Authbition

Andrew DiMeo
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Be true to yourself and live your dreams. It’s not about playing out life to please others. It’s about living your own authenticity and ambition. That’s Authbition. A new podcast built on decades of practice. It’s been a journey. Join me.

  1. 5D AGO

    A038 - Pascal Gambardella - When Growth Distorts Reality

    In this episode of Authbition, I’m joined by Pascal Gambardella, a physicist-turned-psychologist and coach with firsthand experience inside the Human Potential Movement. We explore how personal growth practices can be both life-changing and dangerous—sometimes at the same time. Pascal shares his story of transformation through a program called Lifespring, alongside the ethical failures and real harm that later came to light. Together, we play The Whole Mind Game twice, working through two critical tensions: Frightening and Exhilarating — why growth often feels intense and alive Responsibility and Victim — where agency ends and care must begin This conversation is for anyone who teaches, coaches, mentors, leads, or seeks personal development—and wants to think more carefully about the responsibility that comes with influence. This isn’t an argument against growth. It’s a conversation about clarity, restraint, and perspective, and what it takes to help people change without distorting reality or causing harm. Friend Link to Pascal's Essay Here:https://medium.com/illumination/the-dark-side-of-the-human-potential-movement-68ea96fc431f?sk=v2%2Fe753a264-9230-481f-bfff-7cb629f7de8f

    1h 33m

  2. JAN 11

    A037 - Elle Becker - Chronic Pain, Grace, and Forward Flow

    In this episode of Authbition, I sit down with writer Elle Becker for a deeply human conversation about chronic pain, invisibility, and the quiet courage it takes to keep showing up. Elle reads an excerpt from her essay How Chronic Pain Tries to Erase Me — a powerful reflection on living with relentless nerve pain, being unseen by the world, and choosing grace anyway. We talk about writing in the early hours of the morning, the strange loneliness of suffering, and the unexpected ways connection shows up — through community, creativity, and even strangers we’ll never meet. We also play The Whole Mind Game, exploring the tension between Suffering & Sadness and Grace & Hope. Where we land isn’t a lesson or a fix — it’s something more practical: forward flow. Keep moving. Don’t get stuck mid-chapter. And remember, you don’t have to roar to be seen — a mighty whisper can command attention. This is a conversation about pain that needs no translator, grace that makes room for reality, and the power of staying visible in your most precious story: your life. Friend Link to Elle's essay here: https://medium.com/@ellebecker/how-chronic-pain-tries-to-erase-me-821e76cbb443?sk=v2%2Fb1ae462e-4881-478d-a5bc-17244c925f48

    1h 17m

  3. JAN 4

    A036 - Sean Suskind - What the Songs of the 60s Still Have to Teach Us

    In this episode of Authbition, I’m joined by writer Sean Suskind, who reads his essay Return of the Age of Aquarius. Through the lens of iconic songs from the 1960s, Sean reflects on hope, loss, faith, and the enduring human longing for peace, meaning, and renewal. We then play The Whole Mind Game, exploring the tension between patriotism and protest—how influence, choice, and identity shape what we stand for, what we resist, and what we risk losing along the way. It’s a meditation on what a generation tried to tell us through music—and what those songs may still be teaching us today.📖 Read the featured essay:https://medium.com/contemplate/return-of-the-age-of-aquarius-72d9580a2ffd

    1h 5m

  4. 12/28/2025

    A035 - Prayer Hands on the Exit Ramp

    In this episode, I read “Prayer Hands on the Exit Ramp,” an autofiction piece from Emergent: An Anthology of New Voices. It’s a story about a dangerous moment on the highway—and a quieter realization about who I’ve become in moments of stress.This piece reflects on anger, restraint, and how long-practiced habits like therapy, yoga, and meditation can interrupt old reflexes before they escalate. Not with perfection—but with presence.Emergent is published by the Garden of Neuro Institute and features work under consideration for the Pushcart Prize. Buying the book supports the nonprofit and helps emerging writers thrive.Amazon: https://a.co/d/6F2WKJZ

    8 min

  5. 12/21/2025

    A034 - Effort and Ease with Emily Collie

    What happens when effort and ease are no longer opposites—but partners?In this episode of Authbition, I’m joined by Emily Collie, Mental Health Therapist and Yoga Teacher, for a conversation about holding effort and ease at the same time. We explore this tension through yoga, aging, ego, and long-term practice—using the body as a teacher and lived experience as the guide.I read a personal essay about an ego-shattering beginner yoga class that unexpectedly relieved chronic pain and opened a decade-long journey—one that reshaped not just my body, but how I relate to struggle, patience, and progress.Together, Emily and I reflect on what it means to show up with discipline while staying curious, to work with intention without forcing outcomes, and to allow ease to coexist with effort. From impossible poses to quiet breakthroughs, this conversation looks at how real change unfolds—not through hustle or avoidance, but through steady presence and trust in the process.This episode is about more than flexibility or fitness. It’s about integration—learning to stay with tension long enough for the best of both to emerge, and discovering that what once felt impossible may simply be not yet.Authbition is a podcast about authenticity and ambition—finding the best of both, and learning to live them together.🔗 Learn more about Emily Collie:https://linktr.ee/EmilyCollie

    1h 12m

  6. 12/14/2025

    A033 - Stefanie Morejon - When Grief and Joy Share the Same Table

    In this episode of Authbition, I’m joined by writer Stefanie Morejon for an honest conversation about grief, avoidance, and what it means to hold joy and loss at the same time—especially during the holidays.Stefanie reads her essay “Not All Fun and Games,” a tender, darkly funny story about cooking Thanksgiving far from home, family memories that surface through food, and the moment a seemingly lighthearted holiday movie cracks something wide open. From there, we explore the Whole Mind tension between being “fine” and actually feeling, between compartmentalizing pain and letting it coexist with joy.This episode is about grief that doesn’t announce itself loudly, about traditions that comfort and hurt at once, and about learning—slowly—to let both joy and sorrow sit at the same table.📖 Read Stefanie’s essay (friend link):https://medium.com/age-of-empathy/not-all-fun-and-games-b42ed09f9a37?sk=v2%2Fd7674f28-2116-4e0a-9f10-49b9b05fcc30🌐 Learn more about Stefanie’s work:https://www.smorejon.com/Health, happiness, kindness, respect for every being and all things.

    2h 3m

  7. 12/06/2025

    A032 - Elle Fredine: ‘Yes-And’ Writing

    In this episode of Authbition, I sit down with writer Elle Fredine for one of the most spontaneous sessions I’ve ever recorded. I had no idea what she planned to read—and she didn’t know I’d ask her to read at all. What unfolded was pure, joyful chaos in the best way: a dark, sharply drawn story called “The Little Patisserie on the Corner.” Elle’s process is a masterclass in yes-and writing—following sparks instead of shutting them down, letting ADHD and imagination become collaborators rather than constraints, and allowing a simple prompt like bread to unravel into a full cinematic world. We talk fiction vs authenticity, childhood movie nights above the Arctic Circle, improv training, divergent thinking, the genius of and, and how writers sometimes discover their own deepest truths through the mouths of invented characters. Read the story she performed (friend link): 👉 https://medium.com/entropies/the-little-patisserie-on-the-corner-2fb7c10b4913?sk=v2%2F38915fa5-e316-4d93-b264-69a896d2c47f

    45 min

  8. 11/25/2025

    A031 - How to Stuff a Turkey Like an Italian

    BONUS HOLIDAY EPISODE All right. This episode is called “Turkey.” It’s an adaptation—honestly, almost a recital—of an email my sister sent me a little over a decade ago. We had just moved into the house I’m recording in right now, and we were hosting our first-ever Thanksgiving. The fridge had died a few days before the holiday. Total chaos. My sister, being the hero she is, sent me a full-length Italian-American masterclass on how to make Thanksgiving happen anyway.My sister's email really did save our first Thanksgiving in this house—ten years ago this week. And that turkey was the best turkey I’ve ever had in my life. So we’re doing it all again this year.Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.Thanks for listening.Thanks for being part of this strange, wonderful project with me.

    15 min
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About

Be true to yourself and live your dreams. It’s not about playing out life to please others. It’s about living your own authenticity and ambition. That’s Authbition. A new podcast built on decades of practice. It’s been a journey. Join me.

Information

  • Creator
    Andrew DiMeo
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    38
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Andrew DiMeo
  • Show Website
    Authbition