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Decoding the Gurus

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.

Podcast · By Christopher Kavanagh and Matthew Browne · English · Official site

Indexed episodes, last 90 days
11
Latest publication
Sep 14, 2026
Audience
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Earliest in this view
Jul 3, 2026

Latest episodes

  1. Episode · Sep 14, 2026

    Gurometer Triple Threat: Professor Jiang, Mel Robbins & Jimmy Carr *Patreon Preview* (opens the original)

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    The rumours of the Gurometer's demise have been greatly exaggerated. We were simply collecting enough gurus to feed three into the sacred instrument at once. In this special Triple Threat edition, Professor Jiang brings angel-informed psychohistory, Jimmy Carr brings a head full of dubious historical factoids, and Mel Robbins just desperately wants to help you (for a price). Three potential gurus, eleven characteristics, and a brief disagreement over the nature of data. Let the highly rigorous s

  2. Episode · Sep 8, 2026

    Supplementary Material 55: Nature Debates, Murder Drone Conspiracies, and Podcast Vibes (opens the original)

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    Two academic windbags attempt brief discussions of the controversy at Nature, Bret’s newest conspiracy theory, and the latest vibe sessions in Podcastistan. It goes about as well as expected. The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (1hr 18mins). Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus Supplementary Material 55 00:00 Introduction: Science by Podcast 04:04 Nature Joins the Arday Discourse Wave 09:28 Activism and Science 14:40 Academic Prestige Bias 19:08 The Business of A

  3. Episode · Aug 30, 2026

    Mel Robbins, Part 2: Matt & Chris manifest their fully actualised future selves (opens the original)

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    In Part Two of our decoding of Mel Robbins, things take a practical turn. But before we get to preoccupied with all that, why don't you pause, take a breath, and, in the context of your body, write down ten ways to make a bad situation worse. Your focus should then be on doing the exact opposite! For example, if one of your answers is to not listen to the podcast, then start listening, right now! Next, before hitting play, let's work on building a daily manifestation practice. Write down five th

  4. Episode · Aug 28, 2026

    Supplementary Material 54: Solarpunk Pecan Pie, Northern Irish Sushi, & the Discourse Meat Grinder (opens the original)

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    We return from our holidays with an indulgent episode that starts light and ends up very dark as we turn to the unavoidable Jason Arday discourse. The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (Full Episode: 1hr 40 mins) Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus Supplementary Material 54 00:00 Pecan Pie Introduction 04:10 Solar Punk Matt 08:17 Ireland Trip Report 15:24 Australian Burger Culture 17:32 Manga Cafe Experiments 24:10 Joe Rogan on AI Remote Viewing 29:14 Parapsycholo

  5. Episode · Aug 25, 2026

    Mel Robbins, Part 1: The Hard Science of Manifestation (opens the original)

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    Are you tired, stuck, or inconveniently constrained by reality? Good news: you may simply be imagining the wrong one. In Part One of our decoding of Mel Robbins, we explore the world of a self-help mogul who is also just a simple mother of three in Vermont hosting a little ol' podcast with a HUGE global impact. Together with Cassandra Vieten, a psychologist who is (apparently) one of the world's leading researchers on imagination and consciousness, Mel explains how to begin to stop reacting and

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