Caoilte MacLean returns to The Modern Warrior Podcast for a deep conversation about what has changed since his last appearance. He speaks about his mother getting sick, swinging from being “too loose” to becoming overly militant, and trying to find center again. He reflects on sobriety, drinking, judgment, skating, living in Poland, social media, healing, community, “the void,” engagement, fatherhood, spontaneity, and what it means to enjoy the passage of time.

This episode has been sponsored by https://beearthkind.ie/

Shownotes

Shownotes (with Timecodes)

00:00 – Caoilte returns to the podcast and reflects on changes since June 2024.

01:00 – His mother getting sick and how it changed his life.

01:51 – Swinging from being “too loose” to becoming overly militant with habits and structure.

03:30 – Turning self-discipline into another form of escapism.

05:00 – Returning to alcohol and redefining the relationship with it.

06:30 – The difference between drinking for enjoyment vs. drinking to escape.

07:56 – Discovering skateboarding and using risk as a healthy outlet.

08:00 – Living abroad (Hungary, Vienna, Lithuania, Poland) and gaining perspective.

10:30 – Being alone for the first time and “finding himself.”

12:30 – Community, friendships, and support systems.

15:38 – Social media as a tool vs. an addiction.

18:30 – Content creation, responsibility, and helping others.

22:00 – Dealing with criticism, hate, and real-life confrontations.

26:00 – Healing, decision-making, and taking action without certainty.

30:22 – The concept of “The Void” and learning not to run from it.

35:00 – Sitting with discomfort vs. distracting yourself.

40:00 – Cannabis, mushrooms, intention, and coping vs. healing.

52:18 – Engagement, love, and what it represents in a relationship.

54:00 – The meaning of life: enjoying the passage of time.

55:42 – Thoughts on fatherhood, responsibility, and spontaneity.

58:00+ – Living spontaneously, travel, and keeping life fluid.

01:00:00+ – Productivity vs. living, memory-making, and enjoying life fully.

Memorable Quotes

“You can mistake progress for productivity.”
“I just turned it into another drug.”
“It’s me having the power over the alcohol instead of the alcohol having power over me.”
“Do it when you’re smiling, not to make yourself smile.”
“It’s the safest thing I have found that makes me feel in danger.”
“There’s no value in judging other people.”
“The way people talk to you and treat you is almost 100% to tell they’re talking to themselves.”
“You don’t have to make a decision today that then lasts the rest of your life.”
“I think the meaning of life is just to enjoy the passage of time.”
“The only criteria for a good life is that you enjoyed living it.”
“If you had more days when you went, ‘That was pretty good,’ then you went, ‘Oh shit, good life.’”
“The magic in life that seems to be missing is because you’re not looking for it hard enough.”
“That’s a productive day. It’s not a good day.”
“You should also be putting things on there that make you at the end of the day go, ‘That’s a memory. I’ll remember that forever.’”
“Prioritising, enjoying being alive, not just living efficiently.”