Odyssey & Alchemy: Men's Inner Transformation and Depth Psychology with Martin Prihoda

Ep 31: Masculinity & the Rite of Passage Men Never Got | Raymond E. Foster, LAPD

Girls get a rite of passage. Boys get silence — and spend thirty years paying for it. Raymond E. Foster served in the US Coast Guard, rose to lieutenant in the LAPD — earning the police medal for heroism and over 200 commendations — advised Caribbean governments on national security, and is a past master of his Masonic lodge. He's also the author of The Temple Within and Chasing the Surge, a book he researched by driving 10,000 Uber rides through Los Angeles at midnight. In this conversation we explore masculinity as inner architecture rather than outer performance, why society gives men no rite of passage and what that costs us, and the four cardinal virtues — temperance, fortitude, prudence, and justice — as a practical operating system for a man's life. Raymond unpacks the depth psychology hidden in Masonic symbolism: the rough stone and the perfect stone, why you can't move from an imperfect to a perfect state without a plan, and what thirty years of policing taught him about monsters, mercy, and the conversations men are most afraid to have with themselves. We also get into men's inner transformation as a lifelong becoming — why "a life well lived" is something you build daily, not something you look back on — plus veteran suicide, why rough men need honest rooms, and Raymond's one rule that changes everything: live like the man everybody wants to be. Connect with Raymond: The Temple Within and Chasing the Surge — Ten Thousand Rides into the American Night, available on Amazon. If this conversation moved something in you, a rating or review helps more men find this work. Martin's book, The Weary Traveller's Guide to a Life Worth Living, is available now.

Ep 30: Quit Smoking Hypnosis, Addiction & Why Willpower Fails | Brian Davies

Why does willpower keep failing — and what actually breaks an addiction? Hypnotherapist Brian Davies helps people quit smoking in a single session, and in this conversation with Martin Prihoda he explains why real change happens in the subconscious mind, not through white-knuckle discipline. Brian came to this work the hard way: a father who was only present when drinking, an ADHD diagnosis that didn't arrive until his 40s, and the realization that an untreated brain will always find a way to medicate — his was alcohol. One hypnotherapy session resolved what years of counseling couldn't, and he's spent six years since helping others do the same. They cover how childhood programming becomes adult habit ("we are what we see"), dopamine and why we're all chasing the next hit, quitting smoking and drinking without the grind, anxiety and sleeplessness, and a candid conversation about men's mental health — why suicide is a leading cause of death for men under 50, and why the men who most need help were raised never to ask for it. If you've quit and started a hundred times, this episode explains why — and what works instead. As Brian puts it: you are not your habits, you are not your anxiety, you are not your past. Guest: Brian Davies | withinreachhypnosis.com [http://withinreachhypnosis.com] — Odyssey & Alchemy is a weekly long-form interview podcast on inner transformation — men's work, spirituality, mindfulness, and depth psychology — hosted by Martin Prihoda, author of The Weary Traveller. Deep, unhurried conversations with therapists, teachers, yogis, and healers, for men ready to do the inner work. 📖 The Weary Traveller: [book link] [https://a.co/d/0bpxzY8g] 🌐 martinprihoda.com [http://martinprihoda.com] | alchemynow.ca [http://alchemynow.ca]

Ep: 29: Subconscious Healing & Hypnotherapy | Rewire Your Mind with Dr. Tara Perry

What if the ceiling you keep hitting was installed before you were old enough to question it? Dr. Tara Perry is a hypnotherapist, Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, and one of the most effective subconscious reprogrammers working today. For 25 years she's specialized in subconscious healing and nervous system reprogramming — working with Olympians, celebrities, and first responders, going directly into the subconscious mind to find the root cause of what's blocking people and changing it. In this episode we explore how childhood programming becomes the invisible operating system running your adult life, why high achievers are often the most internally stuck and self-sabotage without knowing it, how hypnotherapy and somatic healing access what talk therapy and meditation can't reach, the connection between subconscious stress and physical symptoms like chronic pain, migraines, and autoimmune issues, and what it actually means to heal at the root rather than manage the symptoms. This is deep inner transformation work. No fluff. No quick fixes. Just root cause healing from someone who has spent 25 years doing it. Find Dr. Tara Perry at consulttara.com [http://consulttara.com] If this conversation moved something in you, a rating or review helps more people find this work. Martin's book, The Weary Traveller's Guide to a Life Worth Living, is available now. Odyssey & Alchemy is a weekly long-form interview podcast on inner transformation — men's work, spirituality, mindfulness, and depth psychology — hosted by Martin Prihoda, author of The Weary Traveller. Deep, unhurried conversations with therapists, teachers, yogis, and healers, for men ready to do the inner work. 📖 The Weary Traveller: [book link] 🌐 martinprihoda.com [http://martinprihoda.com] | alchemynow.ca [http://alchemynow.ca]

Ep 28: Executive Coaching & Men's Inner Work | Frank Mesa on Radical Reinvention

Frank Mesa spent 30 years at MTA Metro-North — starting as an assistant conductor and working his way to Chief Operations Training Officer, responsible for developing 7,000 employees in one of America's most demanding and high-stakes environments. Then he walked away and started over. A conversation about executive coaching, men's inner work, and the psychology of radical reinvention. In this episode, Frank breaks down his ERD framework — Evolve, Revolve, or Devolve — a decision-making system he developed to interrupt emotional and habitual reactions and consciously choose the path forward. It's simple, it's practical, and it works. We get into emotional intelligence, frustration tolerance, and why communication clarity can make or break a career. We talk about what it took to rise from entry level to the executive suite, the real dynamics of being a large Black man in corporate America, and why Frank is a fierce believer in meritocracy over entitlement. And we close on something every man needs to hear right now — Frank's answer to what men need that nobody is giving them. This one has edge, honesty, and hard-won wisdom. Topics covered: * The ERD decision-making framework — evolve, revolve, or devolve * Emotional intelligence and frustration tolerance as career superpowers * Leading transformation inside a century-old institution * Meritocracy, DEI, and the railroad standard * Race, stature, and navigating power dynamics in corporate America * Men's identity, masculinity, and self-belief * What Frank knows now that he wishes someone told him at 30 Connect with Frank Mesa: Mesa Solutions Inc. | Author of Alchemy — It's As Easy As ERD If this conversation moved something in you, a rating or review helps more men find this work. Martin's book, The Weary Traveller's Guide to a Life Worth Living, is available now. Odyssey & Alchemy is a weekly long-form interview podcast on inner transformation — men's work, spirituality, mindfulness, and depth psychology — hosted by Martin Prihoda, author of The Weary Traveller. Deep, unhurried conversations with therapists, teachers, yogis, and healers, for men ready to do the inner work. 📖 The Weary Traveller: [book link] 🌐 martinprihoda.com [http://martinprihoda.com] | alchemynow.ca [http://alchemynow.ca]

Ep 27: Psychology of Creativity & Purpose-Driven Life | David Nichtern

What happens when you stop choosing between the sacred and the worldly? You get David Nichtern. A conversation about the psychology of creativity, purpose-driven life, and why the spiritual path and the career path are one. Grammy-nominated songwriter. Four-time Emmy winner. Buddhist teacher for over 50 years. David wrote "Midnight at the Oasis," played with Jerry Garcia and Paul Simon, and spent two decades studying under the legendary Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Today he runs Dharma Moon — a global platform training the next generation of mindfulness teachers. In this conversation, Martin and David go deep on what meditation is actually for, the nature of consciousness and the self, why creativity and commerce aren't in conflict, and what 50 years on the cushion teaches you about business, relationships, and being alive. They cover: * Why most people get meditation completely wrong * The Buddhist psychology of the six realms — and why we all hoard something * "Unambitious presence" — the most underrated concept in mindfulness * How pressure is a privilege and what the cauldron of difficulty actually produces * Why bullshit walks in business — and how dharma makes you a better entrepreneur * Leaning into living, all the way This one moves. Philosophy, laughs, real talk about money, creativity, and what it means to keep evolving past 50. Visit: dharmamoon.com [http://dharmamoon.com] AlchemyNow: alchemynow.ca [http://alchemynow.ca] Odyssey & Alchemy is a weekly long-form interview podcast on inner transformation — men's work, spirituality, mindfulness, and depth psychology — hosted by Martin Prihoda, author of The Weary Traveller. Deep, unhurried conversations with therapists, teachers, yogis, and healers, for men ready to do the inner work. 📖 The Weary Traveller: [book link] 🌐 martinprihoda.com [http://martinprihoda.com] | alchemynow.ca [http://alchemynow.ca]