In this solo episode of The Bardo Podcast, I reflect on what accountability looks like for me in practice.

This is a more personal and reflective episode than usual.

I talk about sobriety, spiritual identity, ego, mixed motives, and the discomfort of speaking publicly while still figuring things out. I discuss Buddhist ideas like samsara, beginner’s mind, and confession without self-punishment as a way of thinking about accountability as something lived and ongoing.

Artwork by Zoe Brownstone - Check out her comedy special here

About the show

The Bardo Podcast explores Buddhism, philosophy, comedy, and alternative ways of thinking through reflective conversations and solo episodes.

Hosted by comedian Marc Salmon, the show is not about certainty or expertise. It is about questioning assumptions, noticing habits of mind, and sitting with ambiguity, often with humour, in the space between inner and outer change.

Find updates and more information at:
https://www.marcsalmoncomedy.com/

In this episode of The Bardo Podcast, I’m joined by Mark Simmons, award-winning one-liner comedian, for a focused conversation about stand-up comedy, confidence, failure, and the philosophy of laughter.

We explore what really happens when a joke lands or fails, how audiences perceive confidence on stage, and what “dying on stage” actually means. The conversation covers joke writing, wordplay, timing, audience trust, taboo, and why the same material can succeed in one room and fail in another.

Rather than offering formulas for being funny, this episode looks at comedy as a practice shaped by surprise, tension, perspective shifts, and shared meaning, and what humour can teach us about confidence, creativity, and relating to others with more lightness.

In this episode we explore:

• Dying on stage and losing the fear of failure
• Confidence, belief, and audience perception
• Fun as a skill in stand-up comedy
• Joke writing, wordplay, timing, and structure
• Audience trust, taboo, and tension
• The philosophy of laughter

Guest

Mark Simmons is an award-winning one-liner comedian known for his sharp jokes and meticulous approach to joke writing. He has toured internationally, appeared on television and radio, and hosts the podcast Jokes with Mark Simmons.

Mark’s is on tour now here's his website:
https://marksimmons.co.uk/

Mark’s stand-up special on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRn6iEuZvPU

Reading List

Emily Herring - Herald of a Restless World: How Henri Bergson Brought Philosophy to the People
Sigmund Freud - Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious

Zoe Brownstone's new Stand-Up Special (Go check this out now!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJkF4QSNPmE

Support the show
If you’re enjoying The Bardo Podcast, subscribing, rating, or sharing the show genuinely helps.

You can also support the show financially on Patreon:
👉 https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheBardoPodcast

The Bardo Podcast explores Buddhism, philosophy, comedy, and alternative ways of thinking through fun philosophy conversations with comedians, philosophers, and Buddhist thinkers. The show brings together exploring Buddhism with playful, thoughtful discussions about creativity, meaning, inner and outer change, and what happens in the space between.

Hosted by comedian Marc Salmon, the show features conversations not about certainty or expertise, but about questioning assumptions and sitting with ambiguity together.

Find updates and more information at:
https://www.marcsalmoncomedy.com/

Music by Marc Salmon and Robert Fuller

Artwork by Zoe Brownstone

What happens when the stories we’ve relied on no longer work, and certainty itself starts to feel like part of the problem?

In this episode of The Bardo Podcast, I’m joined by Dr Steve Todd and Cesare Saguato for a wide-ranging conversation about the so-called meta-crisis, the overlapping crises of meaning, ecology, politics, and mental health shaping modern life.

Drawing on Tibetan Buddhism, physics, psychotherapy, and Western esotericism, we explore how rigid worldviews can collapse into despair, and how uncertainty, plurality, and play might open up new ways of relating to ourselves and the world. Rather than searching for final answers, this conversation stays with mystery, groundlessness, and re-enchantment.

In this episode we explore:

• The meta-crisis and why modern solutions no longer seem to work
• Meta-modernism and the idea of ironic sincerity
• Buddhism, groundlessness, and living without fixed narratives
• Science, magic, and the limits of a mechanistic worldview
• Rhizomes, decentralised action, and collective change without blueprints
• Activism as transformation rather than opposition
• Re-enchantment, play, and finding agency in uncertain times

Guests

Dr Steve Todd is a theoretical physicist with a PhD in high-energy particle theory and a long-time Buddhist practitioner within the Drukpa Kagyu tradition. He explores the intersections of science, Buddhism, and Western esotericism.
Steve’s Meta-Modern Rosicrucian Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/464647772026730/

Cesare Saguato is a Buddhist practitioner, psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher, and clinical supervisor. He works in private practice, education, and organisational settings, and is Chair of Bodhicharya UK.
Cesare’s work:
https://www.cesaremindfultherapy.com/
https://bodhicharya-kent.org/

Support the show
If you’re enjoying The Bardo Podcast, subscribing, rating, or sharing the show genuinely helps.

You can also support the show financially on Patreon:
👉 https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheBardoPodcast

The Bardo Podcast explores alternative ways of thinking, inner and outer change, and what happens in the space between.

Hosted by comedian Marc Salmon, the show features thoughtful conversations with comedians, philosophers, Buddhist thinkers, and other curious minds - not about certainty or expertise, but about questioning assumptions and sitting with ambiguity together.

New episodes explore comedy, philosophy, Buddhism, creativity, and alternative ways of living.

Find updates and more information at:
https://www.marcsalmoncomedy.com/

Music by Marc Salmon and Robert Fuller
Artwork by Zoe Brownstone