What To Believe
Most of what we believe was never actually chosen — we just find ourselves with it, then defend it to the death. In other words, we don't defend ideas because they're true; we defend them because they're ours. What to Believe is where former journalist turned master coach Neil Bierbaum exposes the bug in the human operating system — a bug that makes it hard for us to face the truth about ourselves, and keeps us believing and chasing things that are not real and don’t matter. He offers a method for looking at oneself and life more objectively, to find signal within the noise, and deal with what’s real and what matters.
Fans of Stoicism will find their next level here in the form of ontological coaching, the field in which Neil spent a four-year apprenticeship, and which he has spent two decades — more than 10,000 hours — practicing and teaching. It’s a method for looking at oneself and life more objectively, to find signal within the noise, and deal with what’s real and what matters.
Neil offers a solid foundation drawn from more than 20 years of coaching, 10 years before that as a journalist, and decades of contemplative practice running through both. (Neil also has an academic master’s degree, out of which he won a research award and published a peer-reviewed paper on executive coaching methods.) His methodology integrates ontological coaching, neuroscience-backed mindfulness, and evidence-based psychology.
Three formats: solo deep dives, listener Q&A, and live coaching conversations.
New episodes Sunday mornings. Come skeptical. Stay curious.
What To Believe
Latest Episodes
Is Self-Development A Luxury Right Now?
The world feels like it's on fire — the economy, AI, a war in the Middle East — and here's Neil talking about the inner workings of the ego. Isn't that a luxury? This episode takes the objection head-on. The argument: the inner work isn't a lux...
Experience the Power of Surrender
Krishnamurti stunned a room of followers with six words: "I don't mind what happens." This episode unpacks what he actually meant — and why surrender isn't giving in, it's giving up preferences. From Michael Singer's Surrender Experiment
The Illusion of Self-Creation
You didn't decide to wake at 3am and worry — the thoughts simply arrived, and there you were, trying to get back to sleep. That ordinary moment is the clearest demonstration of something most of us never look at: your mind has a mind of its own...