In this episode of Ordinary People, Rufus Pollock speaks with Kyle Kowalski, the founder of Sloww.
Kyle shares his journey that led him from a high-powered marketing career to becoming a self-described "student of life" and creator of a digital platform dedicated to the art of living.
In 2015 Kyle experienced a turning point that shattered his then current and conventional path and set him off on a deeper quest for meaning and purpose. Kyle candidly shares how he navigated the cognitive dissonance of staying in his unfulfilling job while simultaneously immersing himself in the world of intentional living, minimalism, and spiritual self-inquiry.
Kyle's story highlights the power in questioning, learning, and trusting the unfolding of one's life journey. In this episode he shares insights into the stages of ego development, the impact of his family conditioning, and the joyful yet challenging process of transcending one's socialized identity.
Chapters
00:03:39 The Existential Crisis Catalyst
00:10:22 Embracing Intentional Living
00:18:04 The Path to Entrepreneurship
00:27:15 Reconnecting with Life through Self-Inquiry
00:37:42 Ego Development and Spiritual Evolution
00:44:00 Trust the Extraordinary Unfolding
About Kyle
Kyle Kowalski is the founder of (and human behind) Sloww. He’s an ex-marketing executive turned self-education entrepreneur after an existential crisis. In one sentence, his purpose is synthesizing lifelong learning that catalyzes deeper development. But, he’s not a professor, philosopher, psychologist, sociologist, anthropologist, scientist, mystic, or guru. He’s an interconnector across all those humans and many more—an “independent, inquiring, interdisciplinary integrator” (in other words, it’s just him, asking questions, crossing disciplines, and making connections). To keep it simple, you can just call him a “synthesizer,” and Sloww is his synthesis on the art of living for students of life. Over the last decade, Kyle has deeply explored lifelong learning, human development, intentional living, life purpose, mental mastery, and spiritual growth. He shares all his learning and living with 10,000+ email subscribers and 50,000+ social followers.
About Rufus
Rufus Pollock is an entrepreneur, activist and author as well as a long-term zen practitioner. He is passionate about finding wiser, weller ways to live together. He has founded several for-profit and nonprofit initiatives including Life Itself, Open Knowledge Foundation, and Datopian. His book Open Revolution is about making a radically freer and fairer information age. Previously he has been the Mead Fellow in Economics at the University of Cambridge as well as a Shuttleworth and Ashoka Fellow. A recognized global expert on the information society, he has worked with G7 governments, IGOs like the UN, Fortune 500s as well as many civil society organizations. He holds a PhD in Economics and a double first in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge. Find out more about his work on his website: rufuspollock.com.
Ordinary People is a podcast series as part of The Life Itself Podcast that delves into the lives of individuals who have defied societal expectations and embarked on extra-ordinary paths despite their seemingly ordinary backgrounds. Join us as we dive deep into their lives, uncovering their motivations, beliefs, practices, and moments of transformation. We demystify hero worship and share accessible narratives of real individuals who have transcended societal expectations and norms. Each guest delicately navigates the balance between introspection and worldly engagement. Listeners are offered empowerment, kinship and inspiration for embarking on their own extra-ordinary journey.
A Conversation with Kyle Kowalski