What happens when things start going well… and you still feel like a fraud?

In this episode of The Bardo Podcast, Marc Salmon is joined by award-winning comedian Rob Copland for a conversation about imposter syndrome, self-doubt and the reality of life as a stand-up.

Rob shares what it’s actually like behind the scenes, from writing and performing to the pressures of the Edinburgh Fringe, and why success doesn’t always bring the relief you expect.

A funny, honest and reflective episode about creativity, ego, anxiety and trying to find something real underneath it all.

Topics include

• Imposter syndrome in comedy
• Writing vs performing
• Edinburgh Fringe and the industry
• Success, ego and self-doubt
• Belonging and comparison
• Meaning, kindness and how to live

Guest

Rob Copland is an award-winning comedian and clown. His show Gimme (One With Everything) won the Victoria Wood Award at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2024, following his debut Mainstream Muck, which won Best Show at the Comedian’s Choice Awards.

Rob Copland (@robertdcopland) • Instagram profile

Things mentioned

• Eddie Pepitone – For the Masses
• Chögyam Trungpa – Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism
• Nick Nemeroff – stand-up special - The Pursuit of Comedy has Ruined My Life

Support the podcast

If you enjoy The Bardo Podcast and want it to keep going, the best way to support it is on Patreon:

The Bardo Podcast | Patreon

Online Meditation Sessions

Second and fourth Sundays at 10:30am UK time.
Message Marc on Instagram to join.

About the podcast

The Bardo Podcast is a podcast about comedy, philosophy and spirituality, and new ways of thinking in uncertain times.

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.

Episodes explore comedy, meditation, philosophy, 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 - Check out her special: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJkF4QSNPmE&

What happens between moments of change, loss and uncertainty?

In this episode, Marc Salmon is joined by Steve Todd and Cesare Saguato to explore the Buddhist idea of the bardo, often associated with death, but also something that may be happening all the time.

Drawing on Tibetan Buddhist teachings, including The Tibetan Book of the Dead and the Six Bardos, the conversation explores death, impermanence, consciousness and how we respond to change in everyday life.

This is a thoughtful and grounded conversation about death, Buddhism, awareness and how to live with more presence in the in-between.

In this episode we explore:

• The bardo as everyday experience, not just death
• The Tibetan Book of the Dead and the Six Bardos
• Death, impermanence and the nature of change
• Buddhist perspectives on consciousness and mind
• Letting go, grasping and emotional reactivity
• Compassion, karma and responding to difficulty
• Meditation and awareness in daily life
• The “in-between” as an opportunity for transformation

Texts referenced

The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thodol)

The Six Bardos (Root Verses of the Six Bardos – Karma Lingpa)
https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-masters/karma-lingpa/root-verses-six-bardos

The Tibetan Book of the Dead A Way of Life (1994) Narrated by Leonard Cohen https://youtu.be/VyPwBIOL7-8?si=SeVsZCZg61nKdD_o

Guests

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/

Online Meditation Sessions

Second and fourth Sundays at 10:30am UK time. If you're interested in joining, send Marc a message

Support the show

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

Support on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheBardoPodcast

The Bardo Podcast is a podcast about comedy, philosophy, spirituality and new ways of thinking in uncertain times.

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.

Episodes explore comedy, meditation, philosophy, creativity and alternative ways of living.

https://www.marcsalmoncomedy.com/

Music - Marc and Robert Fuller
Art - Zoe Brownstone

What happens when a cancer diagnosis forces us to confront death earlier than expected?

In this episode of The Bardo Podcast, comedian Marc Salmon is joined by storyteller, director and screenwriter Fer Rodil for a wide-ranging conversation about cancer, comedy, philosophy and the search for meaning.

Fer shares what a cancer diagnosis taught him about love, mortality and happiness, and how facing death changed the way he thinks about relationships, creativity and the mind. The conversation moves between lived experience and philosophy, touching on ideas from Buddhism, William James and Nietzsche while reflecting on how art and storytelling can transform suffering into something meaningful.

A thoughtful, candid and often funny episode about mortality, attachment, forgiveness and how confronting death can reshape our understanding of love and letting go.

In this episode we explore

• Cancer diagnosis and living with uncertainty
• Comedy and the limits of humour
• Love, heartbreak and attachment
• Turning illness and grief into storytelling
• Acceptance, compassion and forgiveness
• Consciousness and philosophy of mind
• Rebirth and Buddhist ideas of continuity
• William James and altered states
• Nietzsche, samsara and the search for meaning
• Art, bitterness and emotional transformation

Guest

Fer Rodil is an Argentinian director, storyteller and screenwriter. He has written series for HBO, Amazon Prime and Disney+, and now lives in the Netherlands where he teaches storytelling and performs comedy and theatre.

His show Fer Is On A Deadline is a storytelling performance about his cancer diagnosis and the search for meaning when facing mortality.

Fer also writes reflections on storytelling, philosophy and creativity on Substack:
Fer is on a deadline | Substack

English Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/fer.rodil/

Hispanic Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/unperrovegano/

Online Meditation Sessions

Second and fourth Sundays at 10:30am UK time.
First session begins 22 March.

If you're interested in joining, send Marc a message on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/marcsalmoncomedy/

Support the show

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

Support on Patreon:
The Bardo Podcast | Patreon

About the podcast

The Bardo Podcast is a podcast about comedy, philosophy and spirituality, and new ways of thinking in uncertain times.

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.

Episodes explore comedy, meditation, philosophy, 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 - Check out her special: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJkF4QSNPmE&