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. MAY 11

    A046 - The Biggest Criminal of Your Mind Is in Your Pocket

    In this solo episode of Authbition, Andrew DiMeo records from the quiet engineering quad at NC State University during a Saturday bike ride on Mother’s Day weekend. What begins as a test of a new mobile recording setup becomes a more personal behind-the-scenes episode about listener feedback, building Authbition into something bigger than a podcast, and returning to the roots of the show: reading essays out loud. Andrew shares the story behind his essay, “The Biggest Criminal of Your Mind Is in Your Pocket,” a provocative reflection on cognitive offloading, GPS, smartphones, AI, memory, brain health, and the skills we may be losing without noticing. The episode explores the tension between useful technology and overdependence, asking what happens when we let devices do the thinking before our minds have had the chance to grow. Along the way, Andrew reflects on: Recording from NC State, where he taught for 12 yearsFeedback from listeners about the future of AuthbitionWhy he plans to read more of his own essays againBuilding Authbition as a movement, not just a showCognitive offloading, dementia, GPS, calculators, CAD, and AIWhy getting lost, drawing by hand, playing music, and remembering phone numbers might still matterThe difference between using tools and surrendering our minds to themRead the essay for free with this Friend Link:https://medium.com/ai-ai-oh/the-biggest-criminal-of-your-mind-is-in-your-pocket-ff610b52c00f?sk=4e9de44905f57504818cc86e05d162d2

    18 min
  2. A045 - Joanna Gaertner - Fear, Trust, and Creative Awareness

    APR 19

    A045 - Joanna Gaertner - Fear, Trust, and Creative Awareness

    In this episode of Authbition, Andrew DiMeo sits down with Joanna Gaertner—ICF credentialed life coach, founder of Yoga Off Mat, and lead at Homebody Yoga in Raleigh, North Carolina. Together they explore Joanna’s journey from New York to Raleigh, her path into coaching, the power of yoga beyond the mat, and why awareness is often the first step toward meaningful change. The conversation moves through mentorship, healing, personal growth, fear, trust, and what it means to live with greater alignment. They also play The Whole Mind Game on the tension between Fear and Trust. What begins as a familiar opposition opens into something deeper: Fear can create safety, preparation, learning, and energy. Trust can create connection, integrity, creativity, and courage. The “best of the best” became: Creative Awareness. This is a thoughtful conversation about growth, embodiment, and learning how to trust life without losing wisdom. Find Joanna Gaertner:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joannagaertner/Homebody Yoga (Raleigh): https://homebodync.com/ #Authbition

    1h 44m

  3. MAR 27

    A044 - Stefanie Morejon - The Whole Mind Game: Pursue and Surrender

    In this episode of Authbition, Andrew DiMeo and Stefanie Morejon sit down to play The Whole Mind Game on the tension between Pursue and Surrender. What begins with stories of travel, creativity, and life transitions opens into a deeper conversation about effort, trust, control, openness, and what it means to move toward something without gripping too tightly. Together, they explore the best and worst of both sides: Pursue can bring clarity, fire, and momentum. Surrender can bring peace, flexibility, and flow. But each has a shadow. This episode is a live exploration of what happens when we stop treating those two forces like opposites — and start looking for the best of both.

    51 min

  4. MAR 2

    A043 - Shaler McClure Wright - Leadership Without Ego in a Divided America

    Shaler McClure Wright reads her essay, “I’m an American Worn Down and Weakened by Rancor,” and joins me to explore the tension between being quiet and speaking out. Read her essay here:https://medium.com/the-narrative-arc/im-an-american-worn-down-and-weakened-by-rancor-fa7cc66556c5?sk=v2%2F9401e8ff-0492-46c8-8b1a-7d5f808e5389 Through the Whole Mind Game, we wrestle with silence, responsibility, courage, and ego — and land on a shared idea: Leadership Without Ego. A thoughtful conversation about listening, writing, and leading in a divided America.

    1h 46m

  5. FEB 22

    A042 - Pamela Bonse - Nursing and the Cost of Caring

    In this episode of Authbition, I sit down with nurse and writer Pamela Bonse for a conversation about aging, imagination, and the hidden cost of a life spent caring for others. Pam reads two stories. The first is a dreamlike reflection on the phases of her life — a tender meditation on time, identity, and what it feels like to grow older inside a body that has served others for decades. The second is a piece of fiction — a chilling, playful preview of a future Halloween episode that proves her storytelling has range. We also play the Whole Mind Game, exploring the tension between being selfless and selfish. When we boil it down, the best of the best is this: Be a leader.The worst of the worst? Burned out and alone. Care and self-care. Service and sustainability.This is a conversation about how to give — without disappearing.

    1h 15m

  6. FEB 12

    A041 - Susan Brearley - Patience and Intolerance: Finding the Forever Zone

    In this episode of Authbition, I sit down with writer and thinker Susan Brearley for a conversation that stretches from volcanic ash to unconditional love. Susan reads her essay What a Glorious Day: The Other Side of Paradise, a story set on the island of Montserrat after a volcanic eruption reshaped both landscape and life. What begins as a retrieval mission in a closed zone becomes something deeper — a meditation on loss, memory, resilience, and what we carry forward. From there, we explore one of the most powerful tensions in The Whole Mind Game: Patience and Intolerance. When does patience become self-erasure? When does intolerance become protection? Is there a way to hold both without collapsing into “hell” — the worst of both worlds? Together, we search for what Susan coined in real time on the show: the Forever Zone of Universal Connection — a state of unconditional love that protects without hardening, and opens without surrendering dignity. If you’ve ever struggled with boundaries, compassion, protection, or the tension between openness and safety — this conversation is for you. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS (Insert timestamped highlights here once transcript is available) 🌿 Learn more about Susan’s work with the Garden of Neuro Institute: https://www.gardenofneuro.org/ 📖 Read Susan’s essay on Medium (friend link): What a Glorious Day: The Other Side of Paradise https://medium.com/contemplate/the-other-side-of-paradise-7ddce666c463?sk=5a6d2a2c7c2c37484275f975352a5d97 Resources

    2h 3m

  7. FEB 5

    A040 - Maria Keckler - When the Voice You Silenced Refuses to Stay Quiet

    In this episode of Authbition, I sit down with Maria Keckler for a wide-ranging conversation about work, care, ambition, and the voices we learn to silence in order to succeed. Maria reads from two of her essays — Learning to Land and The Black Room. Together, they trace a quiet arc: from momentum to presence, from professionalism to truth, and from exile to reintegration. At the heart of the episode is The Black Room, a haunting childhood story about a voice Maria silenced for decades — and the cost of keeping it hidden. From there, the conversation opens into one of the most consequential tensions of our time: empathy and efficiency. Through lived experience, reflection, and a round of the Whole Mind Game, we explore: why efficiency can create the illusion of impact how empathy becomes exhausting when unsupported what happens when systems scale productivity but exile humanity and how wholeness begins when the silenced voice is finally allowed to speak This is a conversation about work, healthcare, leadership, faith, and the parts of ourselves we hide to survive — and what becomes possible when we stop. ⏱ Start Where You’re Curious — Listener Highlights 0:00–2:51 — Maria’s background, curiosity, and early influences3:03–9:21 — Leaving security to build work that matters21:25–27:35 — Empathy in healthcare, lived not theoretical30:06–34:05 — Why “soft skills” are actually structural skills37:07–44:01 — Storytelling as generosity and care1:14:38–1:25:36 — The Black Room (Maria reads)1:39:13–2:16:14 — The Whole Mind Game: Empathy > Efficiency2:16:14–end — Closing reflections on discernment and wholeness If you listen to only one section, make it The Black Room. Essays referenced in this episode The Black Room — Maria KecklerRead free (friend link):https://medium.com/write-your-world/the-black-room-47ed071b0920?sk=v2%2F17b890de-a568-48db-8acc-5c9d6b59f2bf Learning to Land — Maria KecklerRead free (friend link):https://medium.com/the-springboard/learning-to-land-2b0094e9f749?sk=v2%2Fce338ab2-93b0-494c-8a80-83e119537206

    2h 16m

  8. JAN 25

    A039 - Stephanie Wilson - Accepting Death and Loving Life Enough

    In this episode of Authbition, writer Stephanie Wilson reads her essay “How Am I to Accept Death?”—a quiet, luminous reflection on time, presence, and what it means to let life be enough. Through memories of her father’s final days, moments of waking in the dark, and the awareness that comes when life briefly stops us in our tracks, Stephanie explores how acceptance isn’t found in resignation or fear—but in reverent gratitude for what we’ve been given. This is a conversation about noticing time while it’s still happening, about loving life deeply enough to release it, and about discovering that abundance isn’t measured by what we achieved or missed—but by what we truly lived. Read along or explore more of Stephanie’s writing on Medium:https://medium.com/age-of-empathy/how-am-i-to-accept-death-61fe745b2e40?sk=v2%2F753883f0-08a9-4fbb-bba9-f29213afc046

    1h 44m
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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
    46
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Andrew DiMeo
  • Show Website
    Authbition