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WTF is on my Mind?!

WTF is on my Mind?!

By: Mark Vicente
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Author, Speaker, Whistleblower and award-winning Director Mark Vicente was behind the sleeper hit “What The Bleep Do We Know?!” Several books have been written about the film’s remarkable grassroots marketing campaign, which led to its unprecedented success.

Mark was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1965. Taking his first photograph at age four, he quickly discovered his passion for being behind the camera. After attending film and drama school in South Africa, he began working his way up the ranks of the camera department, from Assistant to Operator to Cinematographer. His first big break came as Director of Photography on the musical “SARAFINA,” starring Whoopi Goldberg. In 1992, he set his sights on Hollywood and relocated to Los Angeles to shoot his first studio picture for Disney; “FATHERHOOD,” starring Patrick Swayze and Halle Berry. At the age of 26, he became one of the youngest cinematographers to shoot a big-budget studio picture.

Over the next few decades, he went on to shoot an additional 14 feature films and numerous documentaries, music videos and commercials. Mark soon found there were in him, untold stories he desperately wanted to express as a Director. He was driven by the conviction that tales of greatness, nobility and introspection could be exciting and financially successful.

Perhaps because of the very obvious race and class iniquities in South Africa, he found himself propelled to question certain fundamental assumptions at a very young age. Beliefs about human behavior, cosmology, religion, existentialism and mysticism. Along the way, he stumbled into a few situations where leaders with malignant pathologies (masquerading as saintly philosophers) spoke the talk of self-improvement but did untold damage to their followers... and him.

Looking back, he can now say he has been in at least two cults. His last foray into personal growth and his defection from NXIVM was chronicled in the HBO series “The Vow”. Mark and a few plucky whistleblowers exposed the criminal activities of the organization, resulting in multiple arrests and indictments. He doesn’t consider himself a cult expert, but by his own admission, “I’m an expert in being screwed over, waking up, and knowing how to spot them.” He’s got a pretty salty approach to most things and is fascinated by the myriad patterns in the human psychodynamic that create the best and the worst in civilization.

Join Mark as he unpacks a whole range of topics to do with: Psychology, Consciousness, Morality, Narcissistic Abuse, Spirituality, Cults, Propaganda, Science, Filmmaking, and Philosophy.You never quite know what you’re going to get, as it really does depend on… WTF is on his mind?!

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Episodes
  • Are Narcissists Born or Made? w/ Dr Peter Salerno

    Are Narcissists Born or Made? w/ Dr Peter Salerno
    Sep 21 2025

    In this episode of WTF is on My Mind?!, I sit down with Dr. Peter Salerno — a retired psychotherapist and author who has spent decades studying personality disorders, psychopathy, and complex trauma.

    Our conversation dives straight into one of the most heated debates in psychology: are narcissists shaped by trauma and upbringing, or are some people simply born with traits that evolve into full-blown disorders? Dr. Salerno challenges the conventional belief that all narcissism stems from childhood wounds, pointing to research in genetics and neuroscience that shows a far more complicated picture.

    We also unpack his concept of “traumatic cognitive dissonance” — the paralyzing confusion survivors experience when an abuser deliberately installs contradictory realities in their minds. It’s not just internal conflict; it’s an engineered state of disorientation that keeps people stuck in toxic relationships and systems of control.

    From there, the discussion widens: we explore how support groups can restore a shattered sense of reality, why some people lose touch with their identity after abuse, and what it really takes to rebuild a self when you were never given the space to form one in the first place. We also look at narcissistic emptiness, the myth of the “hidden shame,” and why grandiosity — not insecurity — may actually be the engine driving narcissistic behavior.

    The conversation doesn’t stay confined to therapy rooms. We talk about the ways these dynamics show up in society at large — from political polarization to media manipulation — and how it all echoes the same psychological warfare found in abusive relationships.

    This was a fascinating and unsettling deep dive into human psychology, which left me with a whole new lens on abuse, personality, and power.

    Dr. Peter Salerno’s website: https://drpetersalerno.com
    Books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Dr.-Peter-Salerno/author/B09NCBTPML
    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCYlLHe7DyXJiOWO7kceUAHA
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drpetersalerno/

    Support the show

    The views and opinions expressed on WTF is on my Mind?! do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast or Mark Vicente. Any content provided by guests are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything.

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MarkVicente
    Website: www.markvicente.com
    Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@markvicente7
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markvicente/
    X: https://x.com/markvicente
    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_vicente
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markvicente/
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 2 mins
  • WTF Happened to God in Psychology? w/ Richard Grannon

    WTF Happened to God in Psychology? w/ Richard Grannon
    Sep 14 2025

    New Youtube Channel and Podcast - "Remember Your Greatness"

    Youtube Channel Apple Podcasts Spotify

    Mentoring

    In this episode of WTF Is On My Mind?!, I sit down with Richard Grannon for a deep dive into the strange history of psychology, its blind spots, and what happens when we ignore the transpersonal, morality, and meaning.

    We ask the uncomfortable questions: Why did Freud’s worldview win out over Jung and Adler? What does it say about power, narcissism, and control in the human psyche? And what have we lost by pushing aside God, spirituality, and morality in the therapeutic process?

    This conversation weaves through:
    • Freud’s cult-like hold on psychoanalysis and why his ideas gained dominance
    • Jung’s brilliance and vagueness — and how hippies and bypassers misused him
    • Adler’s radical focus on responsibility and courage, and why it’s so confronting
    • How cult leaders twist legitimate psychological insights into tools of abuse
    • Why psychology struggles with replication, science envy, and false authority
    • The role of morality in healing trauma (and even reshaping the brain)
    • The dangers of abandoning spirituality after cult abuse — and what gets lost
    • The God question: authoritarian caricatures vs. transcendent awe
    • How nature, dreams, and mystical experience provide real breakthroughs
    • Science, uncertainty, and the humility we need to face the mystery of existence

    Richard and I don’t hold back — we talk about cults, coercion, narcissism, spirituality, and the deep hunger for meaning in a postmodern world. Whether you’ve wrestled with therapy, spirituality, or the aftermath of high-control systems, this one cuts right to the bone.

    Support the show

    The views and opinions expressed on WTF is on my Mind?! do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast or Mark Vicente. Any content provided by guests are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything.

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MarkVicente
    Website: www.markvicente.com
    Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@markvicente7
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markvicente/
    X: https://x.com/markvicente
    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_vicente
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markvicente/
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Bad Vegan Resurrected: Sarma Melngailis Sets the Record Straight

    Bad Vegan Resurrected: Sarma Melngailis Sets the Record Straight
    Sep 7 2025

    In this follow-up conversation, filmmaker, whistleblower, and podcast host Mark Vicente sits down again with Sarma Melngailis, the woman at the center of Netflix’s Bad Vegan.

    While the series portrayed her as complicit with Anthony Strangis and ignored key truths, Sarma’s new memoir, The Girl with the Duck Tattoo, reveals the deeper story: years of coercive control, psychological abuse, and dissociation.

    1st Interview with Sarma: https://youtu.be/p2bA7XiP83g
    Sarma's Book Website: https://thegirlwiththeducktattoo.com/
    Sarma's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarmamelngailis
    Sarma's Substack: https://substack.com/@sarmamelngailis?utm_source=user-menu
    Sarma's Website: https://www.sarmaraw.com/

    This episode explores:
    • How Netflix distorted her story
    • What coercive control and dissociation feel like from the inside
    • The pain of being criminalized and misrepresented by the media
    • Why intelligent, capable people can still fall prey to predators
    • The long, messy road of healing and reclaiming truth

    ⚠️ This conversation includes discussion of coercive control, psychological manipulation, dissociation, and emotional abuse. Viewer discretion is advised.

    This is more than one woman’s story — it’s a case study in how media narratives can erase survivor truth, and how reclaiming your voice becomes an act of survival.

    Support the show

    The views and opinions expressed on WTF is on my Mind?! do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast or Mark Vicente. Any content provided by guests are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything.

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MarkVicente
    Website: www.markvicente.com
    Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@markvicente7
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markvicente/
    X: https://x.com/markvicente
    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_vicente
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markvicente/
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 9 mins
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