BRN Podcast: Buddhist Recovery Network

What happens when nature becomes part of our recovery practice?

In this episode of the Buddhist Recovery Network Podcast, Beth speaks with Paula Snow, Program Director of Off-Grid Retreats, about recovery, Buddhist practice, community, and the healing possibilities of spending intentional time in nature.

Paula shares how meditation and recovery have shaped her life and work. She describes the care that goes into creating retreats where people can step away from everyday demands, slow down, and reconnect with themselves, their communities, and the natural world.

Beth and Paula also discuss the mission of Off-Grid Retreats, a sponsor of the 2026 Buddhist Recovery Summit. This nonprofit, nomadic retreat center creates opportunities for people to experience mindfulness, movement, and community in nature.

Paula will also be presenting at the Summit. Together with Karson Koshin, she will lead Writing as Recovery Practice: Mindful Journaling, Inventory, and Reflection. This experiential workshop will use journaling, gratitude, personal inventory, and Buddhist teachings to support insight, accountability, and compassionate self-understanding.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Paula’s journey through recovery and Buddhist practice
• How meditation has influenced her personal and professional life
• The healing possibilities of spending intentional time in nature
• The vision and mission of Off-Grid Retreats
• Creating welcoming and accessible retreat experiences
• The role of thoughtful hospitality in helping people feel safe and supported
• Why connection and community are essential to recovery
• Bringing mindfulness into everyday activities
• Writing, gratitude, and reflection as recovery practices
• Paula’s upcoming workshop at the 2026 Buddhist Recovery Summit
• Off-Grid Retreats’ sponsorship of this year’s Summit

PAULA’S SUMMIT WORKSHOP

Writing as Recovery Practice: Mindful Journaling, Inventory, and Reflection

Presented by Paula Snow and Karson Koshin

This experiential workshop explores writing as a recovery and spiritual practice. Participants will work with mindful journaling, gratitude, personal inventory, and reflections on the Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path.

The workshop will offer practical ways to use writing for greater insight, accountability, emotional awareness, and compassionate self-understanding.

ABOUT PAULA SNOW

Paula Snow is the Program Director of Off-Grid Retreats. She brings extensive hospitality experience and more than a decade of meditation practice to her work creating thoughtful and transformative experiences in nature.

Paula is a graduate of the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. Her practice is grounded in Buddhist teachings, recovery, compassionate action, personal accountability, and a deep love of the natural world.

ABOUT OFF-GRID RETREATS

Off-Grid Retreats is a nonprofit, nomadic retreat center that creates opportunities for individuals and communities to gather and practice in nature.

Through nature retreats, gear support, sliding-scale pricing, and partnerships with teachers and land stewards, Off-Grid Retreats works to make nature-based mindfulness experiences more welcoming and accessible.

The Buddhist Recovery Network is grateful to Off-Grid Retreats for sponsoring the 2026 Buddhist Recovery Summit.

LEARN MORE

Off-Grid Retreats:
https://offgridretreats.org/

2026 Buddhist Recovery Summit:
https://buddhistrecoverysummit.org/

Join us October 2–4, 2026, at East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland for the Buddhist Recovery Summit: Radical Kindness in the Face of Addiction.

ABOUT JULIA M. HAYES

Julia Hayes is an author, storyteller, teacher, and self-described ember keeper whose work centers on spiritual empowerment through mindfulness, creativity, and community.

A Buddhist practitioner for more than 30 years, Julia draws from Buddhist teachings, Celtic mysticism, ancient stories, and personal experience. She has been involved in Buddhist-inspired recovery for nearly a decade and facilitates communities grounded in welcome, belonging, and compassionate listening.

Julia is the creator and author of SatiSeva: A Buddhist Recovery and Support Book, a collection of 16 mindfulness practices for people in recovery and anyone affected by addiction or negative habit energy. Her work was inspired by her first Buddhist teacher, Thích Nhất Hạnh, and his lifelong devotion to mindfulness.

JULIA AT THE 2026 BUDDHIST RECOVERY SUMMIT

Julia will present:

The Balla Cloiche: New Insights to Building and Maintaining Healthy Boundaries

In this experiential workshop, participants will use the image of a stone wall to reconsider boundaries as places of pause, insight, mutuality, and connection. The workshop will explore false security, defensiveness, Wise Effort, and loving-kindness as foundations for developing boundaries that are varied, responsive, and healthy.

Join Julia and the wider Buddhist recovery community at:

2026 Buddhist Recovery Summit
Radical Kindness in the Face of Addiction
October 2–4, 2026
East Bay Meditation Center
Oakland, California

Registration closes September 25.

Learn more and register:
https://buddhistrecoverysummit.org/

CONNECT WITH JULIA

SatiSeva: A Buddhist Recovery and Support Book
https://www.soulscenter.com/satiseva-a-buddhist-recovery-and-support-book.html

Julia’s weekly offerings and recovery meetings:
https://www.soulscenter.com/weekly-offerings.html

MORE FROM BRN

Find an online or in-person Buddhist recovery meeting:
https://buddhistrecovery.org/meetings/

Explore BRN Academy teachings and podcasts:
https://buddhistrecovery.org/academy/

Support the Buddhist Recovery Network:
https://buddhistrecovery.org/donate/

The Buddhist Recovery Network welcomes people of all backgrounds and respects all recovery paths.

•SoulsCenter.com/weekly-offerings.html 👉 join Recovery Dharma & other online offerings

•SoulsCenter.com/SatiSeva 👉 join SatiSeva online: Support for Families, Friends, Professionals, Addicts (All are Truly Welcome)

Amazon Link to the Sati Seva Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FN1MSHNP?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

https://buddhistrecoverysummit.org/

Matthew Hahn sat with his first sangha as a prisoner in Folsom State Prison, where he experienced the power of the Dharma to alleviate suffering. Since coming home in 2012, he has practiced principally within the Insight Tradition and is mentored by his primary teacher, Matthew Brensilver. He is a co-founder of the Recovery Dharma program, a facilitator for the Mindful Prisons Program in San Quentin, and is a Dharma leader at Spirit Rock and the Insight Meditation Center. Matthew was empowered with lay ordination by Venerable Pannavati and the late Ashin U Pannadipa.

Connect with Matthew Here:• https://matthewhahn.com• https://insighttimer.com/Matthew-Hahn• https://www.instagram.com/hahnscratch

Join the Buddhist Recovery Network for the 2026 Buddhist Recovery Summit. Come to practice, build lasting connections, and help shape the future of Buddhist recovery. Learn more at https://buddhistrecoverysummit.org/

⚠️Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicidal ideation

In this episode of the BRN podcast, host Beth Herzig speaks with Chris Warner, a therapist and board member of the Buddhist Recovery Network. Chris shares her personal journey of recovery from addiction, emphasizing the importance of mindfulness, trauma awareness, and community support. She discusses how her spiritual practices have intertwined with her recovery process and the role of compassion in therapy. Chris encourages listeners to explore their own sacred paths and take actionable steps towards healing and connection.

Chris Warner Chris Warner, M.Ed., CYT, ISTT, works as an international trauma therapist and addiction recovery specialist and is a longtime dharma, meditation, breathwork, and yoga teacher. Chris is also an adoptee and a recovered person, thriving on a lifelong path of discovery, and her daily life, her practice, her teaching and service work, and her professional psychotherapeutic efforts are all grounded in compassionately upholding the innate dignity and rights of all people, in guarding the preciousness of this planet, and with the deep wish that all beings be protected and safe, that all beings know contentment, and well-being, that all beings live in peace, with ease.

In private practice, Chris offers adult individual, couples, and group trauma therapy worldwide online, and she also facilitates mindfulness-based psychoeducational, skills, and processing groups open to the public, as well as in residential addiction treatment facilities and with incarcerated persons in corrections facilities. Additionally, Chris leads a weekly Sangha for mindful recovery on select Sunday mornings, offers online sitting groups at various times throughout the year, teaches meditation, breathwork, and yoga classes, and hosts a variety of recovery meetings. She is also a wife, a Japanese Chin mama, a sister and aunt, a cousin and niece, a daughter and a granddaughter, a friend and neighbor, an art-lover, a chef, gardener, poet, writer, beach-walker, nonviolent activist, and an avid reader and lifelong learner.

Chris’s Buddhist trainings include taking Refuge and the Mindfulness Trainings from her root teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, in 2009, as well as participating in retreats and working with beloved teachers Pema Chödrön, Sylvia Boorstein, Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, Larry Rosenberg, Matthew Daniel, Matthew Brensilver, and Kevin Griffin. Chris is not a lineage holder, and, while she has no current ordination plans, etc., she open-heartedly awaits further unfolding and continues her studies and daily practice. In addition to serving as a current BRN board member, Chris also serves on the Ethics Council for EK (Evolving Kundalini), and she continues to serve as an intern for a variety of Compassionate Inquiry© groups dedicated to bringing compassionate practice to the world scaffolded by the work of Dr. Gabor Matѐ. Chris offers complimentary Consult & Connection calls for anyone considering therapy, and she can be reached through her website, where you’ll also find Zoom links for Sunday Sangha and information on other public offerings: ⁠https://www.chriswarnertherapy.com/⁠

In this episode of the Buddhist Recovery Network podcast, host Beth Herzig speaks with Walt Opie, the board president of the Buddhist Recovery Network. Walt shares his journey through recovery, his introduction to Buddhism and meditation, and his experiences teaching in prisons. The conversation explores the intersection of Buddhist teachings and recovery, the importance of community, and the upcoming summit focused on Buddhist tools for real recovery. Walt emphasizes the significance of mindfulness, self-love, and the role of gratitude in the recovery process.

• Walt's journey into recovery began at a young age with alcohol and marijuana.
• He discovered meditation during a period of grounding in high school.
• Walt's first encounter with Buddhism was through literature and music.
• He moved to California seeking a broader experience and community.
• Walt's teaching journey began after he recognized the need for more Buddhist recovery support.
• Mindfulness is a core teaching that helps prevent relapse in recovery.
• Walt emphasizes the importance of community in recovery settings.
• Teaching in prisons provided profound insights and connections for Walt.
• The upcoming summit will explore various types of addiction and recovery.
• Walt's current practice focuses on being present and reducing self-centeredness.

Connect with Walt Opie via his website

Read more and Register for the BRN SUMMIT : Facing Our Inner Demons: Tools for Real Recovery October 18-19, 2025

Insight Recovery Sangha

Join Kevin Griffin and Claude AnShin Thomas as they delve into the profound intersections of sobriety and spirituality. In this episode, Claude shares his transformative journey from a Vietnam veteran to a Zen Buddhist monk, highlighting the essential role of spiritual practice in recovery. Discover how the teachings of the Dharma and the 12-step program intertwine to offer healing and growth, and explore the power of mindfulness in overcoming personal struggles. Tune in for an inspiring conversation about finding peace amidst life's challenges.

To Connect With Claude AnShin Thomas: https://www.zaltho.org/

Read At Hell's Gate and Claude AnShin Thomas' books.

Claude AnShin will be a keynote speaker at our Summit happening October 18-19, 2025.

Join us for a weekend of deep Dharma, honest recovery, and transformative practice—at our 2025 Buddhist Recovery Network Online Gathering.

✨ It all begins Saturday, October 18th, with a grounding morning meditation led by Dalila Bothwell, followed by a keynote that will stay with you long after the weekend ends.

Zen monk and Vietnam veteran Claude AnShin Thomas will offer “At Hell’s Gate: Meeting Mara on the Path of Recovery.” He speaks from real, lived experience—war, addiction, homelessness, and awakening. Through Buddhist insight and raw personal truth, Claude will show us how to meet our inner demons—not with fear, but with compassion and mindfulness.

We’ll continue throughout the weekend with rich panels, honest dialogue, and a closing keynote conversation on Sunday with two of the most respected names in Buddhist recovery: Kevin Griffin and Vimalasara (Dr. Valerie Mason-John).

They’ll share the tools that have carried them—and can carry you—through the hardest moments on the path of recovery.

🧘‍♀️ Whether you’re new to recovery, deep in practice, or simply seeking support, this event is for you.

Read the full schedule and register now 2025 BRN Online Summit Facing Our Inner Demons: Tools for Real Recovery

Let’s meet Mara with awareness. Let’s recover together.

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Cathryn Jacob—retired doctor, meditation teacher, and co-founder of Raft to Recovery. Cathryn shares her personal recovery journey and how Buddhist practice, psychology, and neuroscience come together in her work supporting others on the path of healing. A board member of the Buddhist Recovery Network, Cathryn brings both professional insight and lived experience to her teaching. We explore the importance of wise connection, compassionate community, and the role of mindfulness in transforming addictive patterns.

Cathryn will also be leading the upcoming BRN Academy event on August 3, 2025, titled "Building a RAFT: From Addicted Doctor to Freedom"This session offers an experiential exploration of how authentic relationships can support recovery and awakening. Offered on a dana basis, registration is open now.

Learn more and register at: https://givebutter.com/AUG2025

To find our more about Raft to Freedom visit the website here: https://raft2freedom.org/

⚠️ Trigger Warning:This episode contains discussion of suicide, grief, and traumatic loss. Please listen with care.

In this powerful and unflinchingly honest episode, Buddhist teacher and punk rocker Mikey Livid shares his journey from bar fights and blackout nights to Buddhist practice, pastoral counseling, and teaching on death row. Mikey speaks with raw compassion about grief, addiction, and the punk scene that first gave him permission to scream about suffering—and the Dharma that taught him how to sit with it.

He and host Beth Herzig explore the transformative potential of loving-kindness meditation, the value of authentic service in recovery, and Mikey’s upcoming book Blood, Guts and Buddhism. From horror movies to heartbreak, this conversation covers the full spectrum of what it means to be human—and to meet it all with love.

More about Mikey:

Mikey Livid (he/him) is a Buddhist teacher, author, and counselor. Mikey is the guiding teacher at Wild Heart Meditation Center in Nashville, TN. He regularly brings Buddhist meditation classes into addiction treatment centers, prisons, and a variety of settings. Mikey is the author of his upcoming book Blood, Guts, & Buddhism: The Dharma of Horror Movies, Heartbreak, and The Nature of Suffering. Mikey is the co-host of the punk rock, mental health podcast Punks On Hope and is the singer for the punk band The Rip Taylors.

LINKS:

https://linktr.ee/MikeyLivid

https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org

Join Us for the BRN JULY ACADEMY WITH MIKEY LIVID

https://givebutter.com/JULY25

📝 Episode Description:

In this deeply personal and illuminating conversation, we welcome Pawo Dorje, a recovery coach, dharma practitioner, and the founder of the Middle Path Recovery Project (MPRP). With nearly 15 years of lived recovery experience and decades of spiritual and personal growth, Pawo brings a grounded and compassionate voice to the world of Buddhist recovery.

From his early days navigating addiction to studying Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal, and now living and serving at Tara Mandala Retreat Center, Pawo’s story is one of courage, balance, and transformation.

Together, we explore:

• His path into recovery and the spiritual turning points that shaped his healing
• The origins and vision behind Middle Path Recovery Project Part 1 (coming August 2025)
• How Buddhist teachings and modern wellness practices can co-exist in recovery work
• The power of community, service, and the Middle Way
  

Whether you're on your own path of recovery, seeking fresh insights into Buddhist-inspired healing, or simply curious about how spirituality and neuroscience can meet—you’ll find something meaningful here.

🧑‍🎓 About Pawo Dorje:

Pawo Dorje is the founder and author of the Middle Path Recovery Project, a unique and integrative approach to healing that blends Buddhist philosophy, evidence-based recovery practices, harm reduction, neuroscience, and holistic wellness.

He has spent nearly 15 years walking the path of recovery and has studied with teachers such as Lama Tsultrim Allione and Adzom Gyalse Rinpoche. His journey has taken him through solo retreats, time in Nepal studying at Rangjung Yeshe Institute, and deep work in community mental health and crisis response. He currently lives at Tara Mandala in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, where he produces the weekly livestream “Lama Live!” and supports the retreat center’s online offerings and Dakini Store.

Pawo’s upcoming book, Middle Path Recovery Project Part 1, is scheduled for release in August 2025.

🔗 Resources & Links:

• 🌐 Website: middlepathrecoveryproject.com
• 📚 Excerpts from the book: MPRP Book Chapter
• 🧘 Tara Mandala Retreat Center: taramandala.org
• 📺 Lama Live! Sundays with Lama Tsultrim: YouTube/TaraMandala
  

📢 Stay Connected:

• Follow Pawo on social media: @middlepathrecovery (Instagram)
• Sign up for updates about the book and offerings via his website.

Freddie Lara is a Latinx Actor and Acting Coachbased in the LA area and is involved with Recovery Dharma. Growing up in an environment of instability, violence, and shame, he shares about his early struggles and what recovery is like now. 
• instagram.com/freddielaraactorsstudio