Medulla Podlongata

Medulla Podlongata
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Your brain is more mysterious than you know. Your potential is greater than you've been told. Medulla Podlongata is where neuroscience, personal development, & spirituality meet; and where the real conversations happen. Dr. Sameera Iqbal (Neuroscience) & Michael Shenk don't do surface-level. Every episode digs into the science of the human mind & the deeper questions that science alone can't answer — why we get stuck, how we change, what connects us, & what we're truly capable of. If you've ever felt like there's more to the story of who you are, TUNE IN. Come along while we figure it out.

Episodes

  1. Jul 19

    The Ego & The Self | Who's Really Running the Show?

    There's a voice in your head right now, commentating on this description, deciding if it's interesting, maybe already thinking about what's next on your list. That voice calls itself "you." But is it? In this episode, Michael and Dr. Sameera Iqbal take on the question underneath every other topic this series has covered: the ego. What it actually is, how the brain builds it starting in early childhood, why it defends itself the way a threatened organism defends its life, and what becomes available the moment you learn to observe it instead of live inside it. Sameera brings in the default mode network, landmark meditation research, and the neuroscience of identity threat, while Michael shares the personal story of a lifelong ego structure and what happened when he finally saw it for what it was. This isn't about destroying the ego. It's about learning the difference between the tool and the one holding it. KEY TOPICS: The ego as a constructed identity, not an enemy to defeatThe default mode network (DMN) and the neuroscience of self-referential thoughtNarrative focus vs. experiential focus (Norman Farb, 2007)Meditation and reduced DMN activity (Judson Brewer, 2011)How childhood experience and the developing prefrontal cortex crystallize the self-conceptThe ego's defense mechanisms: rationalization, identity statements, superiority/judgmentIdentity threat and the stress response (Kemeny & Dickerson; Jennifer Silk)Psychological flexibility and self-concept clarity (Kashdan & Rottenberg, 2010)The S-ART framework: self-awareness, self-regulation, self-transcendence (David Vago & David Silversweig)Kabbalistic concepts of ego, correction, and tzimtzum (restriction)Practical tools for catching the ego in real timeKey researchers and frameworks referenced: Norman Farb (2007, narrative vs. experiential self-focus), Judson Brewer (2011, meditation and DMN activity), Kemeny & Dickerson (social evaluative threat and cortisol), Jennifer Silk (neural sensitivity to social evaluation), Todd Kashdan & Jonathan Rottenberg (2010, psychological flexibility), David Vago & David Silversweig (S-ART framework), and Kabbalistic teachings on the ego and tzimtzum.

  2. Jul 12

    State Engineering: How Elite Performers Manufacture Peak Performance

    Michael Jordan didn't just show up and happen to feel unstoppable, he manufactured a state. In this episode, Mike and Dr. Sameera Iqbal go deep on state: the neurochemical and psychological condition underneath every performance, good or bad. They break down how state differs from mood, motivation, and mindset, why "negative" states like competitive fury and controlled aggression can fuel extraordinary short-term output, and why chronic activation of those same states becomes corrosive over time. Sameera unpacks the neuroscience — cortisol, dopamine, testosterone, the amygdala, allostatic load — while Mike shares personal stories of engineering his own peak states (and paying the price when he didn't know how to turn them off). They close by connecting the science to ancient frameworks — the Vedic gunas, Stoic hegemonikon — and make the case that state isn't just a performance lever, it's the medium through which you experience your entire life. Key Topics: Defining "state" vs. mood, motivation, and mindsetThe neurochemistry of peak performance (cortisol, dopamine, testosterone, adrenaline)Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Ayrton Senna, Mike Tyson — manufactured competitive statesAcute vs. chronic activation and the cost of running on "edge states"Allostatic load and long-term burnoutState-shifting levers: music, movement, breathwork, visualization, ritualThe "proving state" and the "reactive state" as default trapsVedic gunas (tamas, rajas, sattva) and Stoic philosophy as ancient state-management frameworksHeartMath research and the idea that state is "broadcast" to othersBuilding a personal "state journal" and state-engineering practiceBook References: Unlimited Power — Tony RobbinsAwaken the Giant Within — Tony RobbinsJose Silva's UltraMind ESP System (methodology referenced, not a specific title cited in transcript)

  3. Jul 5

    The Chakra System: Ancient Map, Modern Neuroscience

    Michael and Dr. Sameera Iqbal explore the seven chakras as an ancient energetic map of the body, and hold it up against modern neuroscience, interoception, and the nervous system. Michael shares personal experiences with chakra meditation and Kundalini energy, while Sameera connects each energy center to physiological correlates like the enteric nervous system, vagal tone, and heart rate variability. The conversation moves through blockages, somatic memory, breathwork, and why the body — not just the mind — has to be part of the healing work. Key Topics: The seven chakras and their traditional meaningsNeuroscience correlations (enteric nervous system, vagal tone, HRV, interoception)Kundalini energy and altered states of consciousnessThe default mode network and mystical experienceSomatic memory and trauma stored in the bodyBreathwork and body-centered practicesBridging ancient tradition and modern scienceBook References: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

  4. Jun 28

    The Shadow Self | What You've Hidden Is Running Your Life

    There's a version of you that you've been trying not to think about. Not the version that gets tired or makes mistakes, those are easy to own. This is the stuff underneath: the rage you don't talk about, the envy you pretend isn't there, the ambition you were told wasn't acceptable. Carl Jung called it the shadow. Neuroscience calls it the unconscious defensive system. And every spiritual tradition on earth has a name for it too. In this episode, Michael and Dr. Sameera Iqbal go deep into the hidden self, what it actually is, why your brain builds it in childhood, how it leaks out sideways into your behavior through projection, displacement, and self-sabotage, and most importantly, what it takes to integrate it. Because you didn't get rid of those exiled parts of yourself. You just stopped looking at them. And the things you stop looking at don't go away, they go underground. And from underground, they tend to run things. KEY TOPICS: What the shadow is (Jung, neuroscience, and Kabbalah all agree)Why the brain builds a shadow in childhood — and why it's so durable into adulthoodProjection, displacement, and reaction formation: how repressed material leaks outThe outsized reaction as a map to your shadowSelf-sabotage explained — it's not laziness, it's old data protecting an old agreementThe "golden shadow" — the gifts, creativity, and life force you buried alongside the painShadow integration: what actually changes in the brain when avoided material is processedMinimum viable practice: the "Pause, what a pleasure" mantra and body trackingByron Katie's turnaround, Charlie Munger's inversion, and soul retrieval across traditions

  5. Jun 21

    Into the Zone: The Neuroscience and Ancient Wisdom of Flow States

    Have you ever been so locked into what you were doing that two hours vanished without a trace? No phone, no hunger, no noise in your head, just you and the work moving as one. That's flow. In this episode, Michael Shenk and Dr. Sameera Iqbal go deep into the neuroscience of flow states, what's actually happening in the brain when you're "in the zone," how to reliably get there, and what throws you out. They break down the full flow cycle (struggle → release → flow → recovery), the neurochemical cocktail behind the experience (dopamine, norepinephrine, anandamide, endorphins, serotonin), and the key triggers that invite flow, including the "4% beyond your skill level" Goldilocks Zone. They also explore the internal blockers most people never see (anxiety, self-monitoring, outcome obsession) and draw a remarkable through-line connecting modern neuroscience to ancient traditions like Daoist wu wei, Buddhist samadhi, and Sufi fana; revealing that humanity has been mapping this state for centuries. Flow isn't a gift for the gifted. It's built into every human nervous system. This episode is the engineering blueprint. Key Topics Covered: What flow actually is neurologically (transient hypofrontality)The neurochemical cocktail: dopamine, norepinephrine, anandamide, endorphins, serotoninThe 4-stage flow cycle: struggle, release, flow, recoveryFlow triggers: the challenge-skill ratio (the "4% rule") and environmental designWhat kills flow: notifications, interruptions, anxiety, outcome monitoring, attention residueThe ~20–23 minutes needed for the brain to build neurochemical momentumPre-session intention-setting as part of the flow protocolAncient traditions that described flow before neuroscience had a name for itKabbalistic lens: the vessel, the light, and channeling vs. controlling

  6. Jun 14

    The Stories We Swallow | The Science of Limiting Beliefs

    There's a story most of us have been carrying so long, we don't know it's a story anymore. It sounds like: 'I'm not the kind of person who...' Or: 'People like me don't get to do things like that.' And it feels completely, totally, obviously true. It feels like facts. Like gravity. In this episode, Michael and Dr. Sameera Iqbal pull those stories out of the drawer. Where limiting beliefs actually come from, why the brain protects them even when they're destroying you, how they disguise themselves as wisdom and humility, and what the neuroscience says it actually takes to rewrite them. This one gets personal. And it might change how you see yourself.

  7. Jun 7

    The Work Before the Work | Affirmations, Visualization, Meditation & the Neuroscience of Becoming

    Before you can become a higher version of yourself, there's work that happens before the work. Most people skip it. The ones who don't? They change. In this episode, Michael Shenk and Dr. Sameera Iqbal break down the practices that the most intentional people swear by — affirmations, visualization, and meditation — and go beyond the self-help talking points to explain what these practices are actually doing to your brain at a neurological level. This isn't woo. This is science meeting spirituality at the place where real transformation begins. Learn the practices, understand the neuroscience, and find out what it truly means to become.

  8. May 31

    The Productive Procrastinator | Why Staying Busy Is Keeping You Stuck

    You're not lazy. You're busy. That's actually the problem. In this episode, Michael Shenk and Dr. Sameera Iqbal dig into one of the most overlooked traps in personal development... productive procrastination. It's the art of staying occupied with things that feel productive but conveniently avoid the harder, scarier work that would actually move your life forward. Why do we do it? Why does busy feel safe? And what does it cost us when we choose comfortable action over meaningful action? If your to-do list is always full but your biggest goals never seem to move, this one's for you.

  9. May 24

    Why Do I Keep Doing This? | Pattern Repetition: The Loops We Can't See

    Ever found yourself in the same job, the same relationship, or the same situation...again? It's not bad luck. It's your brain. In our debut episode, Michael Shenk and Dr. Sameera Iqbal break down the neuroscience behind pattern repetition; why we get stuck in the same loops in our careers, relationships, and daily lives, and more importantly, what it actually takes to break free. This one will make you think differently about your own story. If you've ever asked yourself "why do I keep doing this?", this episode was made for you.

  • 9 Episodes

About

Your brain is more mysterious than you know. Your potential is greater than you've been told. Medulla Podlongata is where neuroscience, personal development, & spirituality meet; and where the real conversations happen. Dr. Sameera Iqbal (Neuroscience) & Michael Shenk don't do surface-level. Every episode digs into the science of the human mind & the deeper questions that science alone can't answer — why we get stuck, how we change, what connects us, & what we're truly capable of. If you've ever felt like there's more to the story of who you are, TUNE IN. Come along while we figure it out.

Information

  • Creator
    Medulla Podlongata
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    9
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Medulla Podlongata
  • Show Website
    Medulla Podlongata