Why Authenticity Feels Risky & Why It’s the Only Way to True Connection | (#058) Beyond Success: Psychology & Philosophy for Achievers, with David Tian, Ph.D.

Why Authenticity Feels Risky & Why It’s the Only Way to True Connection | (#058) Beyond Success: Psychology & Philosophy for Achievers, with David Tian, Ph.D.

There is a seductive and destructive lie many people fall for: Learn the best tricks and gimmicks and you can have complete control over your relationships – romantic and business.
It’s so seductive because it promises control and success, but it’s even more destructive because it delivers fear instead of control and breeds insecurity instead of success.
Worst part?
These tricks and tactics work in the short-term, but they come with a mighty hidden cost: You slowly erode your self-confidence and self-respect – two necessary ingredients for happiness and fulfillment.
But there’s a better way, and that’s what I share with you in today’s show. The solution is simple, but not easy.

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How Deep-Rooted Sexual Shame Cripples Connection & Creates Conflict | (#057) Beyond Success: Psychology & Philosophy for Achievers, with David Tian, Ph.D.

How Deep-Rooted Sexual Shame Cripples Connection & Creates Conflict | (#057) Beyond Success: Psychology & Philosophy for Achievers, with David Tian, Ph.D.

In pickup artist culture, men see women’s natural defenses as tests and shields: Pass these “shit tests” and break through her “bitch shields,” and you win her love and affection.
But women aren’t sitting around scheming elaborate tests or plotting shields. They’re responding to lived experiences, not imagined battle plans. That’s why these pickup artist tricks, while they can work in the short-term, never result in lasting love and connection.
They’re based on lies, drenched in sexual shame, and actively work against your goals of lasting connection.
The solution is much harder – it means reframing her defenses as your projections. It means taking ownership of how shame makes you react. And it’s about seeing her defenses as invitations for patience, curiosity, and compassion.
This path is much harder. But it’s the only path towards real connection.

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Your Dark Side Isn’t the Problem—It’s the Answer

Your Dark Side Isn’t the Problem—It’s the Answer

Most professionals try to bury the parts of themselves they’re ashamed of—envy, anger, desire, even pettiness. But repression doesn’t erase them. It makes them stronger. The path to fulfillment isn’t in hiding your dark side, but in integrating it. Here’s how facing what you fear most inside yourself can unlock the trust, intimacy, and leadership you’ve been searching for.

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The Moral Case for Ethical Seduction & Why It’s Necessary for Connection | (#056) Beyond Success: Psychology & Philosophy for Achievers, with David Tian, Ph.D.

The Moral Case for Ethical Seduction & Why It’s Necessary for Connection | (#056) Beyond Success: Psychology & Philosophy for Achievers, with David Tian, Ph.D.

There are two strategies most men deploy when they’re dating, but insecure. Either they try the “Nice Guy” approach or its opposite, the pickup artist approach.
But even though these strategies are polar opposites, they suffer the same moral flaw of concealment. Whenever you put on a mask over yourself, you sever the possibility of authentic connection.
The solution?

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Stop Hiding: How to Turn Guilt Into Growth (Without Shame Dragging You Down) | (#055) Beyond Success: Philosophy & Psychology for Achievers, with David Tian, Ph.D.

Stop Hiding: How to Turn Guilt Into Growth (Without Shame Dragging You Down) | (#055) Beyond Success: Philosophy & Psychology for Achievers, with David Tian, Ph.D.

What do you do after you fall short of your values? If you’re like most of us, you deflect, you hide, and you collapse into toxic shame that severs your self-trust and self-respect.
But there’s another way to deal with your failures that can actually improve your relationship with yourself and others.
This other way?

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Why Your Dark Side Isn’t the Enemy—It’s What Can Save You | (#054) Beyond Success: Psychology & Philosophy for Achievers, with David Tian, Ph.D.

Why Your Dark Side Isn’t the Enemy—It’s What Can Save You | (#054) Beyond Success: Psychology & Philosophy for Achievers, with David Tian, Ph.D.

Most people walk around fighting an invisible war inside themselves.
On the outside, they play the part of the “good person.” But behind the mask lurk the emotions they’ve been told are unacceptable—envy, lust, anger, cruelty, shame. In families, in religions, in schools, the lesson was drilled in: don’t show that side of yourself.
So those parts get buried. But buried parts don’t disappear. They fester. They leak out as addictions, compulsions, betrayals, and self-sabotage. And the harder you try to repress them, the more control they end up having over your life.
Here’s the twist: those disowned parts aren’t your enemy. They hold the raw energy you need for growth, intimacy, and even leadership.

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Breaking Free from Sexual Shame: The Hidden Weight You Don’t Have to Carry | (#053) Beyond Success: Psychology & Philosophy for Achievers, with David Tian, Ph.D.

Breaking Free from Sexual Shame: The Hidden Weight You Don’t Have to Carry | (#053) Beyond Success: Psychology & Philosophy for Achievers, with David Tian, Ph.D.

Most people, thanks to religious, cultural, or family baggage, carry around the unnecessary burden of toxic sexual shame. Sometimes this isn’t even your own shame, it’s been passed down through generations under the guise of virtue.
Here’s the problem:
Unchecked sexual shame seeps into your relationships, your leadership, and threatens your very fulfillment of life. Even if it was never yours to carry.
That’s why it’s imperative to lift your burden of sexual shame. Not only will it keep your relationships shallow, but it will also shatter your sense of self-trust and corrode your confidence.
Worst part?
Sexual shame often manifests in the worst possible ways: in compulsions, addictions, secrecy, and self-sabotage.
That’s the bad news.
The good news?

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