The Weekend University

In this episode, Niall speaks with Dr. Marjorie Woollacott, Professor Emerita of Neuroscience at the University of Oregon and former President of the Academy for the Advancement of Postmaterialist Sciences.

After more than 30 years of NIH-funded research on motor control, balance, and rehabilitation, a profound meditation experience led her to question her understanding of consciousness and reality.

In this conversation, they explore:

— Why Dr. Woollacott's research with nonverbal autistic children is raising questions about telepathic abilities

— How the brain may act as a filter that limits our perception of a much larger reality

— The scientific evidence for reincarnation from researchers including Ian Stevenson and Jim Tucker

— What synchronicities may reveal about the interconnected nature of consciousness

— Why pursuing a parallel line of research allowed Dr. Woollacott to study consciousness while building her academic career

You can learn more about Dr. Woollacott's work at https://marjoriewoollacott.com.

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Marjorie Woollacott, Ph.D., is an Emeritus Professor of Human Physiology at the University of Oregon and a renowned neuroscientist specializing in human movement, attention, meditation, and consciousness. She has received more than $7.2 million in research funding and has conducted research in child development, aging, rehabilitation, meditation, tai chi, balance, and attentional abilities. Woollacott has published over 200 scientific articles and authored or co-edited eight books, including the widely used textbook Motor Control: Translating Research into Clinical Practice. She is Research Director of the International Association of Near-Death Studies and President of the Academy for the Advancement of Postmaterialist Sciences. Her book Infinite Awareness explores the relationship between neuroscience, consciousness, and spiritual experiences, reflecting her work at the intersection of scientific research and questions about the nature of the mind.

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Interview Links:

— Dr. Woollacott's website: marjoriewoollacott.com

— Dr. Woollacott's books: https://marjoriewoollacott.com/books/

— Dr. Woollacott's events: https://marjoriewoollacott.com/events/

In this episode, Niall speaks with Liam McClintock, a Yale graduate, former Buddhist monk, and founder of FitMind, a meditation training platform that helps people move beyond stress reduction into deeper states of awareness and well-being.

After leaving a career in finance, Liam spent three years training in monasteries across Asia, studying under Bhante Vimalaramsi and learning advanced meditation practices, including jhana states and forgiveness meditation. He recently published his first book, “FitMind”, which brings together neuroscience and contemplative practice in practical tools for everyday life.

In this conversation, they explore:

— Why happiness supports meditation, not the other way around

— How predictive processing theory helps explain why meditation reduces suffering

— The neuroscience of jhana states and their role in reshaping the mind

— A forgiveness practice for letting go of emotional baggage

— The four-step framework for training attention: recognize, release, relish, and remain

You can learn more about Liam's work at fitmind.org.

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Liam is the founder of FitMind, a mental fitness training platform that provides evidence-based programmes for individuals and organisations, including Uber. After studying history at Yale University and briefly working in finance, he left his career in 2018 to become a certified yoga and meditation teacher in Bali. His interest in the mind grew from a childhood diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), leading him to explore psychology, lucid dreaming, and a wide range of contemplative traditions. His training has included Theravada Buddhism in India, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia; Indigenous shamanism in Peru and Mexico; Boabom, an ancient Tibetan martial art, in Chile; Hatha and Ashtanga Yoga in Indonesia and Nepal; Tibetan Buddhist practices in Bhutan; and Dzogchen, Mahamudra, Qi Gong, and other contemplative disciplines in the United States. Liam later completed a Master of Science in Applied Neuroscience at King's College London, where his dissertation examined the neural correlates of advanced nondual meditation.

Liam has since become a Buddhist monk to deepen his meditation practice and has participated in consciousness research at Harvard University. He has also advised on advanced meditation training for Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. Drawing on both scientific research and first-hand contemplative experience, Liam's work bridges neuroscience and ancient wisdom traditions to help people cultivate greater mental fitness, resilience, and wellbeing. He believes that making mental fitness an accessible and enjoyable part of everyday life has the potential to improve both individual lives and society as a whole.

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Interview Links:

— Liam’s website: https://fitmind.org

— Liam’s book: https://amzn.to/3RJGOum

— Fitmind Courses: https://fitmind.org/module

— Fitmind Podcast: https://fitmind.org/learn

Jennifer Garvey Berger is a leadership coach, developmental psychologist, and the author of several books, including: Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps, Changing on the Job, and Unleash Your Complexity Genius.

In 2023, she was shortlisted as one of the top 8 coaches in the world by Thinkers 50.

In this conversation, we explore:

— Daniel Gilbert’s idea that human beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they’re finished - and the implications this has for growth and development

— The 4 minds: self sovereign, socialized, self authoring, and self transforming - and how to know which stage you are at

— What it means to become a ‘complexity genius’

— The importance of continuously upgrading our mental models all throughout life - and how best to do this.

And more.

You can explore Jennifer’s work and books at https://www.cultivatingleadership.com.

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Jennifer Garvey Berger believes that leadership is one of the most vital renewable resources in the world. At a time when organisations are often forging the path rather than following the path of others, leadership is about creating the conditions for people to be their most creative, connected, intelligent selves. She is a founding partner and CEO of Cultivating Leadership, a consultancy that serves executives and executive teams in the private, non-profit, and government sectors around the world. Her clients include Google, Microsoft, Novartis, Wikipedia, and Oxfam International. Jennifer designs and teaches leadership programs, coaches senior teams, and supports new ways of thinking about strategy and people with clients facing these dramatic shifts in complexity, volatility, and change in their workplaces and markets. She blends deep theoretical knowledge with a driving quest for practical ways to make leaders’ lives better.

Jennifer also supports leaders one-on-one as a leadership coach. She supports clients to find their current growing edge and then make choices about how they want to grow, and she teaches coaches around the world transformational and developmental coaching approaches in her Growth Edge Coaching certification series. Jennifer speaks at leadership and coaching conferences, and she offers occasional courses for coaches at universities all over the world like Harvard University, the University of Sydney, and Oxford Brookes University.

Jennifer holds a doctorate in adult development from Harvard University, where she studied under and worked with acclaimed developmental psychologist Robert Kegan. She was an Associate Professor at George Mason University before she left the academy on a mission to connect powerful research and the people doing real work in the world. Jennifer is an American by birth, a Kiwi by choice, and finds herself living now in London, far from her beach house on the Tasman Sea. Wherever she might call home, she loves laughing with her two nearly-grown children, rolling on the floor with her dog, and writing about leading, coaching, and living.

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Interview Link:

— Jennifer’s website - https://www.cultivatingleadership.com

This episode features a conversation between Dr. Mark Vernon and Professor Peter Hawkins. This discussion is part of a series that Peter will be doing with some of the major thinkers and writers of our time, focusing on the necessary evolution of human consciousness, for humans to be future-fit to live on this planet in a way that makes a net-positive contribution to the wider ecology. The series is being done jointly with: The Weekend University and the Renewal Foundation.

Dr. Vernon is a writer and psychotherapist whose work explores figures including William Blake, Dante, and Owen Barfield, making their insights accessible to contemporary readers seeking deeper understanding of consciousness and meaning. His recent book “Awake” examines how poetic imagination can reconnect us with dimensions of reality that modern culture has obscured.

Peter is Emeritus Professor of Leadership at Henley Business School, founder of the Academy of Executive Coaching, and a leading authority on systemic leadership, coaching, and organizational transformation. His work integrates insights from psychology, systems thinking, ecology, and philosophy to help leaders navigate an increasingly complex world. His most recent book was: Beauty in Leadership and Coaching, which was published by Routeledge in 2025.

In this conversation, they explore:

— Why imagination is not just private fantasy, but a way of engaging with a deeper reality

— How Owen Barfield's study of language reveals the evolution of human awareness across centuries

— The distinction between original participation, separation, and final participation in the development of consciousness

— Why addiction can be understood as a spiritual crisis rooted in misunderstanding what truly satisfies

— How transforming human desire may help address the ecological and social challenges of our time

— The difference between becoming "someone" and becoming "no one" in the spiritual journey

And more.

You can learn more about Mark's work and writings at markvernon.com and Peter's work at renewalassociates.co.uk.

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Interview links:

— Prof. Hawkins’ website - https://renewalassociates.co.uk

— Dr Vernon’s website: https://www.markvernon.com/

— Dr Vernon’s book: https://amzn.to/4vD4Mp3

Rich Litvin is a master coach with over 20 years experience, an entrepreneur, and the bestselling author of the Prosperous Coach - a book he co-wrote with Steve Chandler in 2013.

In this conversation, we explore:

— Why creating value should be your focus rather than "making a name for yourself"

— The power of "scaling intimacy" rather than scaling your business

— Why Rich coaches for insight rather than remedial problem-solving

— The counterintuitive approach of raising your prices during economic downturns

And more.

You can learn more about Rich's work at https://richlitvin.com.

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Rich Litvin is a globally renowned leadership and high-performance coach, author, and founder of 4PC — an elite community for the top 4% of coaches and leaders worldwide. He helps exceptional individuals achieve exponential growth in impact, income, and influence through deep, transformative coaching. Co-author of The Prosperous Coach, Rich has built a global network of over 60,000 coaches and leaders dedicated to mastering the art of powerful client creation. You can check his work at https://richlitvin.com.

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Interview Link:

— Rich’s website: https://richlitvin.com