Will to Joy (formerly Becoming Übermensch)
Not advice, but technique. Not guidance, but tools. Not opinion, but evidence. Through the practical application of the extraordinary teachings of Friedrich Nietzsche, The Will to Joy Podcast is the high road to self-overcoming and transcendence.Take the first step on an extraordinary journey! https://linktr.ee/becominguber
16. Nietzsche’s proof you have no soul - and why that's a good thing
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What if your precious soul was just superstition?
What if your thoughts, feelings, and identity weren’t the whispers of a divine spirit, but the murmurs of your gut, your glands, your genes?
In this episode of Will to Joy, we dissect Nietzsche’s radical physio-psychology—his claim that you are your body and nothing more, period. Join me for a guided meditation exercise as we vivisect the soul, dissolve the illusion of mind-body dualism, and expose the raw, physiological mechanics behind your so-called “free will.” No gods, no ghosts—just flesh, fo...
15. EXTRA: Important Announcement
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Join me for an important announcement about the future of the show. Your thoughts on this news most welcome using the "message the show" hotlink.
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14. Against the Despisers of the Body - Nietzsche's dismantling of "The Soul"
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You have been taught to despise your body—to believe that your true worth lies in some hidden soul, while your flesh is merely a burden or a prison.
But what if that is one of the greatest misunderstandings of the human condition ever? What if you are not a spirit trapped in meat, but the body itself—living, powerful, beautiful, and brimming with deep intelligence?
In this episode, we tear away the numbing illusions that have kept you weak, confused, and divided against yourself. You’ll discover why your body is...
13. EXTRA: Technique for establishing positive habits
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In this bonus episode, I share with you a proven, evidence-based technique for embedding positive behaviours in your life: the establishing of habits.In this bonus mini-episode of Becoming Übermensch, we explore the art of forming positive habits through the lens of Nietzschean self-overcoming and modern behavioural science. Nietzsche wrote that “the body is a great wisdom”—so how do we train it well? You’ll learn a simple but powerful routine to help you hardwire exercise into your daily life, reduce friction, and build momentum towards becoming who you are. The mind loves to wander...
12. My attempted 100 mile hike
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Something different this week. Join me as I re-attempt a 100 mile hike along the South Down's Way in Southern England in just three days, wild camping along the way. Naturally, there will be talk of Nietzsche and a little about your devoted host's personal background and the events that brought about this Becoming Übermensch project.
Put on your walking boots and shoulder your pack. As the Romans used to say: "it is solved by walking."
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11. Nietzsche's Will to Power and a new Hierarchy of Needs
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In this episode of Becoming Übermensch, we plunge deeper into Nietzsche’s concept of will to power as the underlying principle of life, reinterpreting Maslow’s hierarchy of needs through this radical lens. We explore how all living organisms—plants, animals, and humans—express a form of power not through conscious intention, but through their very being itself. Human consciousness, Nietzsche argues, is simply the latest elaboration of a deeper, inexorable, evolved, physiological will.
This episode introduces a brand new Nietzschean model of human motivation:
1.Maintain...
10. Nietzsche's Will to Power in nature
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What is power? Is it dominance over others, or something deeper—an intrinsic force woven into the very fabric of life itself? Nietzsche famously declared that “life as such is will to power.” But what does that really mean?
In this episode, we explore power beyond human ambition, tracing its organic expressions in nature, biology, and physiology. From the survival struggles of animals to the hedonic escalation that drives human motivation, power is not just about control—it’s about growth, transformation, and the relentless push of life itself.
This...
9. Nietzsche's Will to Power unpacked
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“What is good? All that heightens the feeling of power, the will to power itself. What is happiness? The feeling that power increases—that resistance is overcome.”
Nietzsche’s Will to Power is perhaps his most compelling yet widely misunderstood idea. It’s not simply about dominating others; rather, it’s about our fundamental craving for overcoming challenges and experiencing growth. Power is complicated—we’re both drawn to it and suspicious of it. It excites and unsettles us, often at the same time.
Most online interpretations oversimplify will to power, portrayin...
8. Wanting and getting
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Why do we always yearn for more? Why does happiness seem forever out of reach? In this episode of Becoming Übermensch, we dive into the inescapable cycle of desire, fulfilment, and renewed longing—tracing its roots from the bleak resignation of the Buddha's and Schopenhauer to Nietzsche’s radical revaluation of suffering.
Through the lens of Darwinian evolution, we uncover the hidden function of dissatisfaction: a relentless drive sculpted by natural selection, pushing us ever forward. Is our discontent a flaw, or is it the very engine of human greatness? Is it a curse...
7. The anatomy of desire
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What do we really want when we say we want happiness? In this episode of Becoming Übermensch, we continue our deep dive into Nietzsche’s conception of happiness—not as a passive state of pleasure, but as something dynamic, something earned through overcoming and self-overcoming.
We examine again the hidden structure beneath our desires discovering which expose them as mere proxies for deeper, more fundamental impulses. We explore Maslow’s famous hierarchy of needs and uncover its limitations—challenging the idea that fulfilment is a linear ascent to transcendence. Nietzsche had his own visio...
6. Nietzsche the storm cloud
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There are few western philosophers that have had such an impact on our contemporary culture as Friedrich Nietzsche. Why, then, is his thought so often dismissed? Why does his philosophy, which continues to provoke and inspire, still invite and hostility and derision? We delve into the widespread misunderstanding of Nietzsche’s work, the accusation of Nazism and misogyny, the dismissive sneers of his many critics, and the uncomfortable truths he forces us to confront. From his radical scepticism of morality to his challenge to conventional values, Nietzsche’s thought is both exhilarating and unsettling—so muc...
5. What everyone really wants
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Life itself forces us to posit values—this is Nietzsche’s insight, and it’s inescapable. Every desire, every choice, every “yes” and “no” reveals what we truly value. But have you ever questioned the structure of your desires? Have you peeled back the layers of rationalisation to uncover what lies at their core?
In this episode, we undertake a radical investigation into the bedrock of human motivation, exposing the forces that shape our wants, drive our actions, and dictate our sense of meaning. Only in this way can we understand what really drives...
4. Your wake up call
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“He who cannot obey himself will be commanded.” In this episode of Becoming Übermensch, we share two practical exercises that build strength, self-control, and embodied awareness, including a simple but potent practice from Nietzsche’s philosophy that will hone your self-control.
Most self-improvement advice tells you to accept yourself. Nietzsche challenges you to become yourself. Subscribe and get on board for an extraordinary journey.
This week's track: If We Don’t Make It, by UNKLE, the Ronin Throwdown version
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3. Nietzsche's glad tidings
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What is happiness, and how is it achieved?
In this episode, we begin our exploration of Nietzsche’s provocative ideas of happiness, desire, and self-overcoming. Is happiness simply getting what we want? Or is it something deeper—something tied to struggle, triumph, and the will to power?
Exploring the limitations of desire, the Epicurean pursuit of contentment, and Nietzsche’s rejection of passive pleasure, we uncover a vision of happiness that demands more than comfort—it demands transformation.
Tune in as we start to unfold Nietzsche’s philosophy...
2. Rate your life
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Are you living a 10 out of 10 life? Or does that question strike you as crass, reductive, even absurd? And yet—indulge me—if you had to rate your life right now, what number would you choose? More importantly, what would it take to raise that number? Could you imagine a life so rich, so affirmable, so meaningful, that you would live it again, eternally?
Welcome to Becoming Übermensch, the podcast where Nietzsche’s philosophy is not merely studied but lived. Hosted by Jimmy—former senior professional in evidence-based behaviour change and longtime Nietzsche...
1. Series Preview for Becoming Übermensch
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The Becoming Übermensch podcast invites you on an extraordinary journey of personal growth and transformation inspired by the radical teachings of Friedrich Nietzsche. Join Jimmy, a behaviour change expert with over 20 years of experience, as he demystifies Nietzsche’s complex philosophy, making it both accessible and actionable for modern life.
Whether you’re new to Nietzsche or already familiar with his thought, this podcast promises fresh perspectives and practical guidance for unlocking your highest potential.
Prepare to delve into a world of exhilarating summits and profound revelations. It’s time to beco...
