Decoding the Gurus

Christopher Kavanagh and Matthew Browne•decoding-the-gurus.captivate.fm

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. Leveraging two of the most diverse accents in modern podcasting, Chris and Matt dig deep into the claims, peek behind the psychological curtains, and try to figure out once and for all... What's it all About? Join us, as we try to puzzle our way through and talk some smart-sounding smack about the intellectual giants of our age, from Jordan Peterson to Robin DiAngelo. Are they revolutionary thinkers or just grifters with delusions of grandeur? Join us and let's find out!

Last refreshed: June 7th, 2026 at 5:13 PM ⓘ

Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.

Follow on

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

RSS

Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app

Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Russell Brand: Spiritual Transcendence and Anarchic Revolution is Praxis

Russell Brand is a hip bohemian Englishman on the path to enlightenment. And he likes the ineffable. Like, a lot. The decoders kinda like him too, despite the fact they really struggle to eff him at all. Really, Matt has no effing idea what he is babbling about most of the time, but Chris, being 'English-adjacent', seems to make a better job of it. Imagine smoking pot and talking big ideas with your precocious college room-mate at 2am in the morning. Now give him some methamphetamine, and you've...

Nov 21, 2020•2 hr 5 min•Ep. 6

Rutger Bregman: Piglets vs. Toddlers

Rutger Bregman is a Dutch Historian who wants to tell the world that humans are actually fundamentally kind, hunter gatherer societies contain important wisdom about how to live well, and that collectively we need to cooperate to do something about climate change and economic inequality. So, obviously there was no way Chris and Matt could let these dangerous ideas go unchallenged! Join them this week as they delve into one of Rutger's talks and address Noble Savage myths and other age old debate...

Nov 07, 2020•2 hr 15 min•Ep. 5

Special Episode: Is Eric Weinstein Feynman-Negative?

Eric Weinstein has a habit of inserting mini conspiracy laden "audio-essays" at the beginning of his podcast The Portal. The one released this week was impressive even by Eric's standards. So, the duo took took a break from preparing for their next episode on Rutger Bregman to release a Special Bonus Episode, Hot off the press! In the episode you will learn about Seberging, Milgram-negative people, and obscure Russian Penal Codes. You will also learn that the concept of Fake News is actually FAK...

Oct 30, 2020•1 hr 20 min

JP Sears: Get Ultra Spiritual, Resist the Government, and Promote Coronavirus Conspiracies

JP Sears is quite the contradictory figure. He's well known for his YouTube videos mocking alternative health and spirituality, but he also sells natural supplements, and is a life coach / spiritual mentor. He's all about positive thinking and natural supplements, but he's spending most of his time now railing against the mainstream media, the Deep State, and COVID restrictions. As Chris and Matt dig deeper, it becomes clear that JP occupies an interesting place, at the nexus of trenchant libert...

Oct 23, 2020•2 hr 7 min•Ep. 4

Jordan Peterson: The Alchemical Lemon explains the Crystalline Structure of Logos

Chris and Matt finally discuss the big kahuna Jordan Peterson by taking a deep dive into his extended 2017 interview on the Transliminal YouTube channel titled 'Ideology, Logos & Belief'. They learn about the alchemical nature of lemons, whether a professional footballer is playing a game or living life, and Jordan Peterson's crystal clear views on the nature of Jesus & his resurrection. Some people will say this episode is too cynical, but it's like... 'No. It isn't, man!' And furthermo...

Oct 09, 2020•2 hr 27 min•Ep. 3

James Lindsay: The monkey is out of the box and it HATES liberalism

Chris and Matt discuss James Lindsay's talk at the Speaking Truth to Social Justice conference held at the ostentatious National Liberal Club, in an episode that will disappoint Lindsay fanboys and haters alike. Blindingly hot takes include, "He's a bit hyperbolic" and "Critical Theory is complicated". They discuss some pretty strong metaphors (or are they analogies?) of Critical Social Justice involving monkeys, viruses, and boxes. Most importantly, the duo establish definitively that, despite ...

Sep 23, 2020•2 hr•Ep. 2

Eric and Bret Weinstein: A Dark Horse Gallops through the Portal

Matt and Chris introduce themselves and the overall concept for the podcast then take a deep dive into an infamous episode of Eric Weinstein's podcast 'The Portal', featuring his brother Bret Weinstein (Episode 19). They cast a critical eye over Eric and Bret's claims that they are fighting back against the 'Distributed Idea Suppression Complex' and alerting the world to one of the greatest untold scientific scandals of the modern era.

Sep 09, 2020•3 hr 18 min•Ep. 1

← Prev

For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android