Podcast Summary: You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes – Ryan Hurst (March 6, 2024)

Episode Overview

This three-hour episode features actor, voice artist, and Kundalini yoga teacher Ryan Hurst (known for Sons of Anarchy, Remember the Titans, and voicing Thor in God of War, Ragnarok). The conversation between Pete Holmes and Ryan is a sprawling, high-vibe exploration of spirituality, comedy craft, creative energy, synchronicity, and personal transformation. Listeners are treated to stories spanning Hollywood, Kundalini yoga, alien encounters, and deep dives into what makes life, art, and connection both weird and wonderful.

Tone: Playful, spiritual, sincere, tangential, and filled with mutual admiration.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Kindred Spirits & Synchronicity (02:55–08:44)

• Fan-Mutuality: Ryan shares that he’s a longtime You Made It Weird listener and was profoundly moved by similarities with Pete’s spiritual perspective, especially after reading Pete’s book.

  • (05:04) “I have never heard somebody give voice to a very, very private… insatiable, tender wonder that you have for what is all of this.” – Ryan

• Synchronicity: Both reflect on how simply “being out here” and sending a message can lead to transformative opportunities.

  • (03:43) “They all had one thing in common, which is like, we out here, you know, just kind of being around.” – Pete

• Hero’s Journey Parallels: They joke about archetypes and rarely finding another “Luke Skywalker” (08:06), likening their meeting to Shaun of the Dead’s alternate-universe scene.

2. Mystical & Spiritual Influences (07:07–16:13)

• Joseph Campbell: Both credit Campbell with expanding their spiritual worldviews and map this onto their lives and artistic work.
  • (07:12) “For me, one of the reasons I was so intrigued… Joseph Campbell… archetypal, metaphorical, mystical stories.” – Ryan
• Ram Dass & Teachers: Personal stories about meeting spiritual teachers and having “face-melting” mystical experiences.
  • (08:48) “Your face melting… guru experience. Same thing happened to me when I met my teacher.” – Ryan
• Power of Myth: Pete and Ryan praise Campbell’s accessible pop culture teachings, especially The Power of Myth.
  • (15:39) “He’s Obi Wan.” – Pete

3. Comedy, Art, and "Going for Broke" (17:14–23:57)

• Role Models: Robin Williams was Ryan’s childhood hero; Ryan tells the story of working with him on Patch Adams.
  • (24:11) “He grabs my hand, pulls it to his chest and leans into me and just goes, ‘that’ll get me through today.’” – Ryan ([24:11])
• Giving it All: Both discuss the importance of attacking their art “like your hair’s on fire” (22:46), citing a Tibetan saying.
  • (22:46) “Meditate like your hair’s on fire… Look, you came here to do it. Do it.” – Ryan
• Comedy as Sacred Play: The necessity of committing fully, “play with all your strength”, and creating life-energy through performance.
  • (20:19) “Play with all your strength. … Not to win, but to play with everything you’ve got.” – Ryan

4. The Energy of Gratitude and Human Connection (26:49–32:13)

• Gratitude Practice: Pete talks about deepening his gratitude practice and truly absorbing compliments from fans.
  • (25:19) “I’m hitting save on it so hard and connecting with them so hard... Now I’m really trying to mean it and embody it and have a moment.” – Pete
• Energetic Exchange: Ryan and Pete explore the special energy in fan/artist encounters—offering and receiving the “best versions” of themselves and recognizing light in each other.
  • (28:37) “They’re projecting a very heightened, happy, perfect part of themselves onto you. And that exchange can be as precious.” – Ryan
• “Having the Same Dream”: Being present with others, especially in a creative context or fan interaction, so you inhabit the same “dream” rather than parallel but divided experiences.

5. On Structure, Prana, and Rhythm (38:06–39:55)

• Creative Structure: Watching Spielberg direct taught Ryan the power of preparation plus adaptability—a lesson Pete connects to his own life.
• Rhythm Equals Energy: In both dog training and yoga, creating predictable, positive rhythms generates trust, reduces stress hormones, and boosts creativity.
  • (38:20) “Prana, or energy, is king of the mind. … The king of prana is rhythm. So what is rhythm? It’s that you can predict this is going to happen. … We’re no different.” – Ryan
  • (39:08) “I’m going after life energy and then if I can make my day as much like this, I can produce more of it.” – Pete

6. Dog Training, Fitness, “Shoulds” vs. Curiosity (46:04–54:53)

• Change by Curiosity, Not Fear: Both reject aversive, “should”-based motivation. Instead, curiosity and genuine desire, in both humans and dogs, foster real engagement.
  • (46:50) “Teaching your kid is like holding a gun to your kid and saying, make your bed. … You’re not teaching them to make their bed. You’re teaching them to be afraid of you.” – Ryan
• Push vs. Pull Motivation: Pete and Ryan share techniques to reframe fitness/creative goals from fear/obligation ("push") to positive, aspirational "pulls."
  • (50:20) “A push is, ‘I should work out.’ A pull is, ‘If I exercise, I’ll be an inspiration to my daughter…’” – Pete

7. Non-Duality, Service, and The Value of the Finite (55:11–62:22)

• Non-Dual/Finite Paradox: The most fulfilling experiences come when holding both ultimate reality (non-duality) and everyday life (the finite) together.
  • (57:35) “Holding both ultimate reality and relative reality. That’s a big interest for me.” – Pete
• Service as Spiritual Fulfillment: The path leads not to detachment but to happiness and service, echoing Buddhist and Vedantic teachings.
  • (61:18) “To be of service… in that state of bliss when you’re of service… it feels fucking fantastic. You’re high as a kite.” – Ryan

8. Everything as Transformation – Growth, Ego, and Story (63:14–66:58)

• Growing Bigger Circles: Life, relationships, family, and creative projects all serve as ways of experiencing “larger and larger versions of ourselves.”
• Mythic Structure of Awakening: Fairy tales and hero’s journeys resonate because they mirror our unconscious knowledge that we’re “royal”—divine by origin.
  • (65:13) “I thought I was an orphan living under the stairs. But my parents are, to use his [Rohr’s] word, divine… I have royal blood. And waking up to that… changes everything.” – Pete

9. Kundalini Yoga & The Guru-Student Dynamic (67:29–108:24)

• Kundalini Path: Ryan details his journey into Kundalini yoga, influenced by Joseph Campbell, then a fateful meeting with teacher Tej—described as a “Yoda”, both nurturing and fierce.

  • (83:05) “Kundalini is known as the mother yoga… it uses kriyas… asanas, meditations, mudras and mantra… all of these things to reach this non-dualistic heightened state.” – Ryan

• Transmission & Teaching: Ryan reflects on the sacredness of the teacher-student and guru-disciple relationship.

  • (94:17) “When I find a teacher that I trust… it’s all or nothing. It’s empty cup, fill it.” – Ryan

• On Being a Student and Teacher: Initially resistant to teaching yoga, Ryan learned to see his perspective as a possible service, echoing themes of authentic transmission over ego-driven "teaching."

  • (107:29) “I did not want to be the teacher… But slowly I came back out… I did have some perspective that could be of service.” – Ryan

10. Comedy Craft, Vulnerability, Taste and Energy (113:08–121:38)

• Essence > Punchlines: Great comedy transcends punchlines; it’s about sharing an essence and merging with the audience, evoking “energy” more than laughs.
  • (118:02) “You wanted to be at that guy’s lunch table. The jokes… were an excuse to hang out in his energy.” – Pete (about Mitch Hedberg)
• Vulnerability Breeds Greatness: The best work happens in vulnerability and risk. Stand-up, or any art, is where uncertainty meets personal authenticity.
  • (119:28) “What’s coming out when Mitch says, ‘you don’t like me yet?’ It’s a little bit of acknowledging fear, which is a great thing to do… to label it.” – Pete

11. Spiritual Upbringing, Sikhism, and Synchronicity (134:32–140:01)

• Sikh Identity: Ryan feels deeply “at home” in Sikhism, finding it to be uniquely centered on service and vibration, with a non-dual (ego-dissolving) core.

  • (135:26) “There hasn’t been any dogma that I have personally run into that is not anything but welcoming and of service.” – Ryan

• Synchronicity Magnet: His life is filled with extraordinary coincidences, like discovering his high school drama teacher received his doctorate thanks to Ryan’s father on a gameshow.

12. Parenting, Love, and Transformation (141:45–146:16)

• Parenting Practiced as Divine Service: Both discuss parenting as gardening, being a “space heater” (guardian presence), and modeling abundance.

  • (141:57) “At the end of the day, what are we? …We’re going to be a voice in their head, an experience, and a guardian angel, trying to help them along.” – Ryan

• Faith and Letting Go: The wisdom in “walking away”—giving a child space and implicit faith—is the ultimate mic drop in loving parenting.

  • (144:48) “I just want you to know that the people that you’re hanging out with [doing drugs], you have so much more to lose than they do. [And] walked away.” – Ryan’s mother

13. “Wow” and Perception (148:58–150:24)

• Being in “Wow”: The spiritual aim is to live in a state of “wow”—perpetual awe and openness, as exemplified by Ram Dass in his later years.

  • (149:17) “Every atom of us is not enveloped in wow. …Wow is that place.” – Ryan

• Survival Mind vs. Vulnerability: Survival instincts try to resist “wow,” but it’s in vulnerability and awe that transformation happens.

  • (149:28) “Don’t do wow, look at exits. …But ‘wow’ is… being vulnerable enough to actually allow something new.” – Pete

14. UFOs, Out of Body Experiences, and the Edge of Weird (161:01–172:32)

• Out-of-Body Experiences: Ryan describes childhood spontaneous OBEs (out of body experiences) and lucid dreaming. Pete shares curiosity but personal apprehension about such states.

• UFO Encounter: Ryan details an intense, “fully awake” alien visitation, marked by an explosion of white light, a gray being, and a sense of “total absence of emotion.” After “asking to go on the ship,” he is abruptly returned to a dream state—solidifying his belief in the event’s otherworldly nature.

  • (168:24) “I sit up, I’m vibrating… and I look in the doorway. Token fucking little alien dude… Gray. Classic the business. Eyes, big head, gray… there was nothing. There’s no emotion.” – Ryan

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Play and Art:
  • “Play with all your strength. It’s not play to win, it’s play with everything you’ve got.” – Ryan (20:19)
• On Spiritual Paradox:
  • “The finite is the gateway to the infinite.” – Pete (Richard Rohr paraphrase, 57:35)
• On Service:
  • “To become nothing but service is the height of the height.” – Ryan (61:58)
• On Parenting:
  • “We live to be our children’s ghosts.” – Pete (142:21)
• On Teaching/Energy:
  • “If you tune into the teaching… even the dirt from a holy man's clothes will make you clean.” – Ryan (104:48)
• On Wow:
  • “Every atom of us is not enveloped in wow.” – Ryan (149:17)

Notable Timestamps

• Star Wars analogies, “meeting another Frodo” – 08:06
• Working with Robin Williams – 24:11
• Power of ritual, gratitude, and energy – 25:19–32:13
• Spielberg, structure and adaptation – 35:06–39:55
• Push/Pull and identity in self-improvement – 50:20
• Kundalini yoga origins and teaching – 67:29–108:24
• Comedy, artistic essence, and vulnerability – 113:08–121:38
• Parenting wisdom, faith, and “walking away” – 141:45–145:11
• Out-of-body/UFO stories – 161:01–172:32

Memorable Moments

• Robin Williams grabs Ryan’s hand, “that’ll get me through today” ([24:11])
• Ryan’s Kundalini “guru meets student” moment with Tej
• Ryan’s childhood drama teacher got his doctorate from winnings alongside Ryan’s dad on a game show
• Ryan’s OBE bike accident, watching himself walk home from a tree ([166:23])
• UFO/alien visitation: “Oh, I get why people are afraid of you” ([168:42])

Conclusion

This episode weaves together spirituality, the mechanics of comedy, creative energy, service, and the joy of curiosity. Through stories and insights, Pete and Ryan model a living, breathing hero’s journey—inviting listeners to embrace their own weirdness, dive into wonder, and recognize awe and service as sacred practices.

Keep it crispy!