The Rich Roll Podcast

Philosopher. Author. Futurist. Counter culture provocateur. Described as a mashup of James Merrill, H. P. Lovecraft, and Carlos Castaneda, I was first introduced to Daniel Pinchbeck through his rather fascinating metaphysical study of prophesy in 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl*– a book that explored humanity's precarious balance between greater self-potential and environmental disaster. Raised by Beat generation parents — his mother dated Jack Kerouac around the time On The Road exploded on the scene – Daniel’s roots in the New York counterculture movement run deep. Throughout the 1990s, Pinchbeck matured into a member of New York's literary select. He wrote for publications such as The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, Rolling Stone and Harper's Bazaar. But slowly something happened. As he approached his late twenties, he describes falling into a deep spiritual crisis fueled by a frustration with the inherent shortcomings of mainstream media and a friend's sudden passing due to a heroin overdose. Despair u