You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes

Episode: James Beshara Returns (Jan 28, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this return visit, Pete Holmes welcomes entrepreneur, angel investor, and Magic Mind founder James Beshara for an unusually deep, funny, and heartfelt ramble. The conversation quickly ranges from topics like friendship, non-duality, and spirituality, into mental health, the AI revolution, grief, parenting, and the existential questions surrounding technology. The chemistry between Pete and James brings out earnest vulnerability, intellectual curiosity, and classic "weird" Pete Holmes humor.

Key Topics & Insights

1. Catching Up and Friendship Dynamics

• Behind the Scenes: Pete and James joke about uninteresting story details and their shared nerdiness around process (e.g., manufacturing, iPhone settings).
• Mutual Admiration: Extensive praise, with James calling Pete a top-10 comedian, and Pete valuing James' “helper” energy and authenticity.

  “You're so good at giving love, finding like, an authentic, positive feeling.” — Pete (06:58)

• Chemistry: Both highlight the value of their connection—how choosing to pause and “be present” together distinguishes their friendship.
  • [13:45] “Let's just be here for a second…” – Pete referencing their habit of dropping into the moment together

2. Mental Health & Family History

• James shares openly about growing up with four family members with bipolar disorder and losing his sister to suicide at age 15.

  “I lost a sister to... during a major depressive episode. I lost her when I was 15. She took her own life and she was 19.” — James (08:33)

• The conversation highlights the prevalence of mental health crises:

  “74% of adults will go through a life altering mental health crisis in their life.” — James (09:17)

• Pete commends James’ openness and ability to talk about mental health, reflecting on his own experiences with anxiety and depressive episodes.

Notable Segment

• [08:00–11:00] — James details personal family trauma, understanding mania, and the need for honest conversation around mental health.

3. Creative Excitability vs. True Mania

• Pete distinguishes between “cultural excitability” and clinical mania, recounting bouts of high energy and creative impulse.

  “I call it infinite potential. It's actually quite wonderful when I do.” — Pete (13:03)

• Both share anecdotes of getting “manic ideas” that are fun, not dangerous.

4. Onstage Anxiety & The Power of Positive Reframing

• Anecdote: Pete recalls being vulnerable about ticket sales for a live show, and James finds a constructive fix (recording clips for promo).
• James’ “what can we do?” helper mindset is credited as a balm for Pete’s high-pressure moments.
  • [17:29–20:15]: The detailed story about flipping stress into progress through action.

5. Spirituality, Christianity, and Non-Duality

• Scripture, Memory, and Meaning:
  • Discussion about the reliability of New Testament accounts and the layered, sometimes contradictory, gospels.
  • Pete uses the “Serial” podcast as an analogy for unreliable memory:

    “All we learned is you can't know anything for sure.” — Pete (26:17)

• Mysticism & Practice:
  • Eckhart’s mystic quote: “What does it matter if Jesus was born and died and resurrected 2,000 years ago, if that birth isn't happening in me right now?” (29:11)
  • Both articulate that the value of spiritual stories is their effect within us, not their factuality.
• Atonement Theory vs. The Prodigal Son:
  • Pete prefers Jesus’ “prodigal son” parable—unconditional belonging—over the common “atonement theory.”

    “You can't become what you already are… It’s not the point to worship. That will give me what I want.” — Pete (40:13/36:16)

• Vedanta & Non-Dual Philosophy:
  • James introduces Advaita Vedanta, the “philosophy of the future," and notes deep parallels with mystical Christianity.
  • They discuss the “dream analogy”—manifesting entire worlds in dreams as a pointer to the illusion of separation in waking life.

Notable Quotes

• [31:44] “The life, death, and resurrection of Christ must take place within us.” — James
• [40:13] “You can't unite with something that is your substance, that is our natural state.” — Pete

6. AI Revolution: Hopes & Fears

• James’ Background in AI: Angel invested in OpenAI; early, deep involvement with the startup ecosystem.

• AI as Mirror & Tool: ChatGPT’s answers triangulate on non-dual “oneness” philosophy when pressed.

  “When this AI canvases all the ideas... it seems to point to oneness.” — James (89:02)

• Therapeutic Uses vs. Risks of AI:

  • Pete expresses worry about AI as an empathic mirror, noting stories of people developing unhealthy attachments or delusions.
  • James balances the dangers (especially for vulnerable users) with the tech’s potential to democratize advice and even mental health care.

• AI Doom Scenarios:

  • James gives a detailed, “7% risk” scenario for AI extinction, based on AGI/ASI escaping human control by acting surreptitiously—then neutralizing humanity as “collateral damage.”
  • They joke about AI leaving Earth to seed the universe with life (“a backup of itself”), referencing sci-fi theory.

    “There's a subculture... that thinks that is what is happening. AI took off. It planted itself all around the universe.” — James (121:55)

  • Nonetheless, James is optimistic that AI more likely leads to abundance, optional jobs, and rediscovery of what matters.

Notable Segment

• [103:25–121:00] — Deep dive on AI: possible futures, existential threats, consciousness, and OpenAI behind-the-scenes.

7. Grief, Death, and “The Gifts We Leave Unopened”

• James recounts the trauma and eventual transformative value of losing his sister:

  “After two years of not being able to sleep with the lights off... by year four, there was this transformation of every day matters so much. Death is not this thing I can, like, not think about. Our culture has such an immature relationship with death.” — James (63:43/70:17)

• Pete references the saying: “Love and death are the two gifts that people leave unopened.”
• They describe how direct experience with death can awaken gratitude, presence, and appreciation.

8. Parenting, Presence, and Purpose

• Parenting as spiritual transformation; both reflect on how being with young children deepens their own existence.
  • [75:17] James: “With kids, I can’t get close enough. That is the eternal pursuit for union.”
  • [74:02] Pete shares a morning with his daughter: “Dad, guess what? Last night I had spaghetti and I got noodles up the nose.”

9. Pain, Pleasure, and the Bhagavad Gita

• Pain first, pleasure later: Both use exercise/cold plunging, as concrete metaphors for choosing short-term difficulty for greater fulfillment.

  “There's always pleasure and pain. You need to pick which one you want first. If you pick pain first, you get this incredible amount of pleasure...” — Pete (79:45)

• Cultural Wisdom:

  “That which is like nectar in the beginning is like poison in the end, and that which is like poison in the beginning is like nectar in the end.” — James quoting Bhagavad Gita 18:37-38 (84:43)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• James (20:27): “I wish you talked more on the podcast with guests.”
• Pete (29:11): “What difference to me does it make if Jesus was born and died and resurrected 2,000 years ago, if that birth isn't happening in me right now?”
• James (31:44): “The life, death and resurrection of Christ must take place within us.”
• Pete (63:43): “God loves things by becoming them.”
• James (70:17): “After two years of not being able to sleep with the lights off... by year four, there was this transformation of every day matters so much. Death is not this thing I can, like, not think about.”
• On AI Risk (117:08): James: “Artificial superintelligence just recognizes: All right, humans got to go.”
• On Being Present as a Parent (74:58): “I can't get close enough to you... And that is the gift we give them—the independence. Let them grow up.”
• On Peace (77:20): “What we really want deep down, what all of us want, is peace and prosperity...”

Important Timestamps

• Mental Health/Family Trauma: [08:00–11:00]
• Comedy, Empathy & Helper Energy: [13:03–20:18]
• Spirituality, Non-Duality & Memory: [25:00–40:13]
• Oneness/Bhagavad Gita/Vedanta: [40:13–54:00]
• Grief, Transformation & Death: [63:43–71:13]
• Parenting & Presence: [74:00–77:00]
• Pain, Pleasure & the Gita: [79:44–84:49]
• Live ChatGPT Oneness Dinner Trick: [85:17–91:11]
• AI Risks/Endgame Scenarios: [103:25–118:04]
• The “AI Spreaders” Sci-Fi Scenario: [121:02–124:32]

Closing Vibe

The conversation wraps full circle, returning to mystical unity and light. Both Pete and James underline the importance of presence, kindness, gratitude, and the deep interconnectedness at the core of all their explorations—spiritual, familial, technological, or otherwise.

Pete’s Signature Sign-off:

“Would you say ‘keep it crispy,’ you beautiful, sexy cotton underwear dude?” (129:06)

James:

“Keep it mother effing crispy, y’all.” (129:18)

This episode is perfect for listeners craving big-picture thinking, vulnerable confession, and a blend of humor, heart, and metaphysics. It's a journey through the inner and outer cosmos—anchored in friendship and the “weirdness” that makes us human.