Steven Bartlett - Aubrey Marcus

1) Aubrey Marcus, the CEO of Onnit, discusses his mission in life and how it has evolved from a desire to be big into a desire to serve the world in the best way possible. He talks about the importance of recognizing the power of our thoughts and beliefs and using them to create our own reality. He emphasizes the need for self-love and shifting the mindset away from being a victim to being a sovereign being who uses challenges as opportunities for personal growth. Step one, according to Marcus, starts with the self.

2) Aubrey talks about the importance of community and the need to move away from an individualistic society towards a more holistic group consciousness. He explains that individuals should share their skills and resources with their community to create a more interconnected and supportive environment. He then goes on to discuss how people need to tell a different, unifying story that focuses on the common good rather than divisive narratives driven by fear. By living a new story that is full of love and laughter, people will be attracted to this more positive mindset and way of living.

3) Aubrey discusses the importance of having a relationship with God and the cosmos, and how it affects the trajectory of our souls from this life and every other life. He clarifies that God is not the violent, limiting conception that many people have and encourages a cosmic understanding of life, death, and the unique gifts that we, as individuals, tribes, and people can offer to the Earth and the cosmos. Aubrey also discusses how his parents' break-up at two years old brought significant ramifications that allowed him to have four parents, two biological, and two step-parents, shaping his understanding of what it means to be a man, as well as the positive and negative aspects he learned from them.

4) Aubrey talks about how he experienced a moment of rage towards an employee in his office, which shifted his perspective and taught him the importance of breaking a lineage of trauma. He recounts how his father had similar patterns of anger and how he broke the cycle by using tools such as psychedelic medicine.

5) Aubrey discusses how his need for approval and love from his father shaped his behavior throughout his life. He explains how his father's reactions to his basketball game performances and casual remark during a ping pong game made him focus on his speech and the consequences that may follow, leading to him being a good listener and communicator, although at a cost of not being present in the moment. Marcus acknowledges that his experience is not unique and highlights the importance of awareness in recognizing patterns of behavior that may stem from childhood experiences.

6) Aubrey discusses his personal path with psychedelics and the benefits of different psychonautic technologies. He emphasizes the potential for growth and self-exploration through sensory deprivation tanks, sweat lodges, breath work, and various plant medicines. Marcus believes these psychonautic technologies can be beneficial if held responsibly and approached in a way that is supportive and accretive to one's life. He reflects on how his own use of psychedelics has helped him gain a deeper understanding of his own inner cosmos and believes that this is the key to understanding the cosmos as a whole.

7) Aubrey discusses the early failures and setbacks he experienced as an entrepreneur. Despite having a marketing company, Marcus was frequently fired by clients and struggled to find success in his various business ventures. It took a combination of personal growth, exploration, and lucky timing for Marcus to finally achieve success. He eventually met   and convinced him to advertise his client's sex toy on the podcast. In exchange, Marcus asked for a 30-minute coffee meeting with Rogan, which turned into dinner and helped lay the foundation for Marcus's $400 million company, Onnit.

8) Rollercoaster ride of fear, anxiety, worry, stress, and mistakes. Therefore, it's essential to see the market correctly and how difficult it is out there. When you can see it accurately, then you can make it happen, and that's when you need to push all your chips in, focus, and turn all your energy into a single point and push forward with everything you've got. Therefore, it's a key to see success accurately and prepare for the obstacles that you will inevitably meet along the way.

9) Aubrey talked about the adversity his company faced when they experienced a security breach that compromised their customer data. Despite being an early stage company in 2013-2014, he chose to be transparent and honest with their customers by sending a company-wide email and offering discounts as compensation. This move ended up building more trust with their customers, who viewed the company and Marcus more favorably due to the authenticity of thesituation. Marcus emphasizes the importance of being guided by a strong set of values when facing unseen challenges that could harm the company. He alsoaddresses the issue of competition, saying that it should motivate entrepreneurs to craft a better experience and product for their consumers.

10) Aubrey discusses how he and his company were able to make it through a tight spot, thanks to their honesty and good faith in their relationships with others. He also talks about his desire to be a visionary founder rather than a CEO, and how he plans to work with competent operators to guide different projects and brands. Additionally, he mentions his involvement in other endeavors, such as a book and media production, and his sponsorship partnership with Whoop.

11) Aubrey shares his experience with polyamory and how he approached the idea with his significant partner at the time, Whitney Miller. He explains how he had a natural desire to be with multiple women but didn't want to cheat on his partner, so he proposed the idea of polyamory to her. However, he didn't realize the emotional toll it would take on him when Whitney had her first lover. Aubrey also shares a lesson he learned about not competing in someone else's strengths but instead focusing on being the best version of oneself.

12) Aubrey discusses his experience with polyamory and how it challenged him to face different boundaries that he thought he had. He explains that while he had beautiful relationships with the paramours outside of his primary partnership, he eventually realized that he was not fully okay with his partner seeing other people. Marcus admits that he gave it his best effort but was not able to master it. He also discusses how the cultural zeitgeist does not support polyamory yet, and that it may be a journey of growth and evolution for those willing to take it on.

13) Aubrey discusses the evolutionary biology and genetic support behind the concept of polyamory. They also delve into the idea of the importance of community, and how it's necessary for the tribe to be in love, thriving, energetic, and full of life force. Aubrey also talks about how, for him, the successful implementation of polyamory is aided by his ego's ability to observe and compare itself to someone else's situation. The conversation culminates with Aubrey's love story about his partner, Vilana, and how her love for him has taken him by surprise, making him realize that he never knew he could love somebody the way he loves her.

14) Aubrey discusses the importance of going into the deep together in a relationship and not compromising. He mentions using plant medicine journeys to resolve big issues between partners and how it has helped clear their connection and intimacy. Aubrey also reflects on the timing that played a role in meeting his partner and how he needed to experience himself to be ready to receive her. He goes on to talk about the importance of learning how to master emotions during conflict resolution, being aware of triggers, and developing right practices to deal with them.

15) Aubrey shares some conflict resolution techniques he and his partner, Vilana, have developed in their relationship. He stresses the importance of taking radical ownership of one's actions and being completely honest with oneself to avoid accumulating resentment over time. Aubrey also mentions strategies such as using a magic word to enter a new level of conversation, calling parlay to negotiate, and having a construct called Bedrock to remind themselves of the deepest state of their love. He emphasizes the importance of constant work, communication, and conflict resolution in any relationship.

16) Aubrey talks about the importance of being able to confront one's own ego and faults, and how it is a difficult challenge that takes time and work. He highlights that the plants, specifically Ayahuasca, helped him stay honest with himself and held accountable to the truth. He also discusses the evolution of his consciousness and how it led him to being more accountable and humble, to be able to look back and see that he "could have been a lot better." Aubrey admits that he still struggles with these things, but they become smaller and smaller over time, and the time it takes for him to own up and apologize is shortening, showing his evolution in the process.

17) Aubrey discusses his reliance on stimulants to stay alert, such as caffeine, nicotine, and kratom, as well as sleep medication to help him sleep. He acknowledges that these medications are not good for him, particularly the sleep medication, and fears that he is stuck in a loop where he can't sleep, feels the need to take the medication, and is then stuck relying on these chemicals. However, he also knows that he needs to give himself time and space to let his neurochemistry reset and to phase out these stimulants, but he hasn't prioritized it enough.

18) Aubrey discusses forgiveness, explaining that true forgiveness is the place of love that sees no wrong. He believes that it takes time to get there, and when one is able to get to that place where they wouldn't have changed anything, that's where real forgiveness is. Aubrey adds that forgiving Empire, which refers to the construct of a top-down manipulative dystopian control, is difficult for him because there has been so much pain, loss, and unnecessary suffering caused by it. However, Aubrey shares his hope that the resistance of this force of empire will result in full fellowship forming.