Yogi (my editor) came down with double vision this week so the vlog couldn't ship. Recorded this AMA in a Canggu cafe before heading to the Gili Islands with Tommy and Mika.I went to Instagram and Facebook for questions and got through nine of them. We cover the obviously most important question (ten horse-sized ducks vs a hundred duck-sized horses), why I'm wary of going hard left or right politically, an update on my back (turns out I have an anterior pelvic tilt nobody else spotted), what I love and dislike about Bali life, my current relationship with social media, how I'm using AI as a daily reflection and decision-making tool, the females vs women debate, why most fitness advice doesn't apply to you, and the "you are enough" advice plus the daughter-marry-me test that I think actually matters.Plus an honest answer on dating in Bali at nine weeks in.awakenoutofcontext.comthechaptersystem.com If you enjoyed this episode, you may also enjoy these:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMebuClQRf09DvwNgIXJOsd6ca4azb7nQ🎙️ MY STUFFAwaken Out of Context: https://awakenoutofcontext.comThe Chapter System: https://thechaptersystem.com📍 Canggu, Bali#AwakenOutOfContext #BaliPodcast #AMA #AskMeAnything #YouAreEnough #PerformanceVsAuthenticity

In this special vlog-style episode of the Awaken Out Of Context Podcast, we head to the Blue Lagoon in Bali for more than just snorkeling. What starts as a "Coffee Crawl" turns into a deep dive into the human psyche.

We explore the concept of the "Performance Mask"—the characters we create to be loved or noticed—and whether we’re losing our true selves in the process. From tarot readings in a local bar to spiritual moments underwater, we discuss:

• The psychology of why we perform (and the "McConaughey Effect")
• Dismantling identity: Who are you when the cameras are off?
• The "Five Why’s" of finding your core mission.
• A spontaneous lesson in gratitude and the "Golden Days."

🌊 Join the conversation: Do you feel like you're playing a character in your daily life? Let us know in the comments.

• Timestamps:

  • 00:00 - Meeting Tommy & Morning Routine
  • 00:45 - The Coffee Crawl Begins
  • 01:06 - Meet Arie & The "Magic Wand"
  • 02:00 - Inventing the "Coffee Crawl"
  • 03:20 - Deep Talk: "Cook Chairs" & Performance
  • 05:48 - Men's Talk & Third Nipples?
  • 06:54 - Dismantling Feminism? (Jason Disagrees)
  • 09:02 - Tarot Readings & Business Advice
  • 11:51 - Mika's Goal: Helping People Achieve Potential
  • 16:05 - The "Younger Version" & Overcoming Shyness
  • 19:02 - The Performance Mask: Why We Perform
  • 22:20 - Analyzing the Character vs. The Self
  • 25:22 - Matthew McConaughey & The Art of "Cool"
  • 26:50 - The Impact of a Performance Society
  • 30:02 - Tattoos & Judging a Book by its Cover
  • 32:55 - Heath Ledger's Joker: The Extreme of Performance
  • 34:25 - Content Creation & "Audience Capture"
  • 37:05 - Spiritual Moment while Snorkeling
  • 38:43 - Meeting the Captain's Mother
  • 41:40 - Lost in Paradise: Looking for Mika & Tommy
  • 42:15 - Meeting Dorine & A Special Gift
  • 47:30 - Reuniting with Friends
  • 49:20 - Jason's Abstract Note for the Book

• 
  

  
  

  FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE

  Mika: https://www.instagram.com/micaturrin

  Tomi: https://www.instagram.com/nomadtomi

  
  

  📍 LOCATION

  Blue Lagoon Beach, Padang Bai, East Bali (about 90 minutes drive from Canggu)

  https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Blue+Lagoon+Beach+Padang+Bai+Bali

  
  

  📚 REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE

  Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey: https://www.amazon.com/Greenlights-Matthew-McConaughey/dp/0593139135

  The Five Whys method: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_whys

  
  

  🎙️ MY STUFF

  Awaken Out of Context: https://awakenoutofcontext.com

  The Chapter System: https://thechaptersystem.com

  
  

  —

  
  

  If this one lands, let me know. Subscribe and drop a review if you're enjoying the show. Subscribe to my newsletter at awakenoutofcontext.com.

  
  

  If you enjoyed this episode, you may also enjoy these:

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ky3sQEMwUM&list=PLMebuClQRf09N1EW4xaBRDZJQqPlDB_5B

  
  

  #AwakenOutOfContext #BaliPodcast #BlueLagoon #PadangBai #PerformanceVsAuthenticity #SnorkelingBali

  
  

I'd just finished my first CrossFit Murph workout and was buzzing. Late Saturday afternoon, sun heading down, decided last minute to chase the sunset to a random beach on Google Maps. What was meant to be a quick ride turned into the most honest hour I've had on tape in a while.

Sat on volcanic rocks watching the sun drop, I got into being almost 40 and what that's supposed to mean. The difference between UK life (happy, sad, happy, sad, on a two-week cycle) and Bali life (happy and content, then less happy and content, but never actually sad). Telling my friends I might not come back, and what they actually said. And the question I keep coming back to: who am I living my life for?

Also: the time I forgot where I parked my scooter and nearly reported it stolen, why I reckon CrossFit dissolves international borders, and a mantra I picked up from a fairly unexpected place that's stayed with me ever since.

Visual version on YouTube with all the scenic riding and sunset footage. This is the spoken cut.

If this one lands, let me know. Subscribe and drop a review if you're enjoying the show. Subscribe to my newsletter, find all my stuff below:

awakenoutofcontext.com

thechaptersystem.com

My scooter is a Honda Vario 125cc from Twin Rental Bike in Bali.

WhatsApp: https://wa.me/6287761650943

Mention my channel and I’m sure he’ll give you a discount.

No affiliation.

Warning! This episode contains adult discussion of porn, masturbation, and related themes (around 20:25 to 24:00).Sometimes the best content comes from not making content. On a morning I was wrestling with what I called an "existential content crisis," my friends Mica, Tommy and Wendy showed up at the door, gave me no chance to say no, and drove me to Ubud for the day. What followed was the kind of unfiltered conversation I've been trying and failing to recreate in front of a camera.

We get into the strange territory of making content about yourself, how I use ChatGPT vs Claude for different kinds of work, why I've quit porn, and what I actually mean when I say "showing my underwear to the world." There's a moment three coffees in where the camera stops mattering and the conversation gets real.

This is the audio teaser. The full visual story, the destination, the waterfall, lives on YouTube. Search "Awaken Out of Context" or follow the link below:

https://youtu.be/8ky3sQEMwUM

If this one lands, let me know. Subscribe and drop a review if you're enjoying the show.

awakenoutofcontext.com

thechaptersystem.com

Random one this week. I'm checking out of my place in Cemagi and I've got half an hour to pack the bag. I'm bad at packing and I'm in my head about recording videos, so I figured I'd combine the two and put the Insta 360 on me in auto-frame mode.

What you get is me going through everything I brought and didn't use (most of it), with a few stories along the way. The pillow that nearly convinced me the air con was poisoning me in the middle of the night. The bar in Canggu where someone clocked me for wearing a HYROX vest. The bags I bought nine years ago that are still going. A bit about tipping in Bali. The bubble tea I bought that went warm in the room before I could drink it.

That's about it. Bit of a vlog. Hopefully entertaining if you've ever opened a bag at the end of a trip and realised half of what you packed was pointless.

awakenoutofcontext.com
thechaptersystem.com

Today I'm walking along a beach in rural Bali, working through something that's been gnawing at me since I moved villas this week: the pull between attachment and novelty.

I'd been getting precious about my old setup, the cafe, the desk angle, the air conditioning, all of it. Almost packed up and headed back to Canggu before I caught myself and went for a walk instead.

What came out of it:

- Why grasping for the familiar can rob you of what's actually in front of you

- The OCD-ish perfectionism I run into when something feels off, and how to break the loop

- Sand as a literal lesson in letting go

- The knot in my stomach when I think about my year around the world nine years ago, and what it might actually be about

- Privilege, gratitude, and the reframe that's been keeping me grounded out here

If you've been clinging to a routine that's stopped serving you, this one might land.

If this one lands, let me know. Subscribe and drop a review if you're enjoying the show. Subscribe to my newsletter at awakenoutofcontext.com

***LINKS***

awakenoutofcontext.com

thechaptersystem.com

indiip.com/beta

thechaptersystem.com

Sat in a café in Canggu this week, a stunning girl walked in and I clocked my own reaction: the instinct to immediately count myself out, put her on a pedestal, and hand over all my power before a word had even been said.

So I'm introducing a concept I'm calling Mascuriosity, taking that masculine sexual energy and modulating it into genuine curiosity about the person in front of you, rather than collapsing into the classic "no chance, mate" response.

In this one I get into:

- The "she's too good for me" conditioning most of us grew up with

- Why suppressing healthy masculine drive isn't the answer, channelling it is

- How curiosity dissolves anxiety (and even physical pain, credit to Ross Edgley)

- Why this has to be drilled, not just understood

- Why beautiful people aren't automatically interesting, and why that matters for your own self-worth

- The Northern working-class "tip it on the ramp" origin story

If this one lands, let me know. Subscribe and drop a review if you're enjoying the show.

Subscribe to my newsletter at awakenoutofcontext.com

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also enjoy these:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMebuClQRf09omZ7V629URAvyHG0KxIH_