Courageous Ones

Tenzin Lhoden
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Courageous Ones is a long-form podcast hosted by Tenzin Lhoden — a Tibetan-Belgian creator based in Belgium. Every episode is a deep conversation with people who chose courage over comfort. We talk about mindset, identity, fear, entrepreneurship, and what it takes to build a life on your own terms. No scripts. No filters. Just honest conversations.

  1. 2d ago

    Your Obsession Is the Way Out of the Lonely Chapter | Anik

    Fitness coach Anik explains why your obsession is the way out of the lonely chapter, and how losing his father at 13 became the reason he trains, coaches and shows up every day. Anik lives in Ireland, runs his coaching business Infinite, and went from childhood asthma attacks to nine half marathons. In this conversation: What the lonely chapter is, and how to get out of itHow losing his father at 13 became Anik's strongest whyHow to act on your obsession before it fadesWhy you never miss a habit twiceHow to start without perfect conditionsHow one seven kilometer run broke a limit set by childhood asthmaWhy the best way to learn is to teachThe move from wantrepreneur to entrepreneurThe birthday message from a client that nearly made Anik cry Chapters: 00:00 How Losing His Father at 13 Shaped Anik 00:50 Meeting in Person After Four Years of Friendship 04:51 How Chris Williamson Brought Us Together 07:16 James Smith Opening the Modern Wisdom Show 09:41 Why You Should Always Shoot Your Shot 12:50 What Was Anik Like at School? 14:41 The Two Years Anik Spent Alone 17:13 Our 30 Day Meditation Challenge 17:58 Why You Never Miss a Habit Twice 21:40 Why Rigid Routines Make You Self-Sabotage 23:55 Talking About It Is Not Doing It 24:39 How to Start Without Perfect Conditions 26:39 The Perfect Plan Is the One You Keep 29:04 How Anik Beat Imposter Syndrome 30:40 What Is the Lonely Chapter? 31:11 Is Anik Out of the Lonely Chapter? 34:48 How to Start When You Are Scared 35:59 Why Nothing Easy Is Worth It 38:45 How to Break a Limiting Belief 40:38 The Seven Kilometer Run That Changed Anik 43:16 Why Going Zero to a Hundred Burns You Out 45:16 Hard Choices Now, Easy Life Later 47:40 Why Money Is Not a Strong Why 49:44 Anik's Strongest Why: His Father 52:12 Growing Up in an Asian Household 54:17 How Anik's Father Died and What It Taught Him 55:36 What Anik Begs Every Parent to Do 57:43 What Fitness Looks Like at 80 58:43 What Would Anik's Father Say Today? 59:50 Mending the Relationship With His Mother 1:01:27 The Birthday Message That Nearly Made Anik Cry 1:03:26 Why Coaching Is More Than a Training Plan 1:05:05 Why You Should Message the People You Look Up To 1:07:46 Why Everyone Needs a Coach in Their Corner 1:08:32 What an Accountability Partner Does for You 1:10:32 From Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur 1:13:15 Why Teaching Is the Best Way to Learn 1:16:04 What Would Make 2026 a Good Year for Anik? 1:18:40 Why You Need a Season of Obsession 1:21:22 The Right Obsession and the Wrong One 1:21:46 Practice Your Obsession Before It Fades 1:22:47 How to Become the Person You Picture 1:23:34 What Four Years of Friendship Gave Us 1:25:00 What Are You Waiting For? Anik Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anik.infinite/ Tenzin Lhoden Watch the video on YouTube Instagram: https://instagram.com/tenzinlhoden TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tenzinlhoden YouTube: https://youtube.com/@tenzinlhoden Newsletter: https://tenzin-lhoden.kit.com/8f2c85f47b

  2. Oct 28

    Buddhist Monk and Doctor: Your Self-Doubt Was Never Yours | Dr. Barry Kerzin

    Buddhist monk and physician Dr. Barry Kerzin explains why the thought that you are not good enough never started with you, and what to tell yourself when it comes back. Barry has lived in Dharamsala since 1989, took his monastic vows from the Dalai Lama, and works with Google DeepMind on bringing compassion into AI. In this conversation Where the "not good enough" thought comes from, and what Barry tells himself when it returnsWhy self-confidence comes before less doomscrollingWhether ambition and contentment fit togetherEmotional hygiene: how to catch early anger and let it dissolveWhat Barry saw on the roof of Kopan Monastery when he looked inside himselfA five-minute meditation, eyes open. The silence runs from 54:36 to 59:35.The best advice Barry ever received Chapters 00:00 Why Your Self-Doubt Was Never Yours 01:04 Bringing Compassion Into AI at Google DeepMind 02:00 What Led Barry Kerzin to Buddhism? 05:23 How Barry Ended Up at Kopan Monastery 06:50 The Hallucination on the Kopan Roof 09:19 What Is It Like Being Around the Dalai Lama? 11:09 The Teaching the Dalai Lama Gave Barry in 1989 13:39 Why Did Barry Stay in Dharamsala? 19:39 When Did Barry Decide to Become a Monk? 21:23 Ordained Twice in One Morning 27:19 How Do You Choose the Right Path? 30:17 How Do You Reduce the Ego? 33:34 Is It Possible to Be Ambitious and Content? 39:00 How to Stop Comparing and Doomscrolling 41:14 Where Does "Not Good Enough" Come From? 43:44 What Is Barry's Relationship With Himself? 45:57 Emotional Hygiene: Catching Anger Early 49:52 What Does Barry's Daily Meditation Look Like? 51:28 A Simple Daily Meditation for Beginners 54:36 Meditate Together: Five Silent Minutes 59:35 How to Keep the Calm After Meditating 1:01:05 Why Meditate With Your Eyes Open? 1:02:54 What Is the Best Advice Barry Ever Received? 1:05:25 Where to Find Barry's Free App and Teachings Dr. Barry Kerzin Altruism in Medicine Institute: https://aimicare-app.webflow.io/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/altruismmedicine/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@altruismmedicine Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barry.kerzin Tenzin Lhoden Watch the video on YouTube Instagram: https://instagram.com/tenzinlhoden TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tenzinlhoden YouTube: https://youtube.com/@tenzinlhoden Newsletter: https://tenzin-lhoden.kit.com/8f2c85f47b Thank you to Jinsel for introducing us: https://www.instagram.com/iam_jinsel/

  3. Oct 19

    How to Find Peace in Your Mind Through Buddhism and Neuroscience - Tenzing Dolma Sherpa

    What can Buddhism and neuroscience teach us about finding more peace in our minds? In this episode of Courageous Ones, I sit down with Tenzing Dolma Sherpa to explore meditation, compassion and how we respond to everyday life. Tenzing shares her journey from growing up in a Tibetan Buddhist family to studying neuroscience and Tibetan Studies. We talk about her experience on a silent retreat, bringing mindfulness into a busy day, and practising kindness towards ourselves and people we find difficult. As someone who grew up Tibetan, I was curious about both the teachings themselves and how we can put them into practice. We explore what meditation research can tell us, where questions remain, and how noticing our thoughts might help us pause before reacting. We also talk about her interest in the Nechung Oracle, where to start with Buddhism, and her father’s advice about moving forward without knowing where you will land. What helps you slow down and find a little more peace? Let me know in the comments. Subscribe to Courageous Ones for the next conversation. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:42 Finding belonging in Nepal at 13 04:00 Growing up in a Tibetan Buddhist family 07:45 How her grandmother sparked her curiosity 11:56 What a silent retreat is like 16:47 Bringing meditation into everyday life 21:33 Meditation, the brain and the limits of research 26:53 Practising loving-kindness meditation 31:12 Noticing anger before reacting 33:05 Where Buddhism meets neuroscience 36:55 Can science measure our inner experience? 40:29 Books on Buddhism and neuroscience 43:45 Compassion and questioning what we believe 48:25 Making knowledge accessible 53:04 Thinking about your thinking 56:14 Where to start with Buddhism 1:02:13 Moving forward through uncertainty 1:06:43 Why sleep matters 1:08:28 Where to find Tenzing’s work Record your podcast with Riverside: https://riverside.sjv.io/DWLdOj Learn with Skillshare (1 month free): https://skillshare.com/en/r/profile/Tenzin-Lhoden/210780170 Some links above are referral or affiliate links. I may receive a benefit if you sign up through them. Join the Courageous Ones community: https://www.skool.com/courageous-ones-6313/about Follow Tenzing Dolma Sherpa: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyithep/ Substack: https://kyithep.substack.com/ Follow Tenzin: Instagram: https://instagram.com/tenzinlhoden TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tenzinlhoden YouTube: https://youtube.com/@tenzinlhoden #Buddhism #Neuroscience #Meditation

  4. Oct 12

    Why You Must Believe in Yourself When Nothing Is Working — Tenzin Dhondup

    SPONSORED BY AMZA SUPERFOODS Discover traditional Tibetan nutrition with Amza Superfoods, a Tibetan-owned food company based in Oregon. https://amzasuperfoods.com/courageous Use code COURAGEOUS15 for 15% off your order. Available in the United States. --- Sometimes, believing in yourself means continuing even when nothing seems to be working. In this episode of Courageous Ones, I'm joined by Tenzin Dhondup, a Tibetan actor based in Los Angeles whose work includes Four Rivers, Six Ranges and My Sweet Pala. Tenzin shares his journey from growing up in India and Nepal to moving to the United States, discovering acting, and navigating the uncertainty that comes with pursuing a creative career. We talk about rejection, fear, resilience, and why he believes a little positive delusion is sometimes necessary to keep going. We also explore the lessons that come from growing up as a Tibetan refugee, what it means to live an experimental life, and how his experiences shaped his confidence and self-belief. Later, Tenzin takes us behind the scenes of Four Rivers, Six Ranges and shares what it was like filming in the mountains of Nepal. We finish by exploring meditation, Buddhism, flow states, and his personal definition of success. --- CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 00:39 Amza Superfoods 01:41 Growing Up in India and Nepal 08:52 Moving to America 15:04 Discovering Acting 18:47 Dealing With Rejection 24:49 His First Audition 28:24 Facing Fear and Nervousness 35:33 Rejection and Getting Ghosted 39:14 Four Rivers, Six Ranges 42:34 Why You Have to Be a Little Delusional 43:21 Living an Experimental Life 46:41 Growing Up as a Tibetan Refugee 49:08 Building Confidence and Self-Belief 57:23 The Underdog Mindset 1:01:30 Filming Four Rivers, Six Ranges 1:12:24 Meditation and Presence 1:15:50 Finding Flow 1:21:13 The Meaning of Success 1:23:10 The Best Advice He's Received --- FOLLOW TENZIN DHONDUP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tenzin_dhondup1/ FOLLOW TENZIN Instagram: https://instagram.com/tenzinlhoden YouTube: https://youtube.com/@tenzinlhoden TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tenzinlhoden Join the community: https://www.skool.com/courageous-ones-6313/about Thank you for listening. Stay Courageous.

  5. Sep 21

    Why You Still Don’t Believe in Yourself – Anik

    Anik is a fitness coach, creator and the person behind Infinite. In his fourth conversation on Courageous Ones, we talk about what happens when you stop waiting to feel confident and start giving yourself evidence that you can actually follow through. We get into putting yourself out there, dealing with rejection, following your curiosity, building self-belief through repetition, and how you change when you consistently show up for yourself. We also talk about social media and attention, visualization, meditation, stress, burnout and why the “perfect time” to start usually never arrives. The bigger idea is simple: confidence is not something you need before you act. Often, it is something you earn after enough action gives you proof. Some links are affiliate links. They help support the podcast at no extra cost to you. Record high-quality podcasts with Riverside: https://riverside.sjv.io/DWLdOj Get 1 month of Skillshare free: https://skillshare.com/en/r/profile/Tenzin-Lhoden/210780170 Join the Courageous Ones community: https://www.skool.com/courageous-ones-6313/about Meditation resource mentioned: Medito — free meditation app https://meditofoundation.org/medito-app/ Anik Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anik.infinite/ Tenzin Lhoden Instagram: https://instagram.com/tenzinlhoden TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tenzinlhoden YouTube: https://youtube.com/@tenzinlhoden Chapters 00:00 Self-belief, content and courage 09:17 Rejection and giving yourself permission 17:30 Identity and building self-belief 24:24 Visualization and noticing opportunities 31:03 Social media, screen time and attention 42:29 Meditation and training your focus 53:00 Stress, burnout and the myth of perfect timing 57:51 One goal, proof and enough repetitions

  6. Sep 14

    Why He Wants to Be a Millionaire by 25 – Yassin Mahhou

    Yassin Mahhou returns to Courageous Ones for a fourth conversation. He is the founder of Mahhou Solutions and a co-founder of the Jonge Ondernemers podcast, and he is still pursuing the goal he shared in his first appearance: becoming a millionaire before 25. This episode is not really about the number. Yassin explains why the goal matters because of the person the process can make him. We talk about breaking big goals into measurable actions, making hard business decisions, facing rejection, finding exceptional people, adjusting when growth is slower than expected and learning to think from first principles. The conversation also explores the difference between producing and consuming, how to use AI without outsourcing your judgment, why people get trapped by shiny objects, and how courage means deliberately doing what you would rather avoid. This episode is sponsored by Mahhou Solutions. Get a free personalized website prototype: https://mahhousolutions.com/en/free-prototype?ref=courageousones Record high-quality podcasts with Riverside: https://riverside.sjv.io/DWLdOj Get 1 month of Skillshare free: https://skillshare.com/en/r/profile/Tenzin-Lhoden/210780170 Join the Courageous Ones community: https://www.skool.com/courageous-ones-6313/about Yassin Mahhou Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yassinmahhou/ LinkedIn: https://be.linkedin.com/in/yassin-mahhou-be Mahhou Solutions: https://mahhousolutions.com/en Jonge Ondernemers Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/jongeondernemers_podcast/ Tenzin Lhoden Instagram: https://instagram.com/tenzinlhoden TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tenzinlhoden YouTube: https://youtube.com/@tenzinlhoden Chapters: 00:00:00 Coming up 00:01:08 Returning to the two big goals 00:08:55 Money, character and long-term growth 00:19:37 Rejection and ethical sales 00:25:56 Goals, first principles and direction 00:36:41 The reality of building a business 00:46:46 AI and independent thinking 00:56:22 From consumer to producer 01:07:50 The valley of despair 01:13:28 Courage and authenticity 01:23:31 Become better at becoming better #courageousones #entrepreneurship

  7. Sep 7

    How to Build a Life on Your Own Terms – Harsh Pandorwala

    Harsh Pandorwala is a content creator, entrepreneur and new father who has spent more than five years building online, travelling the world and learning what happens when your work becomes tied to public opinion. He and his wife went from starting a travel page with around a hundred early followers to rapid growth, while Harsh also experienced the less visible side of creating online: burnout, dopamine-driven validation and the pressure to keep performing. In this conversation, we talk about meditation and presence, focusing on what is actually in your control, the psychological cost of chasing virality, audience capture, staying authentic online and using AI without outsourcing your own creativity. Harsh also shares why he chose a slower life in Bali, how becoming a father changed his sense of drive, and why he is now building arkWELL around making wellness simpler and more integrated into everyday work and life. The thread running through the conversation is simple: build a life where your inner world, your work and your choices still feel like your own. This episode is sponsored by Mahhou Solutions. Get a free personalized website prototype: https://mahhousolutions.com/en/free-prototype?ref=courageousones Record high-quality podcasts with Riverside: https://riverside.sjv.io/DWLdOj Get 1 month of Skillshare free: https://skillshare.com/en/r/profile/Tenzin-Lhoden/210780170 Join the Courageous Ones community: https://www.skool.com/courageous-ones-6313/about Harsh Pandorwala Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harshpandorwala/ LinkedIn: https://in.linkedin.com/in/harshpandorwala arkWELL: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thearkwell https://www.instagram.com/thearkwell/ Tenzin Lhoden Instagram: https://instagram.com/tenzinlhoden TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tenzinlhoden YouTube: https://youtube.com/@tenzinlhoden Chapters: 00:00:00 Coming up 00:01:34 Calmness, control and meditation 00:18:54 Burnout and inner work 00:25:36 From job to content creator 00:34:34 Authenticity, social media and AI 00:50:50 Bali, fatherhood and freedom 01:02:06 Building wellness into work 01:10:41 You have to try #courageousones #personalgrowth

  8. Sep 1

    Why You Need to Learn to Be Alone With Yourself – David Green

    David Green is a filmmaker, storyteller and lifelong traveler whose experiences across different cultures have shaped the way he thinks about life, relationships, creativity and himself. In this conversation, we explore what solo travel taught David about humanity, his experience studying yoga and meditation in India, learning to sit with yourself, protecting your time and energy, forgiveness, friendship, relationships, fear of judgment and becoming more intentional about how you live. We also talk about what filmmaking taught him about being present, why some of his favorite memories were never captured on camera, his thoughts on AI and creativity, and why he believes getting to know yourself is one of the most important things you can do. A wide-ranging conversation about self-awareness, travel, meditation, creativity, relationships, purpose and learning how to live with more intention. Record high-quality podcasts with Riverside:https://riverside.sjv.io/DWLdOj Get 1 month of Skillshare free:https://skillshare.com/en/r/profile/Tenzin-Lhoden/210780170 Join the Courageous Ones community:https://www.skool.com/courageous-ones-6313/about David Green Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ocularera/ Tenzin Lhoden Instagram:https://instagram.com/tenzinlhoden TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@tenzinlhoden YouTube:https://youtube.com/@tenzinlhoden #personalgrowth #selfawareness #courageousones

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About

Courageous Ones is a long-form podcast hosted by Tenzin Lhoden — a Tibetan-Belgian creator based in Belgium. Every episode is a deep conversation with people who chose courage over comfort. We talk about mindset, identity, fear, entrepreneurship, and what it takes to build a life on your own terms. No scripts. No filters. Just honest conversations.

Information

  • Creator
    Tenzin Lhoden
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    43
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Tenzin Lhoden
  • Show Website
    Courageous Ones