping others and the possibility of helping too much. Imagine if someone came to you for help, how would you proceed? How do you...
-
The Big Short - Contrarian Views
Jim Rohn said "Everyday stand guard at the door of your mind." We are constantly bombarded with information. Our minds grow hazy as we begin to believe everything that comes our way. You must maintain vigilance while screening out irrelevant information. Listen in as Timothy Messina joins me in a...
-
Optimism, Realism, Pessimism
"Success is a balance between optimism and realism where it's unhindered by the weight of pessimism." Which one are you? Is it ingrained in us to determine whether we are pessimists, optimists, or realists, and if so, do we continue to change in order to stay on track? Today, Virginia Elder joins...
-
Coffee Talk
When you come from nothing, it's natural to push toward achievement. But what happens when you've achieved what you wanted? Does the bar move higher, do you fear losing it all, or can you sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor? Antonio Porretta joins me today to hash over the conversation we...
-
Risk Assessments
We face risks daily in areas of money, health, kids, family, education, career, etc. Some risk has to do with the decisions we make while other risk lies in not making a move. In what areas of your life do you think you're conjuring up risk that doesn't really exist or that's holding you back? As...
-
Mixed Messages
Isn't it funny (not in the moment maybe, but eventually) how basically anyone can find research to prove their point no matter how extreme it may seem? The truth is, any "study" can be manipulated to include or exclude certain test controls, age groups, or other potential data points to prove…
more -
Mandates and Respect
How should we actually react to everything that is going on in the world and the always-changing events; COVID vaccinations, anti-bullying, everyone wins, gender pronouns, and whatever else is to come? Perhaps we should accept that everyone will have an opinion on each of these issues. While...
-
Transitions
Life takes you through a constant roller coaster ride full of beginnings and endings, but it's how well you navigate the space in between those events that counts. In this episode, we both share about a transition we're experiencing and that neither of us are really sure what to do with this…
more -
Walking Contradiction
It's generally perceived as being untrustworthy if you make contradictory statements or choices. But maybe you learned new information that allowed you to perceive choices and their expected results differently, causing you to change your mind and do something differently than originally…
more -
Trust The Process
Show up, do what you can, and even though you don't know how things will turn out, even when it looks like it's not working or when it feels like it's not worth the effort, just keep going. 90% of the battle is just showing up everyday. Within every journey exists moments where we question...
-
Don't Believe What You Think
Your thoughts are not true, they are simply fleeting assumptions, memories, images, and ideas, that create your own internal experience. Thoughts have the power to help you enjoy every nuance of the moment or the power to take you away completely, as if you weren't even present. What thoughts are...
-
Art Of Reframing
Your ability to see something in a new way or from a new perspective that allows you to reframe a problem as an opportunity or a weakness as a strength is a transformative process toward experiencing life with a more optimistic, open mind. We all carry beliefs and biases with us, but when we...
-
Confirmation Bias
We all have inherent biases that impact how we gather information, what we believe, how we interpret and recall information, and even what we expect based on circumstance. Confirmation bias is why we seek to find information that supports the ideals we already carry and why we reject any...
-
Psychological Flexibility
There's much talk about being present in the moment, but not much out there telling us how to do so when we're experiencing internal feelings of stress, anxiety, the need to do something or be somewhere, or feeling stressed for any reason. Psychological flexibility is one's ability to cope by...
-
Judgment To Curiosity
Getting curious about our feelings, reactions, and expectations is tough, but it's a great way to dive into understanding which emotions we're having in response to a stimulus and why. You may have heard about changing your language to say you're feeling a certain way right now instead of...
-
The Trolley Problem
Welcome to the first episode of Unlearning Project, rebranded from Confessions of A Financial Advisor since we only occasionally talked about money. Al prefers talking about social dilemmas, psychological studies, mental and emotional health, and current issues we face as a society. The Trolly...
-
Rebranding to Unlearning Project
Creating Confessions of A Financial Advisor fulfilled a long-time desire to expose the truths about the Financial Advisory industry. However, I've discovered my interests lie in issues around our beliefs, biases, behaviors, and fears. So, Confessions of A Financial Advisor is getting a makeover....
-
The Nervous System
My entire day is a matter of nervous system management. I naturally become more tense as the workday progresses, and if I don't notice it and take specific actions to counteract the building stress, my fight or flight tendencies are in full swing. The nervous system shuts off the ability to think...
-
Inside or Outside Ourselves
When did you last say what you wanted instead of reading your partner's or friend's face before answering the question? We have all succumbed to peer pressure. The will to please, the desire to gain approval, how to "be good," the proper way to avoidance of side-eye judgment from anyone anywhere,...
-
Questioning Our Assumptions
Awareness and evaluation of the assumptions we carry is at the heart of this episode. I challenge you to notice any perspective you may have, dig to find out where it came from, find the most opposite perspective, and attempt to validate it. Polarizing opinions, stories, and media is popular…
more -
Letting Go
Our feelings accumulate from every encountered frustration, and we carry them forward, into the next situation, without us even realizing it. When we do boil over with tears or anger, it's not just one event that triggered the explosion of emotions. Each experience shapes us, and if we practice...
-
Finance Basics
Managing money well doesn't have to be as complicated as some of the financial gurus make it out to be. Learn what big pitfalls and financial traps exist and then set yourself up to avoid them. The younger you are or if you can set your kids on a straight path from a young age, the better because...
-
Forgiveness
Anger, resentment, guilt, and blame keep us from forgiving. We can forgive and choose not to reconcile the relationship. I've found compassion for myself and others while implementing boundaries with those who treat me poorly, drain my energy, or inflict turmoil into my life. Forgiveness and the...
-
Parent Guilt
We constantly question if we're present enough, if we're doing too much for them or not enough and how much is too much. The pandemic has rendered us all grounded to close quarters with our families, which increases the strain. Now the parenting balancing act includes online school and attempting...
-
Connection
Is it not obvious that the confinement we're experiencing as a result of the pandemic is robbing us of the one thing we crave most? Human connection - to feel similar to another, to feel a commonality with another. This lack of connection is skyrocketing mental health issues. We are living…
more -
The Cult of Safety
Given the current environment - pandemic, protests, and overall paranoia and fear - it's interesting to compare our current reactions to these situations with the dichotomy of parenting styles. So-called helicopter parents attempt to protect their children from everything, which actually lends…
more -
Parenting Without Religion
Ethical, responsible, empathetic children can be raised without being shamed as a sinner, threatened to a sentence in Hell, or praying to God, as is believed by most Judaeo-Christian families in the US. Instead, I believe children are born with an internal compass and inherently know right from...
-
Fear of Success
The phrase sounds like something backwards and ridiculous, but people fear the consequences of success. We learn when we're young not to outshine our siblings or classmates because it will make them feel bad. As young adults, we're called braggers when we share a win. So we begin to keep our...
-
Friends and Family of Origin II
Our adult lives are colored by the influence of our family of origin. During childhood, we learn behaviors beneficial to us at that time, but as adults, those stories are still running subconsciously and driving our decisions. It's important we stop to realize what those subconscious thoughts…
more -
Friends and Family of Origin
The personalities of varying family members have inevitably made each of us question our lineage at some point. Relationships with family members have a level of expectation intertwined since you're stuck with them. Friends, on the other hand, are people whose personalities, beliefs, manners, and...
-
Creative Pursuits
Creativity is often imagined as this flowing release of innate talent when it's usually quite a challenging and tumultuous process. I never labeled myself as a "creative" and have approached learning skills meticulously so that, in combination, they could be used creatively. Some people do…
more -
Judgment
Judgment is this sneaky, underlying, natural trait we all have because it's useful to our survival. We judge danger versus safety and joyful experiences against those that are grief-stricken. However, when that judgment is internalized too strongly and results in accidental self-sabotage or when...
-
Prison and The Abyss of Choice
No matter the dissatisfaction in the present situation, there's a strange level of comfort and security in knowing what we have and remaining in "safety." This is why, as a society, we admire those who have the courage to make leaps of faith, and especially those who do it over and over again…
more -
Anniversary
In celebration of www.faconfessions.com 's launch in June 2019, we're reflecting back over the past year and highlighting some of our favorite posts, discussing similar, ongoing topics, and we even touch on a few current events (we can't help it!). Can you guess what our favorite topics are?...
-
Making the Unconscious Conscious
The self-help culture of today will have us believe that positive affirmations, motivation, and self-talk are the keys to happiness. But that's only the tip of the iceberg - just 10% of our brain is conscious. The unconscious 90% is actually running the show, perpetuating habits formed as coping...
-
So Busy!!!
When did being "busy begin to equal importance and productivity? It's a feeling we're taught to chase and strive for, but at what cost? Busy leads to denying deeper emotions and failing to give our full attention to anything in life. A sense of busyness can be an excuse to avoid connection; a...
-
Dropping The Rope
We can't control what we experience, but we can control how we choose to respond. Dropping the rope gives you a vivid mental picture of releasing the tension and letting what's on the other side fall to the ground. This can occur when you chose to simply walk away, go against the expectation, or...
-
Preventing the Big Mistakes
Everyone in the financial space tells you what to do, but nobody talks about what not to do. There are 4 simple things you just shouldn't do if you're working toward a comfortable retirement. These mistakes can easily seem like the "right" move but are detrimental to your future financial...
-
Harsh and Tender
Certain moments in life require us to be tough, but other moments yield better results when we handle them with tenderness. Many men were raised not to cry, to be tough, and that tenderness would be perceived as weakness. Meanwhile, women absorb that femininity and harshness are incompatible. As…
more -
Dead Time & Time Speeding Up
You hear people say it often - comments like, "Time is flying by! Make it slow down!" And when constraints are placed upon us, we stress out more. "I've got shit to do & places to be!" We despise dead time. What if this could all be flipped though? Deadtime can be seen as an opportunity and…
more -
What I Don't Tell My Daughter
This whole parenting job requires us to walk the walk. Our actions as parents speak louder than words and I can easily list off things my parents taught me just by example. I especially learned what not to do. I'm extremely thoughtful about what my daughter sees in me and how my actions influence...
-
The Danger of Success
Success seems like this glamorous goal, but nobody talks about the dangers that can accompany being successful. When someone wins at a high level consistently, they can get an inflated perception of their skills, innate talent, or self-image. This is exhibited by the "behind the scenes" footage…
more -
Nostalgia for the Future & Nothing to Lose
If you believed you had nothing to lose and potentially everything to gain, would you show up differently to your life? If you believed your best days and experiences were yet to come instead of in your past, would you approach each day and each interaction with more fervor? When I was young I…
more -
Cheetah
If you've ever looked around and felt like something was missing from your life, this episode is for you. We live in the confines of the familiar rather than striving toward our full potential simply because we're taught to stay safe, avoid the unknown, and surround ourselves with what's...
-
Comparison and Competition
Comparison creates competition because without comparison, who are you competing with? Progress without competition is collaboration, the idea that we can all move forward together, in a helpful, supportive way. I'm so sick of the cut-throat, clinical, desperate environment competition creates....
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
We attempt to examine and breakdown our beliefs, biases, and assumptions' origins, most of which are impressed upon us by society and our upbringing. We encourage awareness of our thoughts, and embrace the question "why?" Welcome to our introspective, sometimes crast, show where we explore philosophy and different perspectives on everyday issues.Original music by Spybaby at www.spybabyband.comFor more, visit www.unlearningproject.org
HOSTED BY
Al
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Unlearning Project have?
Unlearning Project currently has 69 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Unlearning Project about?
We attempt to examine and breakdown our beliefs, biases, and assumptions' origins, most of which are impressed upon us by society and our upbringing. We encourage awareness of our thoughts, and embrace the question "why?" Welcome to our introspective, sometimes crast, show where we explore...
How often does Unlearning Project release new episodes?
Unlearning Project has 69 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Unlearning Project?
You can listen to Unlearning Project 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 Unlearning Project?
Unlearning Project is created and hosted by Al.
URL copied to clipboard!