{"id":835,"date":"2022-06-09T17:18:39","date_gmt":"2022-06-09T17:18:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/startersites.io\/elementor\/persona\/?page_id=835"},"modified":"2026-05-24T03:26:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T03:26:32","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/8thelementpodcast.com\/?page_id=835","title":{"rendered":"About us"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"835\" class=\"elementor elementor-835\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fe54ad9 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"fe54ad9\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-095682e elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"095682e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<style>\n@import url('https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css2?family=Barlow+Condensed:wght@300;400;700;800;900&family=Barlow:wght@300;400;500;600&display=swap');\n\n.ab * { box-sizing: border-box; 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margin-bottom: 12px; }\n.ab-card-bio { font-size: .86rem; font-weight: 300; color: #888; line-height: 1.75; }\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500 MISSION \u2500\u2500 *\/\n.ab-mission { padding: 90px 0; background: rgba(0,0,0,.88); border-top: 1px solid rgba(232,93,4,.08); }\n.ab-mission .ab-inner { text-align: center; }\n.ab-pillars {\n  display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr;\n  gap: 16px; margin-top: 48px; text-align: left;\n}\n.ab-pillar {\n  background: linear-gradient(135deg, #130800, #0a0500);\n  border: 1px solid rgba(232,93,4,.15);\n  border-radius: 10px; padding: 36px 32px;\n  transition: border-color .3s;\n}\n.ab-pillar:hover { border-color: rgba(232,93,4,.4); }\n.ab-pillar-om { font-size: 2rem; margin-bottom: 14px; display: block; color: #E85D04; }\n.ab-pillar-title {\n  font-family: 'Barlow Condensed', sans-serif;\n  font-size: 1.3rem; font-weight: 800;\n  text-transform: uppercase; color: #E85D04;\n  margin-bottom: 11px; letter-spacing: .04em;\n}\n.ab-pillar-text { font-size: .87rem; font-weight: 300; color: #888; line-height: 1.75; }\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500 CTA \u2500\u2500 *\/\n.ab-cta {\n  padding: 80px 0; text-align: center;\n  background: rgba(8,4,0,.92);\n  border-top: 1px solid rgba(232,93,4,.1);\n}\n.ab-cta-h2 {\n  font-family: 'Barlow Condensed', sans-serif;\n  font-size: clamp(1.5rem, 4vw, 2.5rem);\n  font-weight: 800; text-transform: uppercase;\n  color: #fff; margin-bottom: 12px;\n}\n.ab-cta-p { font-size: .9rem; font-weight: 300; color: #666; max-width: 460px; margin: 0 auto 32px; line-height: 1.7; }\n.ab-btns { display: flex; gap: 14px; justify-content: center; flex-wrap: wrap; }\n.ab-btn {\n  display: inline-block; font-family: 'Barlow', sans-serif;\n  font-size: .72rem; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: .12em; text-transform: uppercase;\n  padding: 13px 34px; border-radius: 30px; cursor: pointer;\n  text-decoration: none; transition: all .25s; backdrop-filter: blur(8px);\n  background: rgba(255,255,255,.08); color: #fff; border: 1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.28);\n}\n.ab-btn:hover { background: rgba(232,93,4,.2); border-color: #E85D04; color: #FFB347; transform: translateY(-2px); }\n.ab-btn-solid { background: #E85D04; border-color: #E85D04; }\n.ab-btn-solid:hover { background: #F48C06; border-color: #F48C06; color: #fff; }\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500 RESPONSIVE \u2500\u2500 *\/\n@media (max-width: 960px) {\n  .ab-trio-grid { grid-template-columns: 1fr; }\n  .ab-pillars { grid-template-columns: 1fr; }\n  .ab-inner { padding: 0 24px !important; }\n  .ab-hero { padding: 120px 0 60px; }\n}\n@media (min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 960px) {\n  .ab-trio-grid { grid-template-columns: repeat(2,1fr); }\n  .ab-pillars { grid-template-columns: repeat(2,1fr); }\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<section class=\"ab\">\n<canvas id=\"abbg\"><\/canvas>\n\n<!-- HERO -->\n<div class=\"ab-hero\">\n  <div class=\"ab-hero-bg-om\">\u0950<\/div>\n  <div class=\"ab-inner\">\n    <p class=\"ab-label\">Our Story<\/p>\n    <h1 class=\"ab-hero-h1\">\n      <span class=\"line1\">ABOUT<\/span>\n      <span class=\"line2\">8TH ELEMENT<\/span>\n    <\/h1>\n    <p class=\"ab-p\">Truth-seekers. Bhakti yogis. Decades of lived experience across music, radio, design, and hospitality \u2014 united by one burning question: what is actually happening in this world?<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- HOW IT ALL STARTED -->\n<div class=\"ab-origin\">\n  <div class=\"ab-inner\">\n    <p class=\"ab-label\">The Beginning<\/p>\n    <h2 class=\"ab-origin-h2\">HOW IT<br\/>ALL STARTED<\/h2>\n    <p class=\"ab-p\">After my wife India and I \u2014 both recording artists, designers, and hospitality professionals \u2014 moved from NYC to Florida during the Covid era, we began having in-depth conversations with our good friend Gargs Allard, who lived a stone's throw away from our new home.<\/p>\n    <p class=\"ab-p\">Gargs has an extensive background in radio and journalism, as well as hospitality. Together, we explored the vast terrain of geopolitics and current culture with the intention of getting to the bottom of what was actually happening beyond the mainstream Wizard of Oz curtain \u2014 what seemed to be a potentially deceptive narrative.<\/p>\n    <p class=\"ab-p\">We sensed that we, as representatives of Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public, were being manipulated to think, feel, and subsequently comply according to a pre-programmed design. <em>We weren't having it.<\/em><\/p>\n    <p class=\"ab-p\">As our debates and discussions became richer in thought and research, we became increasingly inspired to seek the truth \u2014 to distinguish reality from illusion, for the betterment of all. At a certain point we reached a collective realization: why don't we turn these compelling discussions into a podcast?<\/p>\n    <p class=\"ab-p\" style=\"color:#E85D04; font-weight:500; font-size:1.05rem; margin-top:8px\">Voil\u00e0 \u2014 the 8th Element was born.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- THE TRIO -->\n<div class=\"ab-team\">\n  <div class=\"ab-inner\">\n    <p class=\"ab-label\">The Hosts<\/p>\n    <h2 class=\"ab-title-xl\" style=\"margin-bottom:48px\">THE TRIO<\/h2>\n    <div class=\"ab-trio-grid\">\n      <div class=\"ab-card\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"ab-card-img\" src=\"https:\/\/8thelementpodcast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bradpicture.png\" alt=\"Buzz Ryan\"\/>\n        <div class=\"ab-card-body\">\n          <div class=\"ab-card-name\">BUZZ RYAN<\/div>\n          <div class=\"ab-card-role\">CO-HOST \u00b7 RECORDING ARTIST \u00b7 COMMUNICATIONS<\/div>\n          <p class=\"ab-card-bio\">A recording artist, truth-teller, and communications professional shaped by decades in hospitality, Buzz Ryan brings a cultivated perspective informed by his life in New York, Los Angeles, and Florida. Research-driven and culturally attuned, with spiritual insight grounded in years of yogic study, he guides conversation beyond the surface\u2014into nuance, resonance, and meaning.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"ab-card\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"ab-card-img\" src=\"https:\/\/8thelementpodcast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/gargs.png\" alt=\"Gargs Allard\"\/>\n        <div class=\"ab-card-body\">\n          <div class=\"ab-card-name\">GARGS ALLARD<\/div>\n          <div class=\"ab-card-role\">CO-HOST \u00b7 RADIO \u00b7 JOURNALISM \u00b7 COMMUNICATIONS<\/div>\n          <p class=\"ab-card-bio\">With an extensive background in radio, a degree in journalism, and years of experience as a music journalist, Gargs Allard brings a sharply discerning eye to what lies beneath the surface narrative. Rigorous, uncompromising, and deeply researched, he approaches each conversation with intellectual precision grounded in a foundation of Vedic philosophy, offering clarity, depth, and insight in a world increasingly in flux.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"ab-card\">\n        <img class=\"ab-card-img\" src=https:\/\/8thelementpodcast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/india-website-picture.png alt=\"INDIA\"\/>\n        <div class=\"ab-card-body\">\n          <div class=\"ab-card-name\">INDIA<\/div>\n          <div class=\"ab-card-role\">CO-HOST \u00b7 RECORDING ARTIST \u00b7 DESIGNER<\/div>\n          <p class=\"ab-card-bio\">India is a recording artist, hospitality professional and interior designer whose work is shaped by a deep interest in world affairs and yogic studies. Bringing grounded spiritual intuition and refined artistic sensitivity to every conversation, she offers a perspective that is both discerning and expansive. India\u2019s keen lens elevates discussion beyond surface analysis into something more insightful, resonant, and quietly transcendent.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- THE MISSION -->\n<div class=\"ab-mission\">\n  <div class=\"ab-inner\">\n    <p class=\"ab-label\">Our Purpose<\/p>\n    <h2 class=\"ab-title-xl\" style=\"margin-bottom:16px\">THE MISSION<\/h2>\n    <p class=\"ab-p\" style=\"max-width:680px; margin:0 auto\">This is a truth-seeking podcast for conscious thinkers exploring geopolitics and current culture through a spiritual lens rooted in Vedic philosophy.<\/p>\n    <div class=\"ab-pillars\">\n      <div class=\"ab-pillar\">\n        <span class=\"ab-pillar-om\">\u0950<\/span>\n        <div class=\"ab-pillar-title\">The Vedic Lens<\/div>\n        <p class=\"ab-pillar-text\">Centuries of Vedic wisdom provide a framework for understanding the world that no mainstream institution teaches. We apply this lens to everything \u2014 from geopolitics to personal awakening.<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"ab-pillar\">\n        <span class=\"ab-pillar-om\">\u2734<\/span>\n        <div class=\"ab-pillar-title\">Beyond the Narrative<\/div>\n        <p class=\"ab-pillar-text\">The mainstream curtain obscures as much as it reveals. Our mission is discernment \u2014 to distinguish reality from illusion, truth from manipulation, signal from noise.<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"ab-pillar\">\n      <svg width=\"30\" height=\"60\" viewBox=\"0 0 100 100\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n    <!-- Square 1 normal -->\n    <rect x=\"15\" y=\"15\" width=\"70\" height=\"70\" \n          stroke=\"#E85D04\" stroke-width=\"4\" fill=\"none\"\/>\n    <!-- Square 2 rotated 45\u00b0 -->\n    <rect x=\"15\" y=\"15\" width=\"70\" height=\"70\" \n          stroke=\"#E85D04\" stroke-width=\"4\" fill=\"none\"\n          transform=\"rotate(45 50 50)\"\/>\n  <\/svg>\n        <div class=\"ab-pillar-title\">For the Conscious Thinker<\/div>\n        <p class=\"ab-pillar-text\">We don't talk down to our audience. We assume you're intelligent, curious, and capable of holding complexity. Our conversations are deep, long-form, and unfiltered.<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"ab-pillar\">\n        <span class=\"ab-pillar-om\"><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/8thelementpodcast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/8th-element-logo-editable.svg\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:35px; mix-blend-mode:screen;\"\/><\/div><\/span>\n        <div class=\"ab-pillar-title\">Politics + Spirituality United<\/div>\n        <p class=\"ab-pillar-text\">Most podcasts keep these separate. We believe they are inseparable. Understanding the world involves both intellectual analysis and spiritual discernment.<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- CTA -->\n<div class=\"ab-cta\">\n  <div class=\"ab-inner\">\n    <h2 class=\"ab-cta-h2\">Ready to Seek Truth?<\/h2>\n    <p class=\"ab-cta-p\">New episodes every Thursday night \/ Friday morning. Find us on YouTube and everywhere podcasts are heard.<\/p>\n    <div class=\"ab-btns\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@8thElementPodcast\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ab-btn ab-btn-solid\" rel=\"noopener\">Watch on YouTube<\/a>\n      <a href=\"\/contact\" class=\"ab-btn\">Contact Us<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/section>\n\n<script>\n(function(){\n  const cv=document.getElementById('abbg');\n  if(!cv)return;\n  const ctx=cv.getContext('2d');\n  let W,H,stars=[];\n  function resize(){ W=cv.width=window.innerWidth; H=cv.height=window.innerHeight; build(); }\n  function build(){\n    stars=[];\n    const n=Math.floor(W*H\/4000);\n    for(let i=0;i<n;i++){\n      const r=Math.random();\n      stars.push({x:Math.random()*W,y:Math.random()*H,r:r<.65?Math.random()*.55+.1:r<.9?Math.random()*.85+.4:Math.random()*1.3+.9,a:r<.65?Math.random()*.28+.05:r<.9?Math.random()*.45+.15:Math.random()*.55+.28,sp:Math.random()*.45+.07,ph:Math.random()*Math.PI*2,c:r>.93?'w':r>.87?'b':'n'});\n    }\n  }\n  function draw(){\n    ctx.clearRect(0,0,W,H);\n    const t=Date.now()*.001;\n    stars.forEach(s=>{\n      const a=s.a*(.38+.62*Math.sin(t*s.sp+s.ph));\n      ctx.beginPath();ctx.arc(s.x,s.y,s.r,0,Math.PI*2);\n      ctx.fillStyle=s.c==='w'?`rgba(255,210,120,${a})`:s.c==='b'?`rgba(155,195,255,${a})`:`rgba(255,255,255,${a})`;\n      ctx.fill();\n    });\n    requestAnimationFrame(draw);\n  }\n  window.addEventListener('resize',resize);\n  resize();draw();\n})();\n<\/script>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u0950 Our Story ABOUT 8TH ELEMENT Truth-seekers. Bhakti yogis. Decades of lived experience across music, radio, design, and hospitality \u2014 united by one burning question: what is actually happening in this world? The Beginning HOW ITALL STARTED After my wife India and I \u2014 both recording artists, designers, and hospitality professionals \u2014 moved from NYC [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-835","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":7}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/8thelementpodcast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/8thelementpodcast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/8thelementpodcast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8thelementpodcast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8thelementpodcast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=835"}],"version-history":[{"count":133,"href":"https:\/\/8thelementpodcast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/835\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2345,"href":"https:\/\/8thelementpodcast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/835\/revisions\/2345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/8thelementpodcast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}