585: Alexander Dreymon (Star of Netflix’s “The Last Kingdom”) on: Therapy, Marriage, Anger, Masculinity, Meditation, and Being Nice (Even If You’re a Viking)

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Dan Harris is a fidgety, skeptical journalist who had a panic attack on live national television, which led him to try something he otherwise never would have considered: meditation. He went on to write the bestselling book, 10% Happier. On this show, Dan talks with eminent meditation teachers, top scientists, and even the odd celebrity. Guests include everyone from His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Brené Brown to Karamo from Queer Eye. On some episodes, Dan ventures into the deep end of the pool, covering subjects such as enlightenment and psychedelics. On other episodes, it’s science-based techniques for issues such as anxiety, productivity, and relationships. Dan’s approach is seemingly modest, but secretly radical: happiness is a skill you can train, just like working your bicep in the gym. Your progress may be incremental at first, but like any good investment, it compounds over time.

Alexander Dreymon is the star of a great show on Netflix called “The Last Kingdom.” He plays a Viking, so you’re literally not going to find a guy who is more stereotypically masculine. But I’ve gotten to know Alexander recently and he’s also incredibly thoughtful. 

We cover a lot of ground in this conversation: marriage, parenting, anger therapy, sleep, human connection, meditation, masculinity, and, uh, how to show your body on Netflix without developing body dysmorphia. We also talk a lot about his show, which is awesome, although it is coming to an end — just a few days ago, Netflix posted the series finale, a movie-length episode called “Seven Kings Must Die” that wraps up the whole story. 

In this episode we talk about:

• how having male friends makes his romantic relationship even better
• The importance of therapy, of silliness and of kindness
• the importance of exercise in his life and how he tries not to get overly attached to his body looking a certain way
• a whole discussion between the two of us on the Buddhist idea of non-self 
• what his meditation practice looks like now that he has a toddler around the house
• what it’s like to wrap up his show, the Last Kingdom, and what might be next

Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/-alexander-dreymon-585 

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