Alchemy For Life

Author Mark Bradford · alchemyfor.life

Welcome to the Time, Energy, and Resources Coaching and Podcast! Our coaching style and podcast are all about helping you make the most of your time, energy, and resources so you can achieve your goals and live a more fulfilling life. Whether you’re looking to improve your productivity, reduce stress, or simply make better use of your time, we have the tools and strategies you need to get started. Join us on this journey and discover how to take control of your time, energy, and resources and unlock your full potential.

250 episodes

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Episodes 250

What Most People Get Wrong About Dopamine
9d ago · 11:09
What Most People Get Wrong About Dopamine But you’d be wrong. Well, hey there. Welcome back. I hope you brought a considerable amount of dopamine, because you’re going to need it. You hear that word a lot, don’t you? And when you hear dopamine, you think of reward, right? You think, “Oh, I got a dopamine hit.” You think of gambling and shiny things and all the reward circuits that your brain has for things in your life. You think of exercising and all the positive, healthy things that you do for dopamine. And then you think of the negative things that you do: the overeating and the eating the
I would have written a shorter letter, but I didn’t have the time.
13d ago · 15:34
in 1656 Blaise Pascal wrote in a long letter at the very end (in French) “I have made this longer only because I did not have the time to make it shorter.” His point was that it takes effort to make something shorter. This is the effort that I have used to make my podcast episodes only about 10 minutes. And I’ve done so for over 300 episodes. Join me for a celebration, reaffirming my mission statement, and answering questions. Celebrating 300+ Episodes and the Reality of Podcast Survival. Eek Well, hey there! Welcome back—and welcome back for the 300th-plus time. I didn’t have a 300th-plus epi
Mapping Without Intent
16d ago · 9:20
Can you truly never go without intent? How important is intent in your everyday actions?
Planners vs. Doers: Discovering Your Productivity Personality
1mo ago · 10:40
Well, hey there. Welcome back. It takes a lot to keep coming back like this. And that’s actually what we’re going to talk about today. So, let me ask you this to hook you in the beginning. So, is there something that you do that you are kind of keeping tally on? Like it’s been X amount of days that you’ve done this. Like you go on a diet or you quit smoking or you’re trying to give up a a habit or you’re trying to develop a good habit where you say, look, I’ve gone to the gym, you know, every other day for the last month? I’ve kept my desk at work, really tidy, I keep my email box under X amou
The absence of something, anything, and everything is not nothing
1mo ago · 10:10
A poetic episode.
Theft by Proxy – Stealing in the Age of AI
2mo ago · 12:24
Introduction: The Line Between Learning and Stealing Well, hey there. Welcome back. And I really mean that. I’m really glad you’re here. I’m really glad that you enjoy my vast library of information. In fact, I want you to do whatever you want with it. If you can accomplish something or understand something, in fact, there’s really no limit to what I would like you to do with the information. Except for one thing. And that one thing is steal it. What Actually Constitutes Stealing in the Age of AI? And you might say, well, Mark, it’s free. You’re already giving it away for a steal. Oh, I gotcha
Willpower is a Finite Battery
2mo ago · 10:17
Introduction: Do I Have the Will to Go On? Do I even have the will to go on with this episode? Well, hey there, welcome back. Do I even have the will to go on with this episode? Um, I do, but I also have something better. The Willpower Battery: Why “Raw Dogging” Change Fails Let’s talk about that. If you’ve read my book Because… First of all, thank you. But if you haven’t, let me give you a refresher on something that’s really important. If you’ve ever tried to lose weight or make a change in your life and you’ve ever just tried to raw dog it, meaning you think, okay, I’m just going to use she
It’s OK to be Curious.
3mo ago · 8:41
The Stigma of Adult Curiosity You know it’s okay to be curious. You don’t need me to tell you that… or or or do you? Let’s think about this and we’re jumping right in. Let’s talk about curiosity and what it means to you. There have probably been a number of times in your life in which you either demonstrated curiosity or saw someone else being curious. And probably more than half the time, the person being curious was made to feel a little self-conscious about said curiosity. We sometimes equate curiosity with being nosy. Putting your interests in a place that it doesn’t belong. You know, well
Music, pattern matching, and good storytelling.
3mo ago · 11:00
Well, hey there. Welcome back. Do you like music? The Hidden Magic of Good Music It’s a silly question because everyone likes some form of music and sometimes when someone asks you, “What’s your favorite kind of music?” sometimes that’s really hard to answer. I recently went down yet another rabbit hole which I want to share with you. I wanted to know why certain songs and certain sounds made you feel genuine feelings. When I was writing the sword and the sunflower, I stumbled on a number of different pieces of music and one of them became the theme song for the heroine. So it came down to thi
Timing it Makes it Valuable.
4mo ago · 11:42
Oh crap. I have to take care of this. Well, hey there. Welcome back. How Time Dictates Perceived Value This podcast episode is about 10 minutes long. If it was about 30 minutes long, would you find it to be more valuable or less valuable? And do you ask me then? Well, Mark, it depends what’s inside of it. It depends what the content is. Okay, what if it was an hour and a half? Well, you again, you’d probably say, well, what about the content? Uh, what’s the intent? But you would have your upper limit based on what you would think the value was of what it contained, right? We do tend to assess
Learn to Prompt Both AI and Humans
4mo ago · 11:44
If you are interested in working with AI (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, etc.), in human psychology, or both, you might enjoy this episode. If you ask yourself, “What is prompting” or “What is a super prompt” you’ll also enjoy this. Transcript: The Ubiquity of AI in Business So, what prompted you to listen to this episode? Uh, get it? Oh, not yet. Well, you will. I’ve done at least two episodes on AI, the dangers of using, and so forth. AI is ubiquitous with business now. Everyone’s using it in some form or another. And why wouldn’t they when it’s pretty much shoved down your throat in every piece o
What an Anti-Vision Board Can Teach You
5mo ago · 10:00
What is a vision board? What is an anti-vision board? Transcript Well, hey there. Welcome back. What’s your vision? The Traditional Vision Board So, here’s a question. Have you ever used a vision board? A vision board is typically a physical place, almost like a bulletin board. It’s usually something larger than a sheet of paper that people place pictures, words, and inspiration. It’s something that they create that they can look at and it inspires them. It’s their vision of the future. It’s the house they want to live in. It’s the relationship they want to have. It’s the success that they wan
What behavioral mapping reveals about Elon Musk
5mo ago
Disclaimer: this episode is based on my proprietary behavior mapping system. This system is used in conjunction with a discovery conversation I have with an individual. In the case of mapping public figures this is purely an independent analysis and opinion based on publicly available research. See citations below article. Transcript: You’re probably like me in that you’re a very visual person. (see below!) Well, hey there. Welcome back. Let’s talk Elon Musk. But before we do that, let’s talk about behavioral mapping and my book BeCAUSE!. Freud’s Pleasure Principle: Monsters and Unicorns Okay,
The Dark Side of Repetition & What’s Really Causing Your Pain
5mo ago · 9:45
Well, hey there. Welcome back. Let’s talk about the dark side of things. I don’t mean the dark side of everything, even though that sounds kind of exciting, doesn’t it? Okay, let’s rewind. The Psychology of Motivation: Monsters and Unicorns My recent book because talks about fundamental building blocks. In simple terms, it’s built on Freud’s pleasure principle. And in simple terms, Freud’s pleasure principle states that we basically do everything based on two sort of drivers. One is to seek pleasure in all forms and to avoid pain in all forms. These two driving factors are neither good nor bad
Conflict resolution in just three words
6mo ago · 10:30
Tell me the problem in three words. Well, hey there. Welcome back. The “Favorite Three” Listening Game Today I want to talk to you about something that was a communication tool and kind of a game. And it all centers around the number three. When my kids were younger, I used to play a game with them in the car. And the game was Favorite Three. And it was such a natural hit that we would use it at parties.. And it really is kind of a not only a cool icebreaker, but it’s sort of a demonstrator of how well people listen. It’s a game you can play with your staff and in meetings, too. If you have a
Why your resolutions failed and how to fix that.
7mo ago · 10:21
If your resolutions failed this is why, and this is how you can have success in 2026. The New Year’s Resolution Check-In It’s February 1st. How did you do on your New Year’s resolutions? I know. I know. Here we go. But it’s not something I’m ever going to stop talking about. and we’ve had at least one, if not two or more episodes on New Year’s resolutions and how I feel about them. So, let’s just jump into it, shall we? If you’re a longtime listener, you know that I try to compress a lot of conversation. And I say conversation because I feel like you get to say something and think something. I
Taking the “fun” out of “funnel.”
7mo ago · 9:55
The Discomfort of the Sales Funnel Have I said how funnels feel icky to me? Well, hey there. Welcome back. Do you like funnels? I don’t mean like for refilling your oil or delicious funnel cakes. I mean, well, let’s let’s talk about this. So, as many of you know, there’s a concept called the sales funnel. It’s a process where you get someone into a process and kind of help them along the way to purchase your product. Now, you don’t see this that often with physical products. There’s a whole different way of dealing with that, but you do see it for services, especially certain kinds of services
The Last Episode
7mo ago · 9:33
Transcript of episode: Well, hey there. Welcome back. Why We Remember Firsts But Miss the Lasts There’s a lot of talk about the first time you do something. You remember your first time at something. But the reverse isn’t exactly true because it takes a bit of time to realize it truly was the last time because in some cases there’s a chance you might do it again. But thinking back on the last time can be rather jarring, emotionally draining, but sometimes can make you smile. Sometimes it can make you sad. There was a last time that you rode your bike as a 12-year-old. You put in the garage or
Limitations
8mo ago · 10:32
You do less, but you get more. Well, hey there. Welcome back. Do you have any limitations? Oh, yes, of course you do. Let’s talk about them. And I think your first reaction is, “Well, here we go. We’re going to explore how I’m not good enough at something or how I don’t even do a thing.” Nope, we’re not doing that at all. In fact, we are going to look at why limitations are so important and how they actually make a product, a business, and a person better. What is this? Real life? Yes, I’m here to tell you yes, it is. The Danger of Trying to be Good at Everything in 2026 I read a book a while
Top 10 things you can do NOW to be successful in 2026
8mo ago · 8:39
Getting unstuck Before you can move forward, you have to get unstuck a bit. Part of being stuck is worrying. Some people are really really good at it. Oh I’m sorry I’m raising my hand. Check out the how can I stop worrying episode. Sometimes life can get you really stuck. Circumstances can be such that you really just wanna give up. I feel you. And mental health is a delicate subject. If you’ve ever thought of truly giving up, check out depression and throwing away the container. You may be stuck because you think everything you’re doing is failing or you lament all of your failures as 100% yo
How Can I Stop Worrying?
8mo ago · 10:21
There’s such a stigma that we can’t even talk about it. Well, hey there. Welcome back. The Stigma of Private Worry What are you worried about? No, really. What are you worried about? Maybe you say nothing. Maybe you say, “Oh, the usual, you know, the things everyone worries about.” We deal with life and concerns and we take objective measures to reach goals in public. But then in private we worry and sometimes the worry doesn’t match our outward demeanor does it? Worry has a stigma to it just like suicide does. And I talked about this in my episode called throwing away the container. There’s s
What is Friction and When is it a Good Thing?
9mo ago · 10:12
Well, hey there. Welcome back. Redefining Friction: Physics vs. Process What does friction mean to you? For most of my life, friction has just simply described a physics concept in which something rubs against something else in some way, causing a slowdown and causing heat. But now, and now is variable depending on what sector of work you’re in. Friction describes the same thing, but it’s metaphorically for processes. And you know, I’m all about systems and processes. Intentional Friction in App Design Here’s an example. In the new app I created that allows you to get stuff done. When you add
The beginner mindset makes you a better teacher
9mo ago · 10:55
The beginner mindset makes you a better teacher—and it’s fun too! Well, hey there. Welcome back… to everyone who is an old pro at this podcast and those who are just beginners because at some point you are a beginner and we tend to forget that don’t we? In fact, there’s a phenomenon I would like to raise your awareness on and then do our usual discussion of. The Expert’s Curse: Forgetting the Beginner’s Mindset So, let’s think about this. There are skills and methods and things that you have immersed yourself in, things you’ve gotten better in, things that you have been doing for quite some ti
Surface Dwellers and the Pursuit of Knowledge
10mo ago · 11:06
It sounds like I’m talking about the surface dwellers and we’re all the people who live underground. Well, hey there. Welcome back. The Discomfort of Partial Knowledge You may have figured out by now that I like to know things and I like to learn things. And I’ve probably figured out by now that you’re the same. You also like to know things and you like to learn things. And I’m honored that this is one of your sources for information. While this isn’t necessarily an encyclopedia, it is a source for you to have thoughts and maybe challenges to the way that you think. It may introduce something
I think I found the perfect question
10mo ago · 14:29
Transcript I think I found the perfect question. Well, hey there. Welcome back. The Perfect Question I think I found the perfect question. No, really. I found a question I can ask almost anyone. It will elicit a genuine, honest, thoughtful response. It’s a useful subject. It’s something that they think about regardless of what they do for a living. And it’s something that most people struggle with because they know they haven’t quite gotten it right. And I’m included in that. And the question is, what do you use for a to-do list? You’re thinking about that now and feel free to pause it and the

Episodes

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More Health shows

Alchemy For Life

Episodes 250

What Most People Get Wrong About Dopamine

I would have written a shorter letter, but I didn’t have the time.

Mapping Without Intent

Planners vs. Doers: Discovering Your Productivity Personality

The absence of something, anything, and everything is not nothing

Theft by Proxy – Stealing in the Age of AI

Willpower is a Finite Battery

It’s OK to be Curious.

Music, pattern matching, and good storytelling.

Timing it Makes it Valuable.

Learn to Prompt Both AI and Humans

What an Anti-Vision Board Can Teach You

What behavioral mapping reveals about Elon Musk

The Dark Side of Repetition & What’s Really Causing Your Pain

Conflict resolution in just three words

Why your resolutions failed and how to fix that.

Taking the “fun” out of “funnel.”

The Last Episode

Limitations

Top 10 things you can do NOW to be successful in 2026

How Can I Stop Worrying?

What is Friction and When is it a Good Thing?

The beginner mindset makes you a better teacher

Surface Dwellers and the Pursuit of Knowledge

I think I found the perfect question

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Episodes 250

What Most People Get Wrong About Dopamine

I would have written a shorter letter, but I didn’t have the time.

Mapping Without Intent

Planners vs. Doers: Discovering Your Productivity Personality

The absence of something, anything, and everything is not nothing

Theft by Proxy – Stealing in the Age of AI

Willpower is a Finite Battery

It’s OK to be Curious.

Music, pattern matching, and good storytelling.

Timing it Makes it Valuable.

Learn to Prompt Both AI and Humans

What an Anti-Vision Board Can Teach You

What behavioral mapping reveals about Elon Musk

The Dark Side of Repetition & What’s Really Causing Your Pain

Conflict resolution in just three words

Why your resolutions failed and how to fix that.

Taking the “fun” out of “funnel.”

The Last Episode

Limitations

Top 10 things you can do NOW to be successful in 2026

How Can I Stop Worrying?

What is Friction and When is it a Good Thing?

The beginner mindset makes you a better teacher

Surface Dwellers and the Pursuit of Knowledge

I think I found the perfect question