Podcasts by Inner Work with Steli Efti

164: Random Beach Musings From Halkidiki from 2022-08-23T16:00

I’ve been spending the last few weeks of summer at the beach in Halkidiki and have made a daily ritual of swimming in the ocean each morning. While the water here is...

163: Krishnamurti on the Simple Truth Within You from 2022-08-16T16:00

We won't find truth outside of us. There's no system, no organized set of teachings, no framework of thinking that will lead us to truth. Ultimately, the only place where ...

162: I Lost My Teeth (And Maybe a Bit of My Mind) In a Weird Dream from 2022-08-09T16:00

I’ve been having so many intense, vivid dreams lately - so intense that I feel tired and unsettled even after waking up. I knew these dreams were trying to tell me s...

161: Demons by Dostoevsky: How to Laugh From the Heart & The Dangers of Snap-Judging People from 2022-08-02T16:00

I’ve been reading Demons by Dostoyevsky and there are two small anecdotes from the book that immediately resonated with me—two topics that many of us as humans...

160: The Brothers Karamazov from 2022-07-26T16:00

Today I want to share with you one of my favorite books of all time, The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky. I loved the experience of reading this book so deeply that I al...

159: Creating Inner Harmony: How to Unite Conflicting Parts Within Yourself from 2022-07-19T16:00

Rather than feeling present and peaceful, I felt fragmented and frustrated in recent weeks. My nights were filled with uneasy sleep and weird dreams. And in the course of ...

158: 3 Months After Darkness from 2022-07-12T16:00

I recently finished listening through about a hundred mini recordings from my week in total darkness, which was a very intense experience to relive. While reflecting on my...

157: I'm Definitely Not Above This from 2022-07-05T16:00

This topic is something we’ve touched on previously but it’s a theme that keeps popping up for me. It’s the notion of “you are not above this&rdquo...

156: Because the Wheel Keeps Spinning from 2022-06-28T16:00

We all know life is full of ups and downs, yet it’s so easy for us to get frustrated and torture ourselves when the pendulum of life suddenly swings from blissed out...

155: This Moment Still Has a Lot to Give from 2022-06-14T06:07

Great joy overcame me one day before the end of my dark retreat: I was about to go back into the world. Tomorrow I would see my children, embrace them, give them all my lo...

154: Don't Be Spiritual. Be Honest Instead. from 2022-06-07T16:00

There’s a quote by Byron Katie that’s been stuck in my mind. It reads, “Don’t be spiritual, be honest instead. It’s very painful to pretend yourself beyond your tru...

153: How to Do the Work - I’m Overwhelming Everything Right Now from 2022-06-02T16:00

I recently came back to a book I read many years ago called Loving What Is by Byron Katie. She has a really great self-inquiry method called The Work that I’ve been ...

152: Treat Everyone Like a Child (Especially Yourself) from 2022-05-31T16:08

I've been pondering a quote lately from my favorite Dostoevsky book, The Brothers Karamazov, which reads, "we ought to treat everyone like little children, and most importantly ourselves."

151: When Our Plans Don't Pan Out from 2022-05-26T16:00

When I was 18 all I wanted to be was successful, which at that time to me just meant rich. I pictured myself with the fancy car, expensive apartment and crushing it as a b...

150: How the Crushing Weight of My Expectations Made Me Wanna Quit on Life from 2022-05-24T16:00

Ever wake up and think of all the things you gotta do, and it just destroys you? I can't tell you how many times I woke up feeling miserable because of...

149: All your problems start with a lie (Dostoyevsky's truth) from 2022-05-19T16:00

Nothing in this world is harder than speaking the truth", wrote Dostoyevsky. And the longer I live, the more I realize this to be accurate. So many of life's problems boil down to struggles with...

148: The Only Reason You’re Ever in a Hurry from 2022-05-17T16:00

How often in life are we hurrying from one task to another on any given day? Or rushing hastily to reach the next big milestone ahead of us? I've been pondering this recen...

147: This Has Been Tried. This Is Certain (Love Conquers All Doubt) from 2022-05-12T16:00

I've experienced love in so many new ways over the past year, have deepened and widened my relationship with and understanding of love so much—I was almost tempted t...

146: The Numbing Speed of Life (What Coming Out of Darkness Has Taught Me) from 2022-05-10T16:00

Spending a week in complete darkness would be an intense experience. That I knew. What I didn’t anticipate was how intense it would be to come out of the darkness. I...

145: The Light of Inner Darkness (My Dark Retreat Experience, Part 2) from 2022-05-08T16:00

Darkness has illuminated my inner world. With nothing to see outside of me, I began to see things clear within: fears I didn’t know I grappled with. My complicated r...

144: Into the Darkness - My Dark Retreat Experience, Part 1 from 2022-05-05T16:00

I recently attended a dark retreat. I was in complete and utter darkness, alone, for an entire week. It was one of the most intense things I've ever done and I haven't rea...

143: Turn Anxious Thoughts Into Peaceful Presence from 2022-05-03T16:00

Recently I spent a week in complete darkness at a dark retreat. And very soon, I was faced with something I didn't expect: Anxiety. I wasn't even halfway through my first day of darkness...

142: The Young Monk, the Old Monk, the Tiger and the Barking Dog from 2022-04-26T16:00

I’ve been pondering a story for the last couple of days that I want to share with you. It’s a story I first heard at an ashram a few months ago about a young m...

141: Listen to the Echoes Inside of You from 2022-04-19T16:00

I just spent a week at a darkness retreat - all day and night for an entire week, I was alone in a room in complete darkness. It was a very intense experience - it felt li...

140: The Miracle of You from 2022-04-12T16:00

An important point that I need to keep remembering is that it’s truly a miracle how adaptable we are. The capacity of a human being to heal and transform and overcom...

139: The Feeling Was Inside of You Before You Knew from 2022-04-05T16:00

How much of who you are in this very moment can you fully see and accept? It’s one of the hardest questions that life asks of us every day. In this episode, I discus...

138: Who is Your Heart-Donkey? from 2022-03-29T16:00

I’ve been spending my mornings lately reading “The Essential Rumi”. I find his writing to be so beautiful, touching, creative and poetic and I’ve r...

137: The Challenging State of Non-Doing from 2022-03-22T16:00

It’s been a very large part of my personality to define my self worth and the value I add to the world through what I’ve accomplished in a day. But I’ve ...

136: The Black Hole of Not Enough from 2022-03-17T16:00

There’s a part of me that’s resurfaced recently that I haven’t had to face in months. It’s the part of me that is relentless in downplaying every s...

135: The Empty Calories of Discussing Other People's Lives from 2022-03-15T16:00

Since moving back to Europe, I’ve noticed how much the conversations around me involve other people that aren’t in the room. Something about this is off to me&...

134: Do Your Inner Work At Home from 2022-03-10T17:00

Where you do your inner work matters. Spiritual trips like retreats, yoga and meditation are vacations. The real inner work is done in the every day life - in your house, ...

133: What We Hate, We Embody from 2022-03-08T17:00

This concept is something we’ve discussed in previous episodes, but there’s more to this idea that I want to dig deeper into. It’s the notion that there ...

132: The Tyranny of Practicality from 2022-03-05T17:00

“Shut the fuck up and do it anyways” used to be my mantra. I lived my life in such a disciplined, pragmatic way, which was great for producing results but I wa...

131: The Hidden Mirror of Truth from 2022-03-02T02:58

You can’t be upset with others and at peace with yourself at the same time. Whatever negative thoughts you observe about someone else or the world around you is a direct projection and ref...

130: I Want to Be a Mystic When I Grow Up from 2022-02-26T17:00

For the last 2 to 3 months I’ve been pondering the concept of mystics and the idea of mysticism. To me, a mystic is someone that is placing the mystery of life at th...

129: Those Who Don’t Believe in Magic Will Never Find It from 2022-02-24T17:00

I had an interesting experience recently at 4AM one morning where my hands turned into a tree. Not literally, of course, but they felt heavier, thicker, and larger than th...

128: The Danger of Puffing Away Clouds of Worry from 2022-02-22T17:00

I recently had such a stressful dream that when I woke up, the feelings of worry, anxiety and guilt within my dream continued to linger long after I was awake. Typically w...

127: What Is Your True Intention? from 2022-02-19T17:00

For the past month I’ve been doing a daily practice of asking myself one specific question multiple times a day. It’s a very simple question and it isn’t...

126: Bring Death Into Your Day from 2022-02-16T17:00

I’ve been genuinely excited about returning to Germany - getting the chance to hug my children and see my mother, my brothers, my friends and loved ones. I had a mom...

125: My First Water Fast from 2022-02-15T17:00

I recently did a five day water fast, with 4 days of juice fasting (2 leading up to and 2 after the water fast). In this episode, I share how I prepared myself for the fas...

124: Experiencing God from 2022-02-11T17:17

This episode is a deeply personal one in which I discuss my relationship and experience with God. Even talking about it now is still something I’m getting comfortabl...

123: How to Live a Thousand Lives from 2022-02-09T16:00

As I was meditating recently, I had a realization - something I already knew, but was shifted into crystal clear focus for me. It was a beautiful moment that further clari...

122: Next Level Anger Management: Appreciating My Inner Truth Teller from 2022-02-04T17:00

I've spent a good amount of time over the past 2 years working on the anger that I thought I didn't have. And for the most part, I thought that I was good by now—I f...

121: The Impersonating Mind from 2022-02-02T20:00

Listen to your heart. Get in touch with your body. Trust your intuition. All of these are easier said than done, because they require something from the mind it doesn't like to do: relinquish co...

120: Englowment: A Recent Experience Along the Path to Enlightenment? from 2022-01-27T14:09

I recently had an experience where I came close to what I believe enlightenment might feel like. This happened a few days after attending a silent retreat and going on a walk in nature&m...

119: Discovering Silence: 7 Ways I Practice Silence Daily from 2022-01-25T17:00

Silence is an essential element of inner work. But in modern life, it's pretty much as rare as a precious metal. It's so easy to always be distracted, constantly consuming...

118: The Courage to Not Hide Your Struggles from 2022-01-09T02:18

This is part of a conversation we've had in August of 2020, where we discussed the courage it takes to share your weaknesses. Many people think that I don't care what other people think about me...

117: The Power of Timing from 2021-12-30T09:38

Recently I've been experimenting a lot with timing: changing not so much what I do, not really adjusting my habits, but simply being more mindful of when I do these things. And I found that even...

116: Bewunderung—Keeping Your Sense of Wonder Alive from 2021-12-04T12:17

There's a German word I really love: Bewunderung. It's commonly translate as 'admiration', but that doesn't quite capture the full meaning of the word. In this episode, I talk about the art of k...

115: Study Less, Do More: The Surprising Truths IFS Revealed from 2021-11-28T07:29

I've now been studying Internal Family Systems (IFS) for a long time, and it's taught me so much about myself that I decided to take an online course on it. But I don't really want to learn more...

114: Don’t Try to Become. You Already Are. from 2021-11-25T10:21

A lot of spiritual practices try to teach you to become something or someone else, achieve a certain state of being. But you don't need that. Inner work is not about getting to some magical place w...

114: Why You Need to Remind Yourself of the Greatness Within from 2021-11-25T10:21

A lot of spiritual practices try to teach you to become something or someone else, achieve a certain state of being. But you don't need that. Inner wo...

113: Michael Ende’s Weird Short Story: Einer langen Reise Ziel from 2021-11-22T04:18

We chat about a surreal short story by Michael Ende named "Einer langen Reise Ziel" (Destination of a Long Journey). It's the first story in his collection of short stories called Listen

112: Don’t Listen to This if You Want to Learn Anything from 2021-11-21T02:58

I won't even try to describe what this episode is about. 

Shownotes: https://steliefti.com/...

111: Tricks of the Mind: I Was Thinking My Feelings from 2021-11-16T06:22

I've always been a very cerebral person, relying primarily on my intellect to achieve my goals and solve problems I encounter. For a very long time, I equated the mind with myself. I viewed the ...

110: What’s the Difference Between Presence and Awareness? from 2021-11-12T12:40

I've often used the words presence and awareness interchangeably—but they're really not. They're two distinctly different things, and in this episode, I discuss the difference, and talk ab...

109: Michael Ende, Practicing Patience, and the Power of Doing 1 Thing Wholy from 2021-11-06T10:02

Here's a conversation we've had about Michael Ende, Author of The Neverending Story, Momo, and other great books. We then touched on the ...

108: Magic Mornings: The Power of the Day’s First Hour from 2021-11-04T08:02

How do you design your optimal morning? Every night as we sleep and dream, we enter a profoundly altered state of consciousness, we process and integrate our experiences of the day. Rather than ...

107: The Unequal Equilibrium of Giving & Taking in Our Relationships from 2021-10-27T00:28

Apotomos is a Greek word that describes a person who always appears calm, keeps everything bottled up inside, and then at some point, when they can't take it anymore, they suddenly erupt like a ...

106: Should You Do X? Only if It Gives You Energy from 2021-10-17T17:38

It's so easy to lose yourself in all the things you "should be doing". It's so easy to come up with an endless list of things that would be good for your career, your wealth, your well-being. Bu...

105: Embracing Life’s Perfect Imperfection from 2021-10-15T06:37

What you most reject is what holds the greatest potential for growth. Whether it's a feeling you don't want to feel, a person with whom you have a challenging relations...

104: Fixing Other People’s Problems Instead of Dealing With Your Own from 2021-10-06T03:48

Imagine having a friend with a drinking problem. You can clearly see they're on a path that'll lead them down a bad road. You offer your help and invite them to stay with you in your home. You'l...

102: Decoding Dreams: Seeing Hidden Truths With Eyes Closed from 2021-09-27T10:04

Ever since reading Carl Jung, I got interested in dream interpretation, but most of the time I don't feel like interpreting my dreams. A dream I recently had though made me think that there was a m...

101: The Art of Accepting Help (When You Think You Don’t Need It) from 2021-09-20T17:32

Oftentimes the people who think they need help the least are the ones that need it the most. I've always been a giver. I always loved to help others. But asking for, and receiving help, that was so...

100: The Courage to Be a Degenerate from 2021-09-12T15:29

After 100 episodes of intimate navel-gazing and serious inner work, it's time so start sharing some of the silly goofing around we do in between. Expect nothing meaningful from this episode. We're ...

099: The Neverending Story: How We Narrate Our Every Moment from 2021-09-10T15:35

I started paying more attention to the soundtrack of my live—that inner narator that constantly makes up stories about what it is I do. And I started experimenting with it: What if I change the nar...

098: The Potato Chip Friendship from 2021-09-04T15:44

Recently while on vacation in Greece I was looking for some more lighthearted literature and picked up Charles Bukowski's Ham on Rye. Well, let's say it wasn't exactly the feelgood read I sought, b...

097: What My Insecure Loser Friend Taught Me About Self-Esteem from 2021-08-27T15:51

First of all: My friend is not an insecure loser. He's an amazing person that I enjoy to spend time with and learn from. But he sometimes thinks that others think of him as a loser. And let's be ho...

096: Kissing My Mother’s Feet from 2021-08-20T15:28

I was recently on vacation with my family and shared a very special moment with my mother: For the first time in decades, I felt like the child of my mother—and her being my parent. I've stepped in...

095: What I Learned From My Grandfather from 2021-08-15T18:04

It was 2007, I had just moved to the US, when I received a call from my brother: My grandfather had died. I was his namesake, and his favorite grandchild. People always told me how much I came afte...

094: Fatherhood Odyssey - What My Son’s Neediness Taught Me About Myself from 2021-08-15T07:58

My youngest son has a seemingly insatiable desire for attention from his mom. Sometimes it escalates into awkward neediness, and it hurt me seeing my son feel this way. I tried to step in and "save...

093: Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky from 2021-08-11T13:09

In this episode I share my thoughts after reading Dostoyevsky's Crime And Punishment. A much more effortful, and less rewarding read than I had hoped, but I do love how deep it goes into the centra...

092: Meeting My Inner Endurer from 2021-08-08T05:16

I've yet again learned about another part of myself: It's the part that I call The Endurer, and it's one of the parts that my core Self hasn't fully integrated, or even acknowledged enough. I like ...

091: Lying Is a Delightful Thing, for It Leads to Truth from 2021-08-06T04:29

"Lying is a delightful thing, for it leads to truth" wrote Dostoyevsky in Crime and Punishment. We discuss how you arrive at the truth through lying, and then about the twisted lies of Tolstoy's An...

090: The Dangers of Overcorrecting Your Mistakes from 2021-08-02T07:12

Sometimes we don't learn from our mistakes at all, and we keep repeating them again and again. And sometimes we overcorrect our mistakes so much, that we just replaced one mistake with another mist...

089: Don’t Give Advice, Create Connection from 2021-07-25T03:40

I recently had a conversation with a friend who's been through a couple of challenging months. And as he shared his struggles with me, my initial response was to share how I in the past had overcom...

088: Stop Hiding Your Enthusiasm from 2021-07-19T06:50

This episode is an outtake from a conversation where I realized how I stifle my enthusiasm because I want to protect myself from the pain of embarrassment and disappointment. One of the greatest th...

087: Less Discussions, More Decisions from 2021-07-15T09:09

Many years ago in the early days of Close, my cofounders and I would go out for dinner once a week to discuss the business. These discussions were good, but oftentimes they were just that: dis...

086: The Joy of Inner Conflict in Tolstoy's Writing from 2021-07-10T05:29

One thing I love about Tolstoy's writing is with how much insight and empathy he's making the characters of his novels come alive. I learn so much about myself, and humanity in general by reading A...

085: The Dance of Anger: Are You Over- or Underfunctioning? from 2021-07-07T02:01

One of the most insightful books on managing anger I've read is The Dance of Anger: A Woman's Guide to Changing the Patterns of Intimate Relationships, and in this episode I discuss the concept of ...

084: How to Change the Way I Feel About Germany? from 2021-07-03T01:10

I grew up in Germany, and spent most of my life there. And yet, I never felt at home in Germany, never liked living there. If Germany was a family member of mine, it would be a heartless, cold...

083: The Beautiful Wisdom of Anna Karenina's Derailing Marriage from 2021-06-29T09:22

I've been reading Tolstoy's Anna Karenina recently, and absolutely love this book for the sharpness with which he looks at relationships, and how people communicate. There's so much wisdom within t...

082: What Would I Want to Learn From My Younger Self? from 2021-06-23T09:24

There's a popular interview question I've been asked many times: What's one piece of advice you'd give your younger self? To me, a much more interesting question if I could travel back in time...

081: Meeting My Inner Narrator from 2021-06-13T12:26

I recently had another IFS session on an elliptical, and this time it led to an unexpected encounter with my inner narrator.
Shownotes: https://steliefti.com/meeting-my-inner-narrator/ 
Con...

080: Make Your Inner Critic Part of Your Creative Practice from 2021-06-03T11:14

Whenever you pour your heart into a creative endeavor, those critical thoughts can derail you.
"You can't do this."
"This isn't good enough."
"Who do you think you are to even try?"
Listen

079: My 30 Day Creative Writing Challenge (Another Elliptical Session) from 2021-05-31T11:11

I've had another inner work session on the elliptical, and this time I've addressed a major emotional challenge of mine: chronic tension.
I've had a very vocal inner critic that used to be the ...

078: My Elliptical Inner Workout from 2021-05-30T08:42

I've recently had an interesting experience doing an IFS (Internal Family Systems) audio workshop while working out on a threadmill. There's something about working out physically while also doing ...

077: My Full Body Meditation from 2021-05-29T14:14

About a year ago I had my first therapeutic MDMA session, and one of the biggest gifts that stayed with me is a type of meditation. This is the first time that I talk about this meditation and what...

076: Who Is My Inner Critic? from 2021-05-26T21:06

I'm highly self-critical by nature, often to a fault. A good amount of the inner work I've been doing over the past 2 years has been about reigning that part of myself in. But now that I'm explorin...

075: Why Naming My Feelings Was a Gamechanger from 2021-05-24T11:46

I've talked about how out of touch with my emotions I was here many times. One of the things that helped me changes this tremendously was a very simple exercise: I simply started to name my emotion...

074: Are You Fragmented or Fully Present? The Art of Handling Inner Conflict from 2021-05-16T01:35

In this episode, I talk about when parts of myself are at conflict with each other. I'm the type of person that's very good at pushing myself to do things, I've got a strong inner pusher. But there...

073: The Parts of Myself I Want to Get Rid Of from 2021-05-11T12:40

In this episode I talk about an idea I've been exploring for a while now: That we're all made up of different parts, and how they often conflict with each other.
There was a time when I thought...

072: My Journey as a Liar from 2021-04-29T13:31

There's a reason why being true and authentic matter so much to me: I know what's on the other side. When I was young, especially during my early teenage years, I lied a lot, habitually. In this ep...

071: Am I Too Deep in the Rabbit Hole of Introspection? from 2021-04-23T11:07

The past couple of weeks being back in Germany, I've started doing what Germans do a lot: think, and think, and think some more. It got to the point where it feels out of balance: too much introspe...

070: They Both Die at the End from 2021-04-22T01:46

Here's a book recommendation: They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera. A very quick and easy read, but one that moved me nonetheless and that I gifted to my nephews and nieces.
Shownotes: http...

069: I've Lost My Way by Never Getting Lost from 2021-04-19T00:53

There's a magic to going into a situation completely open, unprepared and without a plan, and improvising your way into a beautiful dance.
Even though there's always the risk that instead of a ...

068: A Beautiful Dance in the Sky from 2021-04-13T05:40

I never would have expected that pigeons could teach me something about myself—but some of life's most valuable lessons come in surprising ways. 
Shownotes: https://steliefti.com/beautiful-danc...

067: How to Change Yourself: Slow Adjustments vs Instant Transformation from 2021-04-06T13:26

I've been reading a book about personal change and anger, and one paragraph early on in the book stood out to me:


[If we want to change ourselves, we should do it] very slowly, ...

066: How Can I Be More Accepting of Others? from 2021-04-01T07:21

I've been wondering how I managed to accept some of the people in my life fully—just the way they are. I'm blessed to have many friends in my life whom I love and care for, but there are very few p...

065: Fatherhood Odyssey: When Teaching, Make It Fun Before You Make It Right from 2021-03-29T08:43

While homeschooling my two sons, I witnessed my younger one just in the midst of that special phase where you learn to read and begin to make sense of words. And I (once more) realized the importan...

064: We feel the truth from 2021-03-27T15:48

I do believe that we all have an intuitive sense for truth. We know the truth at all times, we feel it, we can sense it deep down. But for a variety of reasons, we cover it up, we edit it, we ...

063: Don't Solve Other People's Problems from 2021-03-21T12:44

One of the questions that reading Kafka has brought up in my mind is: How much pain are we causing others by trying to carry their burden? How much of the help I'm providing to others is really in ...

062: My Ridiculous Subconscious Thoughts from 2021-03-16T23:07

Here's another episode that can be tagged with "aftereffects of reading Kafka".

Little Voice In My Head A: "Steli, it's 11am and you've not done anything yet".

To which Lit...

061: Fatherhood Odyssey: Remember to Have Fun from 2021-03-15T08:56

Another beautiful insight that came out of some time I spent with my two sons recently was this: Remember to have fun when you do fun stuff.
Shownotes: https://steliefti.com/remember-to-have-fu...

060: Reading With Steli: The Trial by Franz Kafka from 2021-03-11T23:07

I recently started reading The Trial by Franz Kafka, and there's one thing I really love about this book: It has already raised so many questions in my mind and made me think thoughts I wouldn't ha...

059: Fatherhood odyssey: The power of nonjudgmental encouragement from 2021-03-10T03:48

Now that I'm back in Germany, I'm spending a lot of time with my two sons, and there was a beautiful experience of trust and courage we've shared together that I want to capture here.
Shownotes...

058: Steli returns to Germany: A lesson in presence and priorities from 2021-03-06T12:22

I've never had a great relationship with my Germany, even though I was born here, I grew up here, I have family and friends I love here. I never liked living here. And whenever I came back to ...

057: Read books your own way from 2021-03-05T06:48

Some books have literally been life-changing, epic adventures in my life. I wouldn't be who I am if it weren't for these books.

But if I've read books the way most people read books,...

056: Storytelling and the audience's capacity to open up their hearts and minds from 2021-03-02T11:32

In this episode we geek out about the art of storytelling, and it's magical ability to touch and move us, to think new thoughts, to live life in new ways.

Books discussed:


S...

055: Ok, now I'm punching pillows (Anger management adventures) from 2021-02-25T01:00

One of the emotions I still haven't found a good way to relate to is my anger. For most of my adult life, my way of handling anger was simply to suppress it and pretend it didn't exist at all....

054: How my jaw pain forces me to face unpleasant truths from 2021-02-23T01:00

I don't know how to explain this to people who've never felt it, but I've been suffering from jaw tension for quite a while now. It comes and goes, and I never really know what triggered it until I...

053: I just can't relax from 2021-02-22T02:02

I was out on the balcony on a sunny day in Austin. It was a nice day. Everything was fine. Beautiful music playing. My day's work was done. And that's when it hit me:
I'm good at many things—bu...

052: A year of self-discovery and intense inner work with Ryan Robinson from 2021-02-21T04:04

Today I'm talking with my good friend Ryan Robinson, one of the most disciplined people I know, and also one of the most prolific content creators. But that's not what this conversation is about. 2...

051: Do your work in public from 2021-02-19T06:54

In this episode, I talk about our podcast, and why it's so different from the content we've created in the past.
Most of these episodes are unstructured conversations and explorations of random...

050: You can’t be upset with others, and at peace with yourself from 2021-02-17T01:00

Most of the episodes of this podcast are me talking about a topic that’s currently on my mind—oftentimes meanderings that don’t lead to a clear conclusion, or challenges I’m facing that yet la...

049: Why you should archive all your emails today from 2021-02-16T01:00

I'm the CEO of a very successful software startup. 8-figure revenue, thousands of customers all around the world, employees spread out all across the globe. I know what email stress feels like. In ...

048: What it's like to love a fighter with Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu from 2021-02-14T01:00

I'm excited to release our first ever interview on the Inner Work podcast. I spoke with Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu.
If you're really into Muay Thai—maybe you're familiar with the amazing work he an...

047: What happened to my mind when I stopped consuming content for 1 month from 2021-02-12T01:00

There's a reason why I grew a multi-million dollar company through content marketing. I'm good at content because I've consumed a ton of content in my life—starting out as a child where I spent all...

046: The soul of little things from 2021-02-11T01:00

I've been very out of touch with my own emotions, wants and needs for a long time. And much of the past year has been about getting to know myself better: What do I want? What do I really like? For...

045: Fatherhood odyssey: 5 success rules for 5-year olds from 2021-02-10T01:00

A while back I was driving my sons back home with the car, and they got excited about a dope looking sports car they saw. And it led to something I almost never do: I shared advice on how to be suc...

044: The half-assed life: Be one of the few who fully commit from 2021-02-04T16:50

Today's episode is a rant about the power of commitment. It's something that's so rare—to see someone being fully committed, to truly go all in, to not hold anything back. I want to see and create ...

043: I got rich slowly, but here's how you can get rich quick from 2021-01-29T07:30

It took me a long time to get rich. It still feels weird to say this about myself. But financially, I’m definitely rich. What’s funny is, I’ve been rich long before I even realized that I was rich....

042: McGregor vs. Poirier 2 - Looking foolish in the name of progress from 2021-01-28T06:14

I was surprised to see McGregor get knocked out by Poirier this fast. But one thing that’s been bothering me about McGregor is that I don’t think he’s been picking the right sparring partners to pr...

041: LSD & Martial arts: Finding my flow in fighting from 2021-01-21T05:51

In this episode, I talk about a breakthrough I've had in my martial arts after a training session on LSD.

In my training of martial arts, there are periods where I'm on a very intens...

040: Pacing myself: Full speed until the fuel runs out isn't a good strategy from 2021-01-18T03:21

Here's a conversation where I talk about the importance of pacing myself and managing my energy throughout the course of a day. 
I have a tendency to go full speed whenever I feel energized—unt...

039: Intimate art, loving playfulness, and my secret guitar from 2021-01-15T14:56

A few weeks ago, I ordered a guitar. I spent most of my teenage years chasing the dream of becoming the world's best guitarist, practicing all day, every day... until one day when I realized I'd ne...

038: I visited an alternative healer from 2020-12-30T11:41

Here's another very personal episode. If you're looking for sales, startup, and business advice, skip this episode, it's not going to be a good use of your time.
If you want to get to know me b...

037: Feeling my tiredness fully from 2020-12-27T14:40

Here's a personal conversation I've had with a friend back in September. I've been feeling tense and tired for a very long time, and I wanted to allow myself to just feel this feeling of tiredness ...

036: The wild wisdom of Zorba the Greek from 2020-12-14T01:34

One of my favorite reads of this year was Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis. I love Zorba’s practical wisdom and zest for life. He manages to see the everything and everybody as a miracle worth ...

035: Way of the Warrior: Getting real from 2020-12-06T04:55

Here's another Way of the Warrior episode, where I share lessons I learn while practicing martial arts. Today, I'm going to talk about the difference between theory, practice, and real-world applic...

034: When Siddhartha met Buddha (and walked away) from 2020-11-26T05:55

I recently read Herman Hesse's book Siddhartha, which tells the story of a man seeking enlightenment. From a young age on, together with his best friend, he sought spiritual teachers and mentors to...

033: The story of the boob flashing goddess from 2020-11-24T13:06

In the summer of 2019, I went on a boat trip around Ibiza with a group of good friends. Now in this episode, I tell a story about a random woman who flashed her boobs, but that's only what this is ...

032: What makes you come alive at work? A purpose-finding exercise from 2020-11-14T04:26

What's the driving force that keeps you excited, motivated, and makes you come alive?
This is not always an easy question to answer, but in this episode I share a simple way of uncovering your ...

031: Listening to myself: A bad day from 2020-10-22T05:46

This might just be the most uncomfortable piece of content I've ever published. I recently had a lousy day, and captured my mood and thoughts in a rare, ad hoc voice memo. I want to share this...

030: Ti Perimeris - What are you waiting for?! from 2020-10-15T05:30

How much of our days do we spend on our image? How often don’t we do something we feel like doing, because we’re concerned how others might perceive us? How often do we do something we don’t feel l...

029: The story of 3 beggars in Thessaloniki from 2020-09-24T02:13

I'm currently with 2 friends in Thessaloniki and want to share the story of 3 encounters with different beggars we've had here, and what we can learn from it.

One beggar was an aggre...

028: Way of the Warrior: Desperation made me pull another man's pants from 2020-09-17T14:12

A few years ago I fell in love with martial arts, and it’s become a great source of learnings and insights for me. In the Way of the Warrior series, I’m going to share these lessons with you—a...

027: Negative self-image? What a little girl taught me from 2020-09-15T09:48

On a recent summer night I witnessed something touching and magical that I want to share with you in today’s episode. If you have a negative self-image, or simply want to build a more positive self...

026: Fatherhood odyssey: Homework struggles from 2020-07-11T12:32

Being a dad also means dealing with a lot of mundane little issues. Things like making sure your kids do their homework.
To be honest—I’m not big on homework myself. I was terrible at school. I...

025: Out of touch with my emotions from 2020-06-02T15:46

I've been out of touch with my emotions for a long time—without even knowing it. In this episode, I share how this realization dawned on me.
I also share how I'm using an "emotion tracker" to b...

024: The Angry Samurai from 2020-05-17T11:13

What do you do when you get angry?
Do you let the negative, desctructive shadow-side of anger take over? 
Do you just control or suppress your anger?
Or do you have ways to transform th...

023: The moment I realized I would be great at sales from 2020-05-14T08:06

Salesmanship is in my blood. I discovered 20 years ago that I have a natural talent for it. Closing deals always came easy to me.
In this episode, I share the story of my first major close. And...

022: Just a tree in your path - A short story from Mike Tyson's book IRON AMBITION from 2020-05-07T13:26

Today I want to share a little story I read. The story is about Cus D'Amato, an infamous boxing trainer, most known for training Mike Tyson. But his influence on the boxing world went way beyond ju...

021: The only asset worth investing in during this crisis from 2020-04-22T01:06

Many friends and fellow entrepreneurs come to me for investment advice during this crisis. The first thing you need to understand is that I'm not an investor. So don't put too much stock into my ad...

020: What questions should I ask myself in this crisis? from 2020-04-13T00:57

1432 days ago I started a little routine:
I begin every day by asking myself five essential questions.
Answering these five questions creates clarity and vision for my day, before I engage ...

019: How to be a wartime CEO (and why everyone needs to from 2020-04-04T15:24

This episode is not just for CEOs—everyone should adapt a "wartime CEO" mindset these days, I believe. The COVID-19 crisis is leading us farther into the unknown with every passing week. 
This ...

018: Your feelings are FAKE NEWS from 2020-03-29T03:25

I'd love to hear from you! Drop a comment at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/your-feelings-fake-news-steli-efti
During the COVID-19 crisis, it's hard to figure out whom to trust. Governemnt agen...

017: Why most startups don't invest enough in their best people and customers from 2020-01-04T22:15

I call it the squeaky wheel fallacy: When you run a startup, there will always be vociferous customers and team members. They'll be very vocal about all the challenges, problems, and struggles they...

016: The Gratitude Tracker for Entpreneurs from 2019-12-31T11:02

If you're the kind of ambitious person that's always looking ahead, there might be one thing you can do to grow even more: reflect on your successes and count your blessings. 
In today's episod...

015: Want that startup job? Let your CV tell a story from 2019-12-21T04:33

Thousands of people apply to join my our startup every month. Lots of “why you should hire me”-style pitches coming my way. Once you’re on the receiving end of screening job applications, you reali...

014: Building a Remote Sales Team? Avoid These 3 Common Mistakes from 2019-12-14T10:30

The future of work is going to be more and more remote. Not just for designers, developers, and marketers, but also to sales people.
But you can't execute the same remote playbook that you appl...

013: Creating Reality Distortion Fields from 2019-12-06T06:15

Steve Jobs wasn't the only person who could create reality distortion fields. Most really good sales people do it all the time.
And while it can be a great blessing in life—it can also be a cur...

012: How to Practice Gratitude from 2019-12-01T01:18

What are you grateful for today? It’s one of the most important questions I ask myself every day. I once said that appreciation is the currency we pay the universe with—and I still think that’s tru...

011: Want to Become a Top 1% Sales Pro? Master the 4 Levels of Emotional Competence from 2019-11-22T13:50

No matter what you sell and who you sell it to—sales ultimately boils down to a transfer of emotional energy.

That's how you win deals; by changing the way people feel about buying y...

010: When a Sales Prospect Goes Silent, and You Don’t Know Why... Do This! from 2019-11-16T02:31

Have you ever been in the middle of negotiating a deal, trying to close a contract, and then something stalled the deal—but you didn’t know exactly what? Maybe the client has gone quiet and is unre...

009: Turn Rejection into Progress with This Old-School Mind Hack from 2019-11-08T11:11

If you're facing a lot of rejection, here's an old-school hack I learned early on in my sales career. 
You might have heard this before: The trick is to just turn every rejection as a stepping ...

008: Broccoli & Sweat from 2019-11-02T05:06

Most of us are spending too much time searching for a better way of doing things, and not enough time actually doing them.
Yes, there might be a better, more efficient way to lose weight than e...

007: How to deal with rejection from 2019-10-18T10:46

It's one of the most valuable skills in my life: The ability to get rejected, and keep moving on. In today's episode, I share my principal thoughts on dealing with rejection. Most importantly, how ...

006: The Path to Creating Great Work? Create a Lot of Crappy Work First from 2019-09-03T11:15

Content is so obvious, so often. Useless. No value. Yet, others are touched, amazed, impacted, and inspired by the most obvious truth of content consumed.

Different people, perspecti...

005: Knocking Down a Bully from 2019-07-01T09:01

The first time I knocked someone down during a fight, they collapsed and couldn’t continue sparring.

I‘m not bragging or super tough, but it felt good. It inflated my ego.

...

004: Never Ever Stop in the Middle from 2019-06-01T06:00

Here’s a Steli Efti exclusive just for you!
Never, ever, ever stop in the middle.
I’ve given that piece of advice several times, but never publicly; until now.
No matter what you’re doi...

003: How to Overcome Your Fear of Creating (And Publishing) Content from 2019-05-15T17:11:15

It’s late at night. I’ve been waiting for hours to be produced. Be excited. Be motivated. To create content!



Before you start a blog, podcast, or YouTub...

002: How I Lost the Joy of Public Speaking from 2019-05-07T07:30:56

When creating and preparing for speaking engagements, my process is brief, but painful.



I suffer a lot during each “joy of birth,” but always follow the...

001: This Podcast Shall not be another “To Do” Item from 2016-06-15T21:45:23

Welcome to the first episode of The Steli Efti Podcast. Steli is the co-founder/CEO of Close.io, startup/entrepreneur advisor, and author of The Ultimate Startup Guide To O...