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Foreign. Welcome to Jung on purpose with CreativeMind, hosted by Deborah and Dr. Rob Maldonado, creators of the NeuroMindra coaching method based on Jungian psychology, non dual spirituality and social neuroscience. Join us each week as we explore personal growth for purpose seekers and the incredible inner journey of becoming your true self. Let's get started. Hello, everyone. Welcome back to Young on Purpose. I am Deborah Maldonado.
B
And I'm Dr. Rob.
A
Hey, Dr. Rob. We are so excited to continue our series on the intellect, the booty mind. And last time we talked about just what it is and how we use it. How do we access this pure awareness? And today you're probably asking yourself, how do I apply this in my life? Like pure awareness, it's so general. I remember when I first learned, like, give me some practical things I can do with this so I can apply it my everyday life. So that's what we're going to do today, right, Rob?
B
Absolutely. It's, it's really one of the most practical ways of working with your mind. Because if you think about it this way, if you're trying to solve a problem but you're not seeing it clearly, like your glasses are fogged up and you can't perceive what you're seeing clearly, you're not going to solve that problem in the most efficient way anyway. Whereas if you're seeing clearly for what it is you're, you're able to solve whatever the problem is, that's the clarity that this intel like this booty mind gives you. It clarifies what is it that I'm experiencing?
A
It's so interesting. I got a good example of this, is that I always say people are always working on the wrong problem and that's why they're not getting the results. And so for a coach, sometimes our graduates and our, in our graduate community will ask in our master's program, like, how do I find those clients that say they can afford it, right? And so they think they have to go out there and there's certain place that they can go and if they just were in the right place, they would find the right people. And it always comes back to what is in their mind. What do they believe about themselves? What do they believe about what's possible for them? What do they believe about their capacity to coach and to grow? So that's a very, very easy example. And I know there's a lot of coaches that haven't worked with us before and they're trying to figure out that problem. How do I build my business and how Do I create abundance in my coaching business or even therap therapy or whatever service business you have? And we're thinking that the problem is somewhere, that it's not like we talked about the looking outside in the losing your keys in the house, but you're looking out at the street light because that's where the light is. So that's what you're talking about is how do we understand what problem we're actually solving? And how do we become, how do we discover that?
B
That's right. So it's very practical in that regard. It leads you to the correct answer for your problem. So this, you know, last time we talked about discernment from ego and self. So it's giving us a way. This intellect, this Buddha mind, this awakening mind is giving us the ability to discern where is it that we're playing small and identifying with our small narrative of ego. It's our personal history, right. Where we grew up, where we went to school, what happened to us. Those things, we're not pushing those things away, but we're not over identifying with them. In other words, we're not reducing ourselves to that small narrative because it's very limiting and it's not really what a human being is. We're seeing through projections and then we're, we're able to then to reflect on our thoughts, our emotions and our behaviors, which is a very powerful way of being in the world because you're, you're observing yourself, like you said, as if watching a movie. You're not caught up in it. You're able to, to create that distance between what's happening and that observing mind, that witness mind that we talked. So here now we get to another stage of the work which is integrating the conscious mind and the unconscious mind. Jung called this the transcendent function. In Eastern philosophy, they had a very similar way of working with this. They call it more like integration. And. It leads more to purpose and to the realization of the true self, the true nature. Right.
A
So basically like embodying Krishna or this higher self in what we do is like that integration versus letting the ego operate the life.
B
Yes, again, because it's practical in the sense that it's teaching you how to be in the world. It's not, it's not advocating for you to transcend and leave the world somehow or avoid it. It's saying you can stay in the world and do whatever you need to do, but you're going to do it in a particular way where it doesn't, it doesn't Obscure your true nature doesn't fool you into thinking that you're. You are. These problems that you are these emotions and these limited by these experiences that you're having. It gives you a way to experience your life. We don't want to numb ourselves and not experience life. Yes, it has ups and downs, highs and lows, but there's a deeper nature in us that transcends that. That is. That is able to rise above those experiences and see those experiences for what they are. They're. They're beautiful or, or terrible, perhaps, but they're temporary. They are not absolute reality. They. They are appearances in awareness, in cons.
A
Would you also say that the idea that, like, I know we all say like those problems aren't us, you know, the struggles we have, but also like all the good things too, like it. It goes both ways to take credit. Your ego taking credit for all the great things you do in life or all the accomplishments you have, that could also be a slippery slope as well, because your ego gets attached and identified with the things of the world. It is, it becomes very limiting. So when people think of limitless, it's not about just creating abundance. Limitless means that you're not tied and having those golden handcuffs that say you need to be still maintain the success and identify with it for the rest of your life.
B
Yeah, absolutely. Material. It gives you the right perspective on it where you can enjoy it and you can, you can use it as a tool for your higher purpose, but it doesn't own you.
A
Yeah, all right.
B
Because that's what ends up happening. When you worship material, it owns you. You are bowing down to it. And that's, that's not a good way for a human being to be in the world. These things are here to serve us. We. But we have to direct them. We have to have the wisdom and the power to direct the material world. So one of the first functions in this integration of conscious and unconscious through the reflective mind, through this witness mind, the buddhi or the intellect as we call it, is we want to see empowerment coming from assessing intuitive knowing while remaining grounded in awareness. So we're grounded in awareness. We're not floating up into the sky. Right. Levitating or whatever. We're grounded in what's happening, but we are observing what is happening and using our intuitive wisdom that's coming from the true self.
A
So when you say bridging the conscious and the unconscious, can you clarify that? It sounds very high concept. So is it the conscious, the ego, connecting to this intuition and the true Self. I mean, it could be the Persona, shadow. But I mean, on a bigger picture, what you're talking about is actually integrating our intuitive nature and our creative nature.
B
Yeah. So we can think of. Let's boil it down to simple terms. What we are experiencing. Right now, we're observing the screen, right. And we're talking about the content of our podcast. This experience is mediated through our senses, our perception. Right. What we call seeing, hearing, touching, it has to be filtered. The experience has to be filtered through that. What we typically call that is our conscious experience. In other words, we're conscious of it. We're experiencing it in a conscious way. But as soon as we start to tease it apart, we see that it's very subjective, that what my mind is experiencing is an interpretation of that experience, what I am experiencing. Right. What we call our qualia, our internal experience, is not really out there. It's an internal representation that the brain creates for us to make sense of the world. So it makes perfect sense to me, and it feels really natural, and I kind of can predict what's going to happen in the next moment. We know that from neuroscience. Our brain is a predictive instrument. And what it does, it predicts what is going to happen, but not only that, based on its predictions, it pays attention to the particular things that match that prediction, and that's what the interpretation is. So that what I am experiencing is a reflection of my own assumptions about what this is.
A
So we're seeing not what's out there. We're seeing what we believe is out there.
B
Very much. Very much.
A
And so integrating the unconscious would be help you see the truth or.
B
Well, yeah, so. So that's the conscious mind. Right. Or what we call, what Jung would call the ego mind, because the ego is conceptualized to be at the center of the conscious experience. It's the experiencer in that bubble of consciousness, the unconscious. What we're seeing here, as we're seeing through this reflective property of the intellect, is reflecting pure awareness. And through it comes the wisdom of what we call the unconscious mind, like you said last time, the formless substance. In other words, it's a pure. It's the pure awareness that it hasn't been transformed into world stuff yet into mind.
A
Doesn't it also, like Bjorn talked about, the collective unconscious? So wouldn't it be like, all the experiences of humanity from, like, eons that we have, like, that we have access to as well, versus just our senses, like, the wisdom of just humanity and, like, the. The depth, like, even every person on this earth that has studied higher knowledge and had wisdom from that.
B
Yeah, that's a good. Let's say it's a good segue into defining the difference between Jungian theory and Eastern philosophy.
A
Okay.
B
In Jungian theory, the collective unconscious would be the collective experience of our species. And how are we connected? We know we're connected genetically. Like we're connected genetically to every living organism on the planet.
A
I know. It's so crazy.
B
Whether we admit it or not, whether we like it or not, that is the reality. Which means then that through that connection, we inherit a lot of behavior, a lot of biology, a lot of psychology. Most of everything we kind of define as human nature is inherited biologically, genetically, epigenetically now. So the collective unconscious would be all that content that's inherited in psychological terms. Jung saw it as these symbols that we dream about, they contain personal stuff, of course. Right. We dream of our work and when we went to school in our childhood home, but we also sometimes dream of things that. That we've never experienced in our life. And he says those symbols are coming from the collective unconscious, a deeper layer of the psyche that is beyond the personal, transpersonal.
A
So can I like, kind of simplify this in a way for people? Like when we're trying to figure out a problem, we have human problems. We have to figure out how do I find love, how do I make money, how do I live my purpose, how do I be healthy? And what we. Typically, the default is. The ego uses not the intellect, the high intellect, but rational thinking. Like, it's always rationalizing and looking at the past and analyzing based on very rational ideas of how logical. Right. Logical, rational ways of how to look at.
B
Approach the intellect or the ego?
A
No, the ego.
B
The ego.
A
Yeah, yeah, I said not the intellect. You know, we think we have this intellect, like intellectual part of us, but yeah, it's that. Right. Like looking at things in a very rational lens and based on the past and what we can see and what our sense tell us, what we read in books. And then what I love about accessing the unconscious or the. The pure awareness, the intellect is that it brings the irrational and the creative into the conversation. So we're now being able to have more information. Because if we just try to solve problems on the rational mind, we're going to end up in the same place. The ego's going to tell us the same stories and look at things the same way, and we're just, you know, following, you know, the old story. But the. What we're talking about, the bringing the Unconscious, making it conscious. It's bringing these symbols, bringing these metaphors, bringing the intuition in a very creative way to think outside the box, as they say, and. And really see, like, be able to discern what the real problem is and also bring in the creative forces from, you know, the wisdom that we have within us to think about it, versus our little conscious self trying to figure out all our problems. Does that make sense?
B
Yeah. So the joining, or the connecting, building a bridge, if you will, between the conscious and the unconscious mind, that is one of the functions of this discerning intellect, that it allows us to be conscious, to be aware of both our ego experience, but to understand its temporary nature and its illusory nature so that we're not fooled by it. Right. Remember, we defined it as unreal in the sense that it's impermanent and it's mentally constructed. Joining that, bridging that with the wisdom mind that comes from pure awareness. So now. Now we're aware of both at the same time. This is very Jungian in the sense that he always emphasized this dual nature of the psyche. And the aim was to be aware, to hold these opposites together without frequency. Because the tendency of the ego is always. It wants predictability. Remember, it wants to define things in a clear, concise way. And joining the opposite is meaning you're looking at the two sides of the coin at the same time. You're seeing the light and the shadow at the same time.
A
And so when someone does, like, I have never done plant medicine. I'd like to try it sometime. But people say they have these, like, outrageous experiences, you know, or they go to these epiphanies, and it's almost like, shuts off the ego altogether. And it's just like, basically this unfiltered experience of our mind. And then they wake up and they're back into their ego again and maybe changed a little bit from what they've seen and experienced. But really the goal is to be able to hold both of them at the same time, not just go off, because then you can direct it, and then you can be more conscious directing it and exploring it and being more intentional with it. Would that be the case?
B
Yeah. I mean, psychedelics, that's a whole other topic we'll have to do.
A
But you know what I'm saying that, like, you want to go for, like, access that, like, creative collective unconscious, but in the raw stage. It's like turning on the faucet, you know, the high fire hose. And then. But Jung was always talking about the balance of the two, like the conscious ego and then the. This extraordinary depth that we have of our psyche and then the self.
B
That's a good way to frame it. Yes. That Jung emphasized the balance that arises or that we experience from identifying with both our conscious experience while holding in mind that there is also this powerful unconscious that has its own wisdom about who we are, what the symbolic meaning of our experiences are. And experiencing them together gives you a better sense of the wholeness of yourself. Whereas when you were over identified as Persona ego, you're limiting yourself to that interpretation that the brain is making and saying this is only who I am. This little ego, Persona, self.
A
You've spent years building success and achieving what others would only imagine. But yet something deeper is calling. A desire for work that's meaningful, transformative and rooted in who you really are. At CreativeMind, we train professionals to guide others through real psychological transformation using Jungian principles, Eastern spirituality and social neuroscience. No cliches, no surface level tools, just depth, structure and purpose. Our ICF accredited Jungian Life coach training program provides a profound professional training in small cohorts that includes personal transformation with a dedicated coach and powerful tools to help you guide others in a deep, lasting transformation. Step into that next chapter of your personal and professional evolution. Join us by visiting creativemindlife.com and speak to an admission specialist today. That's creativemindlife.com. I think what distinguishes Jung's work from other people that talk about the unconscious or the subconscious is that most like the Freudian idea of the subconscious is like a, like almost like storage of patterns. And what Jung saw the unconscious as something very alive in that. So we're. There's autonomous parts of us that are acting without our conscious awareness, like compelling us to move forward. The seed when we talk about purpose. Right young on purpose. This little piece of us that wants to really express itself through us, that is not willing to just settle for a mediocre life that is this autonomous part of us that wants to live through us and through that process of allowing it to become conscious, that's what we're doing. And then we transcend with a transcendent function. We actually be able to have more access to all of who we are and be able to express it in the world. It's not just this kind of energy in our, in us, that's not being expressed.
B
That's right. And that is what Jung called entering the symbolic life. Now what that means is because they're joined, they're bridged. The conscious and the unconscious that you start to experience the conscious world that we're creating actively remember, through our ego brain kind of construction, that world becomes dreamlike and symbolic. As much as dreams are like a waking dream? Very much so, yes. And you, you can start to interpret then your life through that symbolic lens. It's almost like a mythological lens that you're seeing your life as the great adventure of the hero's journey.
A
I love that. And I remember sometimes when my clients get stuck, they'll tell me about a situation that really frustrates them and I'm like, okay, if that was a dream, how would you look at all those people in that situation? In a symbolic way. And it really lifts them out of the story of who did what to me and how I feel. And it's like I see this, this pattern showing up and it's what I've been working on and what I want to free myself from. And now it's like it's showing. Like you say, the internal conflict will show up externally so we can resolve it. And so that's really also synchronicity too, the looking at the conflicts. But also synchronicity and symbolic life play a role because sometimes we'll have a dream and then we'll see the thing in real life. So those are synchronistic events where the conscious and unconscious are connected. So it's not that you see three things in a row. It's saying you see something internal that's also showing up externally. And it's a. It's collapsing the divide between conscious and unconscious. And we're seeing that it's all, all of us, it's not separate.
B
That's a beautiful way to frame it, that what we call the world is really alive the way the psyche is alive. And that perhaps it is psyche, that what we call the universe is really psyche. It is a living, thinking mind, consciousness, soul, right? That, that's what it is. Instead of this dead matter out there that is non sentient and not related to me, right to my awareness. Almost all spiritual teachings or practices emphasize this, that there is really no difference between what we call soul, psyche, awareness and the universe. It's one and the same thing. The division is a false one that comes about through this philosophy of materialism that considers matter to be separate from spirit, from awareness. And that's not a reality, it's part of the illusion.
A
When I was training to be a massage therapist, back when I was on my purpose journey, they said that the skin is the part of the soul you can touch in a person. And so how sacred it was just to get a massage and to be touched. And what I noticed is that even that power of touch is so healing and so profound. So it's like everything in life should be treated that way. Our home, where we place ourselves, the environment we're in, is all part of a reflection of our soul. And if we're in this, like, toxic work environment, it's like sucking our soul. Our soul is not able to really fully express itself and to be, you know, to be known because it's kind of so, like we're so much into protection or fear or anxiety or stress that we want to be in places where we can fully just be the full expression of who we really are. And so when we think about the next step, which is really purposeful action, like, how do we. How do we use this booty, this intellect, how do we look at the symbols and how do we take action that is purposeful and ethical? And ethical, yes.
B
So here's the difference. Let's say from the materialistic perspective, the. We can consider that, okay, if we. If we have a list of behaviors that are ethical, then people can follow those. So you have the Ten Commandments or the ten rules of Buddhism or something like that, Right. We could say, okay, that's a good.
A
Idea, or the four agreements.
B
Yeah, whatever it is, don't take anything personally. These. These external guidelines give people a way to. To act in ethical ways. What this is saying, what this perspective of bridging the wisdom mind and the conscious mind is saying that you will know from your. From your own internal wisdom what is the proper action to take. In other words, you don't have to check the rules and to see how am I supposed to act here. Because it's. It's the wisdom mind that's coming through your life through your action and saying, well, of course you want to be compassionate. This. This person is. Is you. What you're experiencing is as the world is you. There's no distinction. Therefore, you treat them like you would treat yourself. Right? The golden rule, essentially. But it's not an external rule. It comes from within, from. From your heart, from your soul.
A
So what if someone has a difficulty making decisions when that happens? I know I've been in that place. And it's. Is it the ego? It's trying to predict what is the safest decision to make. Usually if someone's not further along on their awakening, that they. The ego gets caught up in the predictive model of. If I say this, like, kind of rehearsing in our mind, like what's going to happen next and how do I, how do I still retain, be a good person? And a lot of it is conflicts, right. I want to say no, but they're going to think I'm a bad person. So we have all these inner conflicts that, that like kind of violate these moral rules. And I know that for you had told me once that sometimes what we think is going to help people and help them or let them get away with something and not challenge them out of being nice actually hurts them. So we don't really know what that outcome is of our action. We don't know like it could be great, it can't be, it could be bad. But it's really like not taking the action to get a result. Still when we, when we're in that purposeful alignment, we're taking the action from inside, not from, to get a certain outcome.
B
That's right. Now what that indicates when you're, when you're listening to the inner voice, the inner wisdom in you to make that decision, what that points to is higher purpose. In other words, you're acting out of higher purpose, not of ego interests. When you're acting out of ego interest, you're acting for, you're acting for the small self. Like what's in it for me? How's it going to help me survive? How's it going to help me get more money, more prestige, more, more of something. When you're acting out of higher purpose, that's not a consideration. The consideration is am I aligned? Is this action aligned with my higher purpose? And so it gives you that guiding wisdom. And you know is what to do when you're acting out a higher purpose. It doesn't matter the situation. The action is arising from within. The wisdom is arising from within you, not from the circumstances. Therefore your action is always spot on. And you have to trust, you have to let go of the ego mind because the ego mind again will simply trip you up. And you trust that the action that comes from higher purpose will result in the best results for everyone involved. Everybody wins.
A
Well, even if you make take it make a decision out of ego, there's always the neck. Like even if you make a mistake, let's say you make a decision out of ego. It's always good for both people anyway because then they, if they're triggered by what you did or they have an opportunity to bring up whatever's in them. And you also can deal with all the stuff that happens from after you take the action blindly wouldn't you say that I think people are maybe afraid of even making a mistake. And so we want as much as we can make decisions from that place. But even if we make it from ego, as long as we're constantly growing and aware, it can be even the wrong decision or an ego decision could actually become something that helps us become enlightened or more aware.
B
That's a good question. I think ego decisions can. Can lead to good or bad results. No doubt, because that's the duality that it plays in. Something is either good or bad. In other words, it's either a blessing or a curse. The self does not play that game. The self for the self. Everything is equal. Playing field is level because it is beyond duality. The dualities arise in awareness, not the other way around.
A
Well, that's what I'm saying is that there's. The reason I'm asking is because so many people that I've worked with over the years, including myself, get caught up in what is the right decision. I don't want to make the decision from ego. And they're so afraid that they're going to make the decision from ego that they're going to screw things up. And I remember this was like 10 years ago, maybe longer, 15 years ago, there was someone that I had like a conflict with and I was, I felt really bad how, how I showed up from ego in that relationship and I felt like I ruined that relationship. Right? I made so many bad decisions. And you said to me, you needed to be that person in that moment and she needed to be the person in that moment for both of your highest good. You were like, so it doesn't matter. Like it's like this good or bad morality. I think you want to make more conscious decisions so you're not looping into and repeating patterns. But I think even when you are in ego and you make a terrible decision or you know, screw up a friendship, you know, that type of thing, it's like the world doesn't crumble because you're like, oh, I could take this from it. And then I don't know if that ending of that relationship was actually the best thing that ever happened to that person. Right. That's what you were saying. Like you don't know. So that's what I was saying is like, I think people again, myself included, we get to this. I want to make all the enlightened decisions and then we are afraid to make a decision or second guess ourselves and think if we do make it from ego, we're going to Something terrible is going to happen. So that's what I was kind of talking about. And I think you were saying the same thing in that it's nothing is good or bad. That's really the enlightened part of it. It's not how you act.
B
Yes. And the wisdom is from non attachment to the results.
A
Yes.
B
That's what makes it then a lesson, a great wisdom experience instead of a right or wrong situation that you're, you're letting go of the results of the action and you're not attached to it because that's all it is when we're attached to it. It connects as it binds us to the result. And we're worried about it. Right. It's, it's got us hooked into its, its results when we let go, when we're not attached. We're giving it a lot of space to, to breathe, to be just to, to be part of the wisdom of the human nature. And it all works out right. It. Most of the time it just works out in the way it needs to. So.
A
Well, that's why it made me feel so much freer when you said that like what if that was how it was supposed to play out? Like you don't know.
B
Yeah, we're, we're aligning ourselves in with this, this self, the higher self.
A
So can I just say that we're retaking when we don't have to like be hyper vigilant and be like I have to make every action and I have to be aligned with everything I do and if I don't, then I'm failing or I'm back in ego and kind of this judgment we have as spiritual evolving people that we want to be the best and we want to be more advanced, we want to be more enlightened and that people tend to like again, the ego wants us to make our spiritual growth about you know, checking off boxes or reaching some kind of, you know, state that we are wise all of a sudden. Right. And, and I think we are all so hard on ourselves when we are awake. We're hard on the people that are asleep. And I want to. So we're saying that you don't have to. If you can't take action with the, with that pure awareness, at least look at the result with pure awareness first. And that, that's, I think a great way to start is just looking the results of your actions with non judgment and then it'll kind of work its way backwards to. Eventually you'll just be taking action. Wouldn't you say that would be an easy way to think about it. You could just.
B
I don't know about easy.
A
Well, I know, but I'm saying like, the more because I think a lot of people from what I. Over the years, just that. That kind of focusing on the action versus just looking at the reactions first. Just look how you respond to things. And you're practicing that, you know, letting go of that attachment of how things show up. Then you're able to free your mind because it gives you that practice of the result doesn't matter as much. Right. And then you start to. If it's neutral, it's neutral all the time. You start to cultivate that intellect and you start to access it more.
B
Yeah, that's a good approach. It's always a practice. I love the idea of practice because it implies that. That you're not going to. You're not going for perfection because there is no perfection.
A
Yeah.
B
You're practicing, meaning you're. You're giving it your best shot in. In the best way that you know, and you're letting go of the results. Right. Not attached. That.
A
That is. And I think a lot of people do beat themselves up. I should have known better. And I'm this wise. I read all these books and I study, you know, and I'm a coach or I'm a therapist or I have all the. And I should know better. And we get. Get caught up in, you know, our ego gets triggered. And I always say, I said to one of my clients once, she said she always remembered this is that we have to accept that we're going to be messy with other people's emotions and they're going to be messy with ours. And I think that's so true. To understand that we aren't going to be this perfect beam of light every day. So we could just relax and just be better and more wise. And as long as we're growing and being more aware, that's all we can do.
B
That's right.
A
So, yeah. So when we make decisions, I think also too, we could check in and see, like, test ourselves and see our senses inside. And when you make a decision and then it turns out, like, in a way that is beneficial for you, you could be like, oh, yeah, like you're kind of paying attention to how you feel and where that comes from. And I always find the best decisions I ever made were the irrational ones, the crazy. Like, there's no reason why I should have said yes to this. And it turned out to be really amazing.
B
Absolutely.
A
So we have one more episode on the intellect. And we're going to talk about the creative will next time, which should be very fascinating. So those of you just practice today. Be non attached, look for synchronicities, start playing with that creative part of your mind that's irrational, and just pay attention to where your awareness is. Is it in the ego or is it that pure awareness?
B
Love it. Happy practicing. We'll see you soon.
A
Yes. Yeah, we'll see you next week. Take care. Thank you for joining us for Jung on Purpose with Deborah Maldonado and Dr. Rob Maldonado of Creative Mind. Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast before you leave and join us each week. We'll see you soon. Sam.
Podcast: Jung On Purpose by CreativeMind
Hosts: Debra Berndt Maldonado & Robert Maldonado, PhD
Episode: How to Make Decisions Using Intuition vs Ego
Date: November 24, 2025
In this episode, Debra and Dr. Rob Maldonado delve into the practical side of Jungian Depth Coaching, specifically exploring how to distinguish and make decisions using intuition (or “buddhi” mind/pure awareness) versus ego-driven thought. They break down the interplay between conscious and unconscious processes, discuss the pitfalls of over-identifying with ego, and offer both psychological and spiritual frameworks to bring greater clarity, purpose, and wisdom into decision-making. The tone is conversational, insightful, and motivating, challenging listeners to reflect deeply (but without judgment) on their own approach to life's choices.
On clarity:
“That’s the clarity that this buddhi mind gives you. It clarifies what is it that I’m experiencing?”
— Dr. Rob [01:07]
On working the wrong problem:
“People are always working on the wrong problem and that’s why they’re not getting results.”
— Debra [01:42]
On symbol and synchronicity:
“The internal conflict will show up externally so we can resolve it… that’s synchronicity… collapsing the divide between conscious and unconscious.”
— Debra [20:04]
On decisions and intuition:
“When you’re listening to the inner wisdom to make that decision, what that points to is higher purpose. You’re acting out of higher purpose, not of ego interests.”
— Dr. Rob [25:40]
On making mistakes:
“Even if you make a terrible decision or... screw up a friendship... it’s like, the world doesn’t crumble because you’re like, ‘Oh, I could take this from it.’”
— Debra [28:09]
On non-attachment:
“The wisdom is from non attachment to the results.”
— Dr. Rob [29:49]
On self-compassion and messiness:
“We have to accept that we’re going to be messy with other people’s emotions and they’re going to be messy with ours.”
— Debra [32:49]
On practice:
“It’s always a practice… you’re not going for perfection because there is no perfection.”
— Dr. Rob [32:26]
Hosts' closing invitation:
“Just practice today. Be non-attached, look for synchronicities, start playing with that creative part of your mind that’s irrational, and just pay attention to where your awareness is. Is it in the ego or is it that pure awareness?”
— Debra [34:00]
This summary captures the depth, warmth, and practical wisdom of Debra and Dr. Rob’s discussion, offering both newcomers and longtime listeners actionable insights into distinguishing between ego and intuition in daily life decisions through the Jungian lens.