The Tony Wong Podcast

This podcast is about what it feels like to live in the tech industry. Viewers will get an inside view into the lives of tech industry leaders- inside their hearts and minds, their struggles and triumphs both professionally and personally.

EP017: Everything We Were Told About Food is Wrong, Part 2 03/18/2021

EP016: Everything We Were Told About Food is Wrong, Part 1 03/03/2021

EP015: Have you Been Meditating Right? A Zen Master Weighs in 01/28/2021

EP014: Finding Flow with Big Mind (Genpo Roshi) 01/14/2021

EP013: Pandemic Opportunities, Using Zen to Puzzle your Purpose — and Maybe Even The Meaning of Life 01/07/2021

EP012: Body Shop with Meki Blackwell 11/20/2020

EP011: Changing Mindsets with Big Mind 11/06/2020

EP010: Applying Neuroscience to Choosing Winning Mindsets 10/21/2020

EP009: Pandemic Dating, Chasing Unicorns And Brutal Honesty 09/04/2020

EP008: Pandemic Dating, Masculinity and Changing Expectations — A Fireside Chat With Andrea, Jenna, Kanani and Tony 08/06/2020

EP007: You Are Not Who You Think You Are — Your Thoughts, Beliefs and Emotions Do Not Define You with Noel Wax, CEO Groundswell Group 07/16/2020

EP007: You Are Not Who You Think You Are — Your Thoughts, Beliefs and Emotions Do Not Define You with Noel Wax, CEO Groundswell Group The last two episodes covered the competitive, one-sided, optimized-for-profit nature of the tech industry and the tools it produced to perpetuate its own wealth, as well as the rise in popularity of meditation, which has the side-effect of enabling the possibility of peaceful opposing beliefs, and shrinking the divide between ‘us’ and ‘them.’ Today’s topic is on the sense of self, who we think we are versus the perception others have of us and where, within those often opposing concepts, lies the truth. Noel Wax, CEO of the Groundswell group and long time friend of Tony’s, joins the show today to shed some light on why he sees himself as an introvert when this comes as a huge surprise for Tony and many, many other people — he also shares a cool hack on how to seem super extroverted when you’re really not. Key Takeaways [:09] Tony introduces Noel Wax and launches the conversation on the sense of self as perceived by the individual as well as by others and the ramifications that these often conflicting views entail. The edge of a precipice [2:40] Tony, Noel, and Ron agree that the general feeling and energy of current times feel like an oncoming paradigm shift. A telling webinar [5:40] Tony shares the recent moment he realized that his long-time friend thought of himself as an introvert — 35 years of friendship pointed in the other direction, it seemed. Tony offers an explanation: people’s perception of a person is reality. What he argues isn’t reality are the thoughts and beliefs and the sh*t that goes on in people’s heads. Alignment and Nirvana [13:11] Noel contends that regardless of where reality lies, aiming to align what you think of yourself with what people think of you is an unattainable goal. Even if it sounds like nirvana. The stakes hack [15:44] If you hear people say the same thing about you over and over, isn’t that you? Noel shares a personal experience where he came off as fearless — it’s a lot easier when there is nothing at stake. The ice cream bar of the social self [19:21] Ron offers that this extroverted introvert conundrum may just be one of the many flavors of imposter syndrome. The iterative cycles of you [22:55] Noel speaks to his inability to sit back and take in things before talking. And shares his perspectives on who Noel is today. The tug of war for a shared reality [27:34] Ron talks about everyone living in the reality they created, trying to integrate their loved ones and create a kind of shared perception space. He also touches on how the economic pressures and social media contribute to the shaping of this perceived reality, so figuring out who you are today is difficult. Being deliberate about the choices we make and how they impact what reality you create around yourself takes a lot of energy. A continuum of self [30:30] Tony speaks to his own ideas as to what makes you who you are, namely consciousness and choice. The self is on an ever-evolving continuum and changes at every moment with every environmental input and output from choices and consciousness. The algorithm [31:44] Noel speaks to his fears surrounding the subtle pressures that our modern environment exercises on us to guide our decisions. Our awareness of these pressures and the control we exercise on the choice we make shape our sense of self. Though the blue pill of ignorance does have its charms. An influential monolith [33:40] Pressure to conform to a certain set of beliefs has been around since the advent of religion. Radio and television made their appearance and changed the way the ideological pressure could be delivered to the masses. Today we are seeing the rise of a monolithic source of social pressure in the form of personal hand-held devices. The algorithms used also contribute to an ever-narrowing source of information. Active combat [37:01] Free will is in short supply, Tony breaks down the influences on our free will and agency, and it boils down to far too little — if none at all, according to some. That should be super frightening for Americans (especially to those who storm the barricades in the name of personal freedom for a simple mask-wearing injunction!) Ron shares the story of his elderly mother’s radicalizing email feed. Noel has a weird Instagram [41:00] because Noel’s IG is used for work, the algorithm is populating his feed with a plethora of things that he thinks don’t reflect who he is. But finding varied information sources is not that easy, and making your own choice and opinion is becoming increasingly challenging. Indoctrination [44:24] Ron flew in on Delta; he recounts an incident on his flight in… [46:59] Tony recaps the episode and offers a few thoughts and highlights. Thanks for tuning in. More about your hosts Podcast: Agile Coaching: Executive Coaching: Twitter: LinkedIn: Youtube: Co-host Ron Williams on LinkedIn: More about our guest Noel Wax on Noel Wax on /episode/index/show/tonywong/id/15234590

EP006: The Beginnings of a Red Pill — Meditation as a Tool to Break Systemic Indoctrination 06/26/2020

EP005: Technological Tools of Wealth, Power and Control — The Role of Tech Culture and Elitism in Fostering Inequality 06/15/2020

EP004: Developing Remote Muscles is Critical, A Venture Capital Perspective 05/29/2020

EP003: Tech Communication Culture: Hits & Misses 05/15/2020

EP002: Being Physically, Emotionally, and Mentally Fit in Tech 04/24/2020

EP002: Being Physically, Emotionally, and Mentally Fit in Tech Today’s episode is all about being physically, mentally, and emotionally fit in tech. Steve Mescon — former gaming industry professional — now experiments with, invests in, and supports a wide range of performance-enhancing products and companies; he joins the show to talk about optimizing performance. From stem cells to psychedelics, follow us down the rabbit hole… Welcome to the Tony Wong podcast! IMPORTANT NOTE: This interview and associated content are in no way an endorsement or recommendation that anyone should do Ketamine, Psilocybin, DMT, or any other illegal drugs — there is nothing you cannot achieve or do on your own through dedicated self-improvement, meditation, or spiritual practices. Key Takeaways [:09] Tony introduces today’s guest, Steve Mescon, who spent over 10 years at Riot Games, most recently as the General Manager for North American publishing at Riot Games. Being a visible person [4:57] Steve touches on why he agreed to come on the podcast and what skills he is aiming to develop on his journey to becoming a more public-facing person. 30,000 simple tricks! [7:59] Steve worked his way from 420 to 184 pounds without any medical intervention. He uses a backpack metaphor to explain how he managed this impressive feat, with all of its ups and downs and getting lost in the process. What is the first trick then? [12:40] Steve had help from a bit of an OCD personality, but the first trick is to never stop going for your goal. Change the path, the approach, the angle, the tools, and iterate but don’t stop. Determination and separation [15:29] Tony speaks of his late Navy Seal mentor as well as what he learned from martial arts in terms of embracing discomfort as part and parcel of any journey that leads to growth. Fixating is common in tech [18:00] Ron talks about his own mechanism for achieving long-term life goals — stacking and restacking dominoes — he also touches on how he deals with failures. He does caution that there is such a thing as too goal-driven! Ron’s dogs chime in on this fixation thing [ 20:41] Woof. Try them all [21:45] Steve, as a figure of speech, has tried ALL diets… he speaks to what works for him. Calorie counting, low carbs, Keto, Paleo, and finally Whole 30, which was his best all-around feel-good diet but was way too impractical to live in society with. Tony’s challenge! [24:17] Peptides, stem cell therapy, Infrared lasers, or 48- or 72-hour fast, the guys will choose one at the end of the episode! Infrared or roasting? [25:14] At Ron’s behest, Steve explains what infrared and near-infrared devices are and are purported to do, as well as how their use has personally impacted his life. Tony jumps in with his own experience with autoimmune responses to food and how the use of an infrared sauna has helped him tackle this issue. (bis) IMPORTANT NOTE: This interview and associated content are in no way an endorsement or recommendation that anyone should do Ketamine, Psilocybin, DMT, or any other illegal drugs — there is nothing you cannot achieve or do on your own through dedicated self-improvement, meditation, or spiritual practices. Micro... and other dosings [33:40] Steve talks about how the controlled and less controlled use of psychedelics has helped him broaden his range of personal and social understanding and goals, being more present, having more empathy, opening his mind, etc. — plus, you know, fun! He also speaks to the future of psychedelic use being freer and safer as science works to bridge the knowledge gap previously created by restriction and fear. Ron was raised to think psychedelics are super scary; he shares the story of when his daughter broke her arm in Hawai’i and how her long-seated depression was staved off when they used Ketamine to set her arm. Ayahuasca [43:17] Steve shares a brief summary of his first terrifying, explosive, fast-paced journey with a DMT () breakthrough and the rebuilding the index of self that followed. Stem cell therapy [49:45] Steve shares his love story with stem cell therapy and the varied experiences he’s had with them — so far he’s had injections in his wrist, his back, his knee, as well as an infusion of exosomes. The sources for the stem cells have varied from his own fat tissue to exosomes from embryonic tissue. Ron and Steve talk about the regulatory process that seems to lag behind the research — maybe even too far behind at this point — into biohacking and transhumanism as well as how this research and access can progress within the existing political, ethical and moral parameters. Wrap up and challenges! [1:01:36] The discussion turns towards fecal matter transplant and the opportunity for a startup! Tony’s challenge: peptides (BPC-157). Steve’s challenge: 48-hour fast, maybe with a few expletives. Ron’s challenge: peptides. Thanks for tuning in. Mentioned in this episode Books , by Michael Pollan , by Michael Pollan More about our guest on LinkedIn on Twitter More about your hosts Podcast: Agile Coaching: Executive Coaching: Twitter: LinkedIn: Youtube: Co-host Ron Williams on LinkedIn: /episode/index/show/tonywong/id/14125184

EP001: The Many Facets of Fear (and Tigers) in Startup 03/31/2020

The Tony Wong Podcast

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