Psychosis to peak performance.
Channelling adversity into your biggest asset.
Content note. This page mentions drug use, psychosis, a schizophrenia diagnosis and a stay on a psychiatric ward.
No one should stop or change prescribed medication without speaking to their doctor. The Bootcamp and the workshop teach a planning method for a working week. They do not diagnose, treat or prevent any condition, or help anyone recover from one.
§ 01 · Why he built this
He built this so his story would not be wasted.
After every screening, leaders asked him what to do on Monday. Decode to Recode is his answer.
He has also been on the other side: 5 months on a psychiatric ward in London. He has since shared a stage with longevity scientists and doctors. So he skips the theory and starts where you are: your diary, your hardest hour, your next 5 weeks.
No one should stop or change prescribed medication without speaking to their doctor. The Bootcamp and the workshop teach a planning method for a working week. They do not diagnose, treat or prevent any condition, or help anyone recover from one.
§ 02 · The path
The mat. The frontline. The ward. The film.
7 chapters, from a black belt at 17 to a film screened in 4 cities.
Content note. This timeline mentions drug use, psychosis, a schizophrenia diagnosis and a stay on a psychiatric ward.
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The mat
A black belt in JuJitsu at 17, after years of JuJitsu, MMA and Shaolin training. He founded his own academy and taught adults twice his age. That is where he learned to lead people older and more senior than him.
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The frontline
Building campaigns for NGOs, CBS News, The Economist and Reuters. Human rights reporting in Iraqi refugee camps. The uprisings in Egypt. London, Norway, Hong Kong and mainland China. Fixed deadlines, and plans that changed by the hour.
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The mind
He trained as a psychosynthesis leadership coach, and in flow-state performance. It is the training behind how he coaches leaders today.
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The ward
An ayahuasca retreat in South America ended in a drug-induced psychosis, a schizophrenia diagnosis and 5 months on a London psychiatric ward.
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Since then
He recovered.
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The film
Beyond The Pill: The Path to Longevity. Screened in London, New York, Miami and at the 2060 Longevity Forum, Aix-en-Provence.
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The work
Decode to Recode: a 5-week Bootcamp for anyone with big goals and a full diary, and workshops for teams. After the screenings, leaders kept asking him what to do on Monday. This is his answer.
Ayahuasca contains DMT, a controlled substance in the UK and the US, and carries a risk of serious psychological harm and dangerous interactions with medicines. No one should stop or change prescribed medication without speaking to their doctor.
The Bootcamp and the workshop teach a planning method for a working week. They do not diagnose, treat or prevent any condition, or help anyone recover from one. If you need support: Samaritans 116 123 (UK), 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (US), Mind (UK).
§ 03 · In pictures
From the frontline to the film.
4 photos · Scroll or swipe
Iraq. The film set. The stage.
§ 04 · The full story
The long version, in 2 minutes.
Content note. This story mentions drug use, psychosis, a schizophrenia diagnosis and a stay on a psychiatric ward.
Read the full story
For 15 years, Jonathan Ramalho told other people's stories, building campaigns for NGOs, CBS News, The Economist and Reuters. Human rights reporting in Iraqi refugee camps. The uprisings in Egypt.
Before that came the mat: a black belt in JuJitsu at 17, his own academy, and students twice his age.
Then an ayahuasca retreat in South America ended in a drug-induced psychosis. In London he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent 5 months on a psychiatric ward.
He recovered.
He came out with a bigger question: how do you do more than get by? He took it into more than 100 interviews.
The result is Beyond The Pill: The Path to Longevity. Screened in London, New York, Miami and at the 2060 Longevity Forum, Aix-en-Provence.
After the screenings, founders and executives kept asking him the same thing: what do I do on Monday?
He felt he owed them a clear answer. Decode to Recode is that answer: a planning method for a working week, built on 4 basics and taught live, for anyone with big goals and a full diary and for their teams.
He is not a doctor and does not pretend to be one. He teaches the method, and he tells you plainly where it stops.
Why does Decode to Recode exist? So that his story is not wasted, and so that the people who ask him what to do on Monday leave with a plan.
Ayahuasca contains DMT, a controlled substance in the UK and the US, and carries a risk of serious psychological harm and dangerous interactions with medicines. No one should stop or change prescribed medication without speaking to their doctor.
The Bootcamp and the workshop teach a planning method for a working week. They do not diagnose, treat or prevent any condition, or help anyone recover from one. If you need support: Samaritans 116 123 (UK), 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (US), Mind (UK).
§ 05 · How he coaches
Clarity. Calm. Control.
No motivational speeches. No toxic positivity. No generic wellness advice.
Your real week, 4 basics and a plan you wrote. Built for people who run things and have no spare hour.
Clarity
Your week on paper.
Counts and clock times from your real diary. You see which basic slips first when the pressure rises.
Calm
A plan for your hardest hour.
The board prep, the late call, the flight home. You practise the plan before you need it, so it is there when you do.
Control
A plan you wrote.
In your words, with a smallest version for a bad day, because bad days come.
"Aspire to inspire before you expire."
§ 06 · The framework
4 basics. 3 stages. 1 plan.
4
Basics
Food, Mood, Move and Sleep.
3
Stages
Recovery, Performance and Prevention, applied to a working week.
Same 4 basics at every stage. You choose where to start.
Find your Longevity Avatar§ 07 · The film and the press
Beyond The Pill.
Directed by Jonathan. More than 100 interviews. Screened in London, New York, Miami and at the 2060 Longevity Forum, Aix-en-Provence.
The film features
Wim HofProf. Tim SpectorJonathan WolfMarisa PeerDavinia TaylorDr Mohammed EnayatDr Matt Dawson
Contributors appear in the film and have no involvement in, or endorsement of, the Bootcamp or the workshop. Beyond The Pill tells 1 person's story and is not medical advice. Contributors' participation is not an endorsement of the director's personal medical decisions.
In the press
"The man who took a trip from psychedelics to psychosis to longevity"
The London Standard
Featured in
§ 08 · Work with Jonathan
2 ways in.
For you
The 5-week Bootcamp
For anyone with big goals and a full diary. Every Thursday at 08:00 UK time: a 60-minute live session and group coaching. Every session is recorded and shared with the cohort within 24 hours, so it works from anywhere.
Apply in a few minutes. Jonathan replies within 2 working days with a time and a Google Meet link.
For your team
Workshops for your team
For HR, People and L&D leaders. In person or virtual, with a take-home kit for every attendee.
Jonathan is a documentary film-maker and a coach. He is not a doctor, a therapist or a dietitian.