Decoding the Gurus

Christopher Kavanagh and Matthew Browne

An exiled Northern Irish anthropologist and a hitchhiking Australian psychologist take a close look at the contemporary crop of 'secular gurus', iconoclasts, and other exiles from the mainstream, offering their own brands of unique takes and special insights. Leveraging two of the most diverse accents in modern podcasting, Chris and Matt dig deep into the claims, peek behind the psychological curtains, and try to figure out once and for all... What's it all About? Join us, as we try to puzzle our way through and talk some smart-sounding smack about the intellectual giants of our age, from Jordan Peterson to Robin DiAngelo. Are they revolutionary thinkers or just grifters with delusions of grandeur? Join us and let's find out!

  1. 9 HR AGO · BONUS

    Supplementary Material 42: Chimpanzee Testicles, Home Alone Statistics, and Influencer Research

    We dig deep into the online world to DO OUR OWN RESEARCH and return with horrors never dreamt of by man. The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (1 hour, 23 minutes). Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus Supplementary Material 42 00:00 Introduction 11:13 Rogan and Shane Gillis on Nick Fuentes vs Piers Morgan 17:49 Jimmy Carr's Physics Insights 24:00 The comedian shuffle 25:12 Andrew Huberman teams up with Goop! 30:41 Huberman injects his dog with testosterone. 32:09 Bryan Johnson and the secret longevity of the penis 35:41 The Science Behind Huberman's Careful Product Endorsements 39:48 The Statistics of Home Alone 41:22 Bryan Johnson's Love Tweet 46:24 Bryan Johnson's horrible treatment of his ex-fiancée 51:30 Andrea Botez and Influencer Health Research 57:41 Bespoke Treatments with Medical AIs 01:04:28 Self-Research, Stock Picking, and Gambling 01:07:47 Health Systems and their imperfections 01:12:37 Doing Your Own Research... 01:17:38 Matt's Content Recommendations 01:20:45 Outro Links NYT – How Trump Fixed On a Maduro Loyalist as Venezuela’s New LeaderTriggernometry – “A Revolution is Coming!” – Jimmy CarrGQ – How Andrew Huberman, Goop Kitchen Collaborator, Is Staying Healthy in 2026Vanity Fair – Why Bryan Johnson, Dave Asprey, and the Other Longevity Bros Are Obsessed With PenisesLuis Batalha – Tweet on the “Home Alone” paperBryan Johnson – “Love” tweetAndrea Botez – Hearing Loss Update...

    35 min

  2. 4 DAYS AGO

    Scott Galloway, Part 1: On Men

    We return to the podcast circuit in 2026 to examine Scott Galloway: NYU professor, prolific podcaster, and, more recently, part-time life coach for struggling young men. Joining him on an episode of Modern Wisdom with Chris Williamson, we are invited into one of the few remaining forbidden conversational spaces: men, masculinity, and men’s problems. You may have been misled by the relentless popularity of Joe Rogan, Modern Wisdom, The Tucker Carlson Show, Triggernometry, The Diary of a CEO, Huberman Lab, and several dozen adjacent properties into thinking these topics are already discussed at length on a near-weekly basis. Alas, this turns out to be a dangerous illusion. In reality, even mentioning men’s issues requires an extended ritual acknowledgement of women, failure to perform which risks immediate cancellation. Braving these cultural headwinds, we wade into manly dialogue about masculinity, sex differences, and male malaise. Along the way, we ponder the intricacies of culture war evolutionary psychology, anthropological wars over Man the Hunter, optimised dosages for manly whingeing, and whether making boys learn French verb conjugations qualifies as a human rights abuse. So get your notebooks ready for some important notes from two of the most masculine men in the modern male podcasting space. Men... Links Modern Wisdom: The War On Men Isn’t Helping Anyone - Scott GallowayThe Diary of a CEO: Scott Galloway: We’re Raising The Most Unhappy Generation In History! Hard Work Doesn't Build Wealth Academic papers ReferencedChanges in gender-based hiring bias (large meta-analysis): Schaerer, M., Du Plessis, C., Nguyen, M. H. B., Van Aert, R. C., Tiokhin, L., Lakens, D., … Gender Audits Forecasting Collaboration. (2023). On the trajectory of discrimination: A meta-analysis and forecasting survey capturing 44 years of field experiments on gender and hiring decisions. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 179, 104280.Epidemiology of alcohol use disorder by marital status (US, NESARC-III): Grant, B. F., Goldstein, R. B., Saha, T. D., et al. (2015). Epidemiology of DSM-5 Alcohol Use Disorder: Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions III. JAMA Psychiatry, 72(8), 757–766.Protective effects of marriage on life expectancy (US Medicare sample): Jia, H., & Lubetkin, E. I. (2020). Life expectancy and active life expectancy by marital status among older US adults: Results from the US Medicare Health Outcome Survey (HOS). SSM – Population Health, 12, 100642.Widowhood and well-being (contrary to claims of increased happiness): Adena, M., Hamermesh, D., Myck, M., & Oczkowska, M. (2023). Home alone: Widows’ well-being and time. Journal of Happiness Studies, 24(2), 813–838.Meta-analysis of the widowhood effect on mortality (men and women): Shor, E., Roelfs, D. J., Curreli, M., Clemow, L., Burg, M. M., & Schwartz, J. E. (2012). Widowhood and mortality: A meta-analysis and meta-regression. Demography, 49(2), 575–606.Marriage and life satisfaction across the life course (multi-country): Mikucka, M. (2016). The life satisfaction advantage of being married and gender specialization....

    2h 51m

  3. 25/12/2025

    The Replication Crisis Christmas Quiz w/ Mickey Inzlicht & Dave Pizarro

    In this festive descent into methodological despair, Chris and Matt convene a secret cabal of elite psychology podcasters within the Decoding Cloister, operating under the distant yet reassuring gaze of Arch-Wizard Paul Bloom, whose role is largely ceremonial but nonetheless morally binding. Joining them are Dave Pizarro (Very Bad Wizards) and Michael Inzlicht (Two Psychologists Four Beers, emeritus), for what can only be described as an end-of-year audit of social psychology’s moral character. What follows is a mixture of intense hubris, disciplinary self-loathing, and revolutionary insights, delivered via one of the most sadistic Christmas quizzes ever devised. The quiz format allows the episode to do what psychology does best: create the feeling of measurement while hovering dangerously close to intuition. Alongside the quiz, we engage in some meta-commentary and sensemaking reflections on audience capture and the state of psychology-themed podcasts in 2025. In other words, it’s Christmas, so naturally everyone is discussing perverse incentives, damaged reputations, and the slow moral corrosion of institutions. So join us, won’t you? For the first International Congress on Psychology-Themed Podcasting and Gurus… Links Mickey's SubstackMickey's Work and Play LabTwo Psychologists Four BeersVery Bad WizardsUhlmann, E. L., Pizarro, D. A., & Diermeier, D. (2015). A person-centered approach to moral judgment. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(1), 72-81.Ovsyannikova, D., de Mello, V. O., & Inzlicht, M. (2025). Third-party evaluators perceive AI as more compassionate than expert humans. Communications Psychology, 3(1), 4. References Alter, A. L., Oppenheimer, D. M., Epley, N., & Eyre, R. N. (2007). Overcoming intuition: Metacognitive difficulty activates analytic reasoning. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 136(4), 569–576.Aarts, H., & Dijksterhuis, A. (2003). The silence of the library: Environment, situational norm, and social behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(1), 18–28.Zimbardo, P. G. (1973). On the ethics of intervention in human psychological research: With special reference to the Stanford Prison Experiment. Cognition, 2(2), 243–256.Resnick, B. (2018, June 13). The Stanford Prison Experiment was massively influential. We just learned it was a fraud. Vox.Festinger, L., Riecken, H. W., & Schachter, S. (1956). When prophecy fails. University of Minnesota Press.a...

    1h 30m

  4. 22/12/2025

    DTG Christmas Quiz 2025 with Helen Lewis

    In this special Christmas episode, Helen’s annual Guru Quiz returns, lightly dusted with Trump, podcast tours, and the unsettling realisation that the Guru-sphere and the MAGA-sphere have quietly fused into a single, monetised, vibes-based organism. That's right, the regular decoding team are joined by renowned journalist, author, podcaster... and occasional DTG quiz master, Helen Lewis, who once again brings her festive cheer, an uncanny ability to identify exactly who will be unbearable next year, and a quiz designed to torture Matt. Points are awarded, dignity is lost, and Matt briefly considers revising for the quiz before remembering that preparation has never helped him before. The episode also covers MAGA and UK political manoeuvres, the movers and shakers of the Gurusphere in 2025, and a lament for the collapse of the ancient boundary between editorial content and hawking pants. So join us for a festive episode about gurus, geniuses, authoritarian comedy festivals, and the slow erosion of shame. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night... and that includes you, Bubbles! Links Helen Lewis on SubstackHelen's Article on the Riyadh Comedy FestivalHelen's Article on Olivia Nuzzi's BookThe Genius MythThat Dave Chappelle picture

    1h 27m

  5. 18/12/2025 · BONUS

    Supplementary Material 41: Ironic Nazis, Blustering Tories, and Ol' Squeaky's Lament

    In this tragic episode, we pay tribute to a fallen comrade and honour his memory with a discussion of a melange of truly terrible people, some of whom are much worse than others. The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (2 hours, 33 minutes). Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus Supplementary Material 41 00:00 Introduction and Swimming Update 02:34 The Tragic Tale of Old Squeaky 09:01 Sam Harris interpersonal bias & Megyn Kelly 26:05 Gary Stevenson vs Rory Stewart 36:26 Master Certificates and Jaffa Cakes 41:59 Dasha's Nick Fuentes Problem 50:08 Nick Fuentes' Racist Remarks 54:29 Piers Morgan vs. Nick Fuentes 59:08 The Two Nick Fuentes Personas 01:02:39 Father Issues 01:20:51 Nick Fuentes the Racist 01:30:36 Piers Lab Leak Ad Break 01:32:52 Antisemitism and Holocaust Denialism 01:45:25 IDW Style Credulity and Holocaust Denialism 01:48:12 Hitler was really f**king cool? 01:58:20 Blustering Boomer Outrage vs. Online Groyperism 02:02:09 Debating Misogyny and Extremism 02:12:54 Piers Take on Fuentes 02:17:11 Overall thoughts on Piers Morgan vs Nick Fuentes 02:20:15 Infighting on the Conspiratorial Right 02:25:13 Bret Weinstein's Powers of Prediction: Trump on Rob Reiner 02:30:29 Outro Links Sam Harris AMAMegyn Kelly Talking About the Drug SmugglersThe Rest Is Politics – Zack Polanski: “I Am a Populist, Farage Is Not”Gary Stevenson’s Public Statement on Rory’s CommentsGary Stevenson’s Master’s Thesis & Chocolate BiscuitsRed Scare – “Nuzzi Salute”“What a Crock of S***!” – Piers Morgan vs Nick Fuentes (Full Interview)Jason Calacanis Reacts to Trump’s MessageBret Weinstein Displays His ForesightTrump’s...

    44 min

  6. 13/12/2025 · BONUS

    Gurometer: Stefan Molyneux *Patreon Preview*

    In this unlocked bonus episode, Chris and Matt complete their forensic/esoteric/scientific assessment of the charming Stefan Molyneux, consigning him (sadly) to the eternal archives of the Gurometer.

    33 min

  7. 04/12/2025

    Stefan Molyneux, Part 2: Back in the Moly Hole

    Cult Season continues, and much like Stefan himself, you may have hoped this would go away after Part 1. Unfortunately, like all persistent internet hauntings, Molyneux has returned. And this time, Chris and Matt venture even deeper into the Moly-Hole, a place where truth is redefined, callers are slowly gaslit into existential confusion, and every philosophical insight is served with the overwhelming scent of narcissism and emotional manipulation. We return to the joyful world of Stefan’s caller-domination rituals, courtesy of Twitter Spaces, where he continues his life’s work of berating strangers and stroking his own ego while insisting he alone possesses the True Meaning of Truth. Listeners can thrill to the culmination of the Truth Call™ from Part 1, where the philosophically inclined young father is sucked further into Stefan’s epistemological meat grinder as Stefan tries to uncover the imaginary psychoanalytic roots of the caller’s ongoing defiance. From there, we are introduced to Caller No. 3 for just a sprinkling of the patented victim-blaming and misogyny of the Molyneux Method. Finally, Chris and Matt offer their overall thoughts on Molyneux’s long and illustrious career as an internet arsehole. They conclude that while Stefan has managed to cycle through platforms, ideologies, and degrees of baldness, he has maintained absolute fidelity to the same psychological tactics—gaslighting, projection, undermining, hypocrisy, and the uncanny ability to make even a throwaway joke feel incredibly creepy. So that’s it for now… collectively we can escape the Moly-Hole, carefully sealing the tunnel entrance as we leave. And let’s pray this is the last time anyone has to think about good ol’ Stefan. Aside from that… Cult Season continues. Abandon hope, etc. Links Freedomain Radio 6162: The Most Frightening Fact! (Twitter/X Space)Philosophy student reviews Molyneux’s The Art of the ArgumentMichael Shermer’s amazing excuse for endorsing MolyneuxFormer guest discusses Molyneux’s descent into racist pseudoscience (2016)Guardian article (2008) on Molyneux’s online cult & “DeFooing”Daily Mail article (2015) on a family impacted by Molyneux’s communityDaily Beast profile on Molyneux during his Trump pivotSPLC profile on Stefan MolyneuxSPLC investigation of Molyneux’s alt-right connections (2018)College of Psychologists of Ontario:...

    1h 32m

  8. 29/11/2025 · BONUS

    Supplementary Material 40: YouTube Builders, the Discourse Grind, and Sam Harris' Dinner Parties

    We set down the Chardonnay at the latest heterodox dinner party and lean in for some hearty ‘civil discourse’ to once again defend the trembling pillars of Western civilization. The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (2 hours, 13 minutes). Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus Supplementary Material 40: YouTube Builders, the Discourse Grind, and Sam Harris' Dinner Parties 00:00 Introduction 01:15 Feedback on the Molyneux Episode 10:26 Jordan Peterson still defeated by toxic demon mould 12:16 Steven Pinker's bad takes on Bjorn Lomborg 15:49 Chris vs Sabine 28:21 Grok's insane sycophantic glazing of Elon Musk 33:54 Musk's Psychology 40:59 Sam Harris acknowledges his problem?!? 47:18 Sam continues to wrestle with the interpersonal ethics of criticism 01:05:10 Triggernometry saves Western Civilization 01:15:29 The Wisdom of Francis Foster 01:28:42 Triggernometry's Partisan Outrage at the BBC 01:38:12 Oppressed Men vs. Complaining Women 01:46:29 The YouTube Builders of Western Civilization 01:56:42 Pageau vs Bret Weinstein 02:01:52 Eric Weinstein sensemaking about Cancellation 02:09:58 A PSA about THIS podcast Links Stefan Molyneux accidentally posting as a young woman on his main accountChris arguing with Sabine Hossenfelder– Receipts threadSteven Pinker cheering on Bjorn LomborgInsights from the finances of Bjorn Lomborg’s think tankExample video detailing Lomborg’s rhetoricGuardian article on Grok’s glazing of Elon MuskGrok explains Elon is the best piss drinkerSam Harris Podcast #442 — More From SamTriggernometry: Our Thoughts On Interviewing Dave Smith, Hasan Piker, Sam Harris and Ben ShapiroPageau and Bret’s pre-podcast Twitter sparringEric Weinstein sense-making about wordsOur previous episode on Tiggernometry entering the Big Time

    43 min
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Hosts & Guests

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

An exiled Northern Irish anthropologist and a hitchhiking Australian psychologist take a close look at the contemporary crop of 'secular gurus', iconoclasts, and other exiles from the mainstream, offering their own brands of unique takes and special insights. Leveraging two of the most diverse accents in modern podcasting, Chris and Matt dig deep into the claims, peek behind the psychological curtains, and try to figure out once and for all... What's it all About? Join us, as we try to puzzle our way through and talk some smart-sounding smack about the intellectual giants of our age, from Jordan Peterson to Robin DiAngelo. Are they revolutionary thinkers or just grifters with delusions of grandeur? Join us and let's find out!

Information

  • Creator
    Christopher Kavanagh and Matthew Browne
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    225
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Christopher Kavanagh and Matthew Browne
  • Show Website
    Decoding the Gurus

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