John Joseph On The PMA Effect: Transcending Labels & Transforming Lives

Conceived and raised in abuse, deprived of opportunity and left to his own devices, John turned to violence and drugs on the rough and tumble streets of downtown Manhattan in the 1970’s — during New York’s most violent decade. It’s a path that predictably led to crime, addiction and incarceration. Spending his teens as a drug mule led to a series of unsavory foster care homes, culminating in unimaginably horrific stints in juvenile detention.

Then things went downhill.

To avoid long-term incarceration, John enlisted in the Navy, only to go AWOL after a fight. Fleeing the law and rudderless, he found redemption in the hardcore punk rock scene flourishing on Manhattan’s Lower East Side in the early 1980’s. Taken in by the Bad Brains’ frontman H.R., John began to explore not just his musicianship, but his spirituality.  It’s a journey that birthed the Cro-Mags – one of the era’s most iconic and influential hardcore punk bands. Later, he found his spiritual salvation living in a Hare Krishna monastery, birthing a life-long love of meditation, yoga, the vegan lifestyle, racing Ironman triathlons, and most importantly, his profound devotion to service.

Renown for his straight talk, no BS approach to living, John is the author of Evolution of a Cro-Magnon*; Meat Is For Pussies*; and the upcoming The PMA Effect* — the latter two books each featuring a foreword by your truly — hitting bookstores October 2, 2018 and available for pre-order now here.

Today we pick things up where we last left off – a conversation that covers a multitude of subjects, including:

• John’s recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience;
  
• The crisis of consciousness driving our toxic cultural divide;
  
• John’s experience as a hare Krishna monk & his relationship with spirituality;
• ‘The PMA Effect’ & his new docu-series ’30 To Life’;
  
• What it means to live a life of service; and
  
• The importance of living a life of ahimsa

Every conversation with John leaves me better than before. Today’s conversation proves that just when I think we’ve covered it all, new layers emerge. So even if you’ve enjoyed all of John’s previous appearances on the podcast, this episode will find you riveted by a stream of mind-blowing, never previously told stories that are certain to incite, provoke, educate and inspire.

LANGUAGE ADVISORY: John loves his f-bombs. But I’m not one for muting his authentic voice. So if you’re queasy about foul language, consider yourself warned and make sure the kiddos are out of earshot.