Podcast
Brandon Stover On Life
Hosted by Brandon Stover · EN
Join Brandon Stover, founder of Plato University, as he questions everything in life to challenge the way you think. Every change in the world starts with one person. Through narrated essays and intellectual interviews, this podcast will equip you with practical philosophies, new perspectives, and modern understandings of global issues so that change can start with you. It will help you to become a more critical thinker, find purpose in your life, and discover why you would want to take action in changing the world.
"They push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do." - Steve Jobs
12episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
On Minimalism: In Favor of Less
Sep 25, 202300:12:54Tap to summarizeA narrated essay reflecting on minimalism: owning only what adds value and meaning to your life and removing the rest.Find more essays at brandonstover.comWant the essays and podcasts delivered directly to you? Subscribe: brandonstover.substack.comTimestamps:(00:00) - Beginning of Essay (02:08) - Minimalism (03:53) - Value of Small Spaces (07:05) - Using Things to Fulfill Feelings (09:01) - Deciding What Has Value
Transcribe →On Content Creation: Rage, Rage Against the Content Machine
Sep 18, 202300:16:08Tap to summarizeA narrated essay reflecting on the dark side of consistently creating content, what a content creators intention should be, and how to create content that is both sensational and valuable.Find more essays at brandonstover.comWant the essays and podcasts delivered directly to you? Subscribe: brandonstover.substack.comTimestamps:(00:00) - Intro (01:25) - Beginning of Essay (05:19) - The Two Sides of Content Creation (08:26) - Consistent Content Creation (10:03) - Content Marketing (11:58) - Creator's Intention (12:40) - Value of Long-Form Content
Transcribe →On Relationships: A Partner in Life is a Partner in Pursuing Purpose
Sep 11, 202300:18:08Tap to summarizeA narrated essay reflecting on the five stages of relationships for both monogamists and non-monogamists, delineating when a romantic interest should move to the next stage.Find more essays at brandonstover.comWant the essays and podcasts delivered directly to you? Subscribe: brandonstover.substack.comTimestamps:(00:00) - Intro (01:21) - Beginning of Essay (03:03) - Stage 1: Need Fulfillment (04:18) - Stage 2: Mutual Benefit (05:37) - Stage 3: Romantic Trial Period (06:37) - Stage 4: Resource Trial Period (07:47) - Stage 5: Life Partners (09:32) - Pursuing Purpose Together (12:09) - Monogamy vs Non-Monogamy (14:43) - Polarity in Relationships
Transcribe →On Self Development: Perfection is Not Reality, It's an Ideal You Work Towards
Sep 4, 202300:17:15Tap to summarizeA narrated essay on how to strive towards perfection, an ideal state of being, without feeling shame or guilt when we fall short as flawed human beings.Want the essays and podcasts delivered directly to you? Subscribe: brandonstover.substack.comTimestamps:(00:00) - Intro (02:29) - Essay Narration (05:10) - Commentary on Essay
Transcribe →On the Metaverse: Metaverse vs Reality, Enhancing Evolution, & Running Simulations to Solve Climate Change | On Life 083
Oct 24, 202200:20:55Tap to summarizeA narrated An essay reflecting on how the Metaverse can either supplement or replace reality, simulation theory, evolution of humans, and the decisions each of us will have to make as the Metaverse unfolds. Brandon shares how he believes the Metaverse can help, his fears for those turning away from reality, and how he would proceed given the choice between the Metaverse and reality. Want the essays and podcasts delivered directly to you? Subscribe: brandonstover.substack.comTIMESTAMPS(00:00) - Introduction(01:17) - Beginning of essay On the Metaverse: Metaverse vs Reality(03:59) - Will the Metaverse be an escape from reality?(05:20) - How does the design of the Metaverse keep you inside the Metaverse?(06:14) - How will the Metaverse help us avoid reality?(07:43) - What is the role of suffering in human existence?(08:43) - What is the goal of the Metaverse?(09:19) - Could the Metaverse be a supplement to real life?(10:49) - How could the Metaverse help us solve problems through simulation?(13:20) - How does the Metaverse fall short?(15:14) - Are we already living in a simulation?(16:29) - How can the Metaverse accelerate human evolution?(18:26) - Will you choose the Metaverse or Reality?
Transcribe →On the Body: Using the Body to Access the Mind, Your Body is Your Responsibility, and Who Has Decisive Power Over Your Body | On Life 082
Sep 30, 202200:21:20Tap to summarizeA narrated essay reflecting on how to access the mind using the body, your responsibility for your body, and who has the power to make decisions about our bodies. Brandon shares how he began a better connection with his body and his views about decisions made concerning other's bodies including abortion and COVID.Want the essays and podcasts delivered directly to you? Subscribe: brandonstover.substack.comTIMESTAMPS(00:00) - Introduction(01:04) - Beginning of essay On the Body: Using the Body to Access the Mind(04:15) - Inspiration of essay, my journey with first connecting with the body(05:49) - How do we access the mind through the body?(09:49) - What is the connection of the mind with reality?(10:49) - How did the Stoics perceive the body?(11:13) - How is the body a tool for your will?(12:30) - Why you must become the expert and take responsibility for your body(15:11) - What happens when you outsource responsibility of your body to others?(15:58) - Who should have ultimate decisions over our bodies?(18:30) - What can you do if your body is enslaved or controlled by someone else?(20:52) - Final comments on the body
Transcribe →On Goals: Joy of Goals, Finite Games vs Infinite Games, and The Fear of Ambition | On Life 081
Sep 9, 202200:29:58Tap to summarizeA narrated essay reflecting on what the true joy of a goal is, what to do when you are not reaching goals fast enough, goals in finite vs infinite games, and how to share your ambition with others. Brandon shares his struggles with not reaching goals fast enough and sharing his ambition with others.Want the essays and podcasts delivered directly to you? Subscribe: brandonstover.substack.comTIMESTAMPS(00:00) - Introduction(01:16) - Beginning of essay On Goals: Joy of Goals(04:50) - Inspiration of essay, not reaching goals fast enough(05:38) - How does dopamine and our brain influence goals?(06:20) - What choices do we have in life?(07:03) - What are finite vs infinite games?(08:12) - How does legacy effect our goals?(10:13) - What is the true benefit of having a goal?(13:27) - How many goals should we have?(14:22) - Why should you cherish your goals?(15:25) - What is the best possible goal to set for yourself?(16:40) - Why do some fear ambition?(20:22) - Why do you fear sharing your ambition?(24:51) - What is the goal of the infinite game of life?(26:48) - How to deal with uncertainty in lifeFull show notes, transcripts, and resources for every episode can be found at: brandonstover.comThe On Life podcast is produced by Plato University.
Transcribe →On Marriage: Marriage as a Social Contract, Greek Love, Divorce, and Monogamy vs Polygamy | On Life 080
Aug 27, 202200:33:15Tap to summarizeA narrated essay reflecting on marriage as a contract, whether love should be a part of this contract, what other types of marriage exist, and if monogamy is the best form of partnership for marriages. Brandon elaborates on his 4 year marriage ending in divorce, relationship check-ins, and what forms of love and relationships he may look for in the future.Want the essays and podcasts delivered directly to you? Subscribe: brandonstover.substack.comTIMESTAMPS(00:00) - Introduction(01:20) - Beginning of essay On Marriage: Marriage as a Social Contract(05:43) - Current context, recent divorce, and childhood background(06:58) - Is marriage a contract requiring negotiations?(08:41) - Is marriage as a positive environment for children?(09:42) - What of the chemical influence of love on the brain?(10:32) - What role does love play in marriage?(14:16) - What is the desire to want the best for your partner?(15:29) - Relationship check-ins and the beginning of my divorce(19:09) - Should marriage be more flexible?(20:58) - What other types of marriages exist?(28:30) - Questioning the standard template of marriage to fit your circumstances(30:08) - Should love and marriage be separate?(31:40) - Questions I have for those in long lasting marriagesFull show notes, transcripts, and resources for every episode can be found at: brandonstover.comThe On Life podcast is produced by Plato University.
Transcribe →Introducing: On Life (Formerly the Evolve Podcast)
Aug 26, 202200:09:32Tap to summarizeIntroducing the On Life podcast. Through narrated essays and intellectual interviews, this podcast will equip you with practical philosophies, new perspectives, and modern understandings of global issues so that change can start with you. It will help you to become a more critical thinker, find purpose in your life, and discover why you would want to take action in changing the world.WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODEWhy I'm rebranding the podcastWhat On Life is about and how it will help youHow philosophy is one part of a trifecta for human actionThe biggest problem with content creationMy promise to you, the listenerWant the essays and podcasts delivered directly to you? Subscribe: brandonstover.substack.comFull show notes, transcripts, and resources for every episode can be found at: brandonstover.comThe On Life podcast is produced by Plato University.
Transcribe →
Ben Jeffreys on Solving Clean Cooking for 4 Billion People, Carbon Credits, and Impact Flywheels | Evolve 079
Aug 1, 202200:55:41Tap to summarizeBen Jeffreys is the CEO of ATEC International, which supports households across Asia & Africa to transition to modern, decarbonized cooking through its patented IoT stove products - delivering cost efficiency to households, data-validated carbon credits to net-zero partners and addressing the 4 billion people who lack access to clean, modern cooking. After moving his family to Cambodia in 2015 to commercialize ATEC’s biodigester prototype, the winning product of the Google Impact Challenge, into a social enterprise, he has helped ATEC become a global leader in clean cooking it's two flagship on-grid and off-grid products delivering data-driven scalable impact not only for cooking, but data validation of carbon reduction as well. ATEC is aiming to help 800 million households to offset more emissions than the global airline industry whilst saving the lives of millions of women each year who traditionally cook with wood. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODEHow clean cooking products increases life quality, health, and household incomesHow ATEC is using data collection and technology to offset carbon emissionsThe economics of carbon credits and why they are attractive to companiesHow to choose a high impact problem you can have a significant role in solvingHow to develop an Impact Flywheel to scale a solutionand much more...Full show notes, transcripts, and resources can be found here: evolvethe.world/episodes/79The Evolve podcast is produced by Plato University.TIMESTAMPS(00:00) - Introduction(01:40) - How big is the clean cooking problem globally?(02:46) - How to choose a high impact problem you can have a significant role in solving(06:29) - What macro trends in energy made ATEC's solutions possible(07:23) - ATEC's clean cooking biodigester and induction stove solutions(11:41) - How to develop an Impact Flywheel to scale a solution(16:50) - Why Ben moved his family to Cambodia(21:04) - How ATEC gained early adopters with its PAYGO model(23:01) - How ATEC developed it's prototypes(27:01) - How clean cooking products increases life quality, health, and household incomes(30:12) - Why ATEC decided to pivot to induction stoves(33:04) - How ATEC is using data collection and technology to offset carbon emissions(36:34) - The economics of carbon credits and why they are attractive to companies(40:55) - How to face overwhelming problems(42:37) - Why its important to choose purposeful work(46:18) - How to identify a problem you are equipped to solve(48:34) - What our energy solutions look like for the next decade(53:17) - How we can push the world to Evolve
Transcribe →