When facing anxiety, we usually try to make it go away. But what if this emotion was actually trying to help? According to empathy pioneer and author Karla McLaren, when we ignore or repress our anxiety, it can overwhelm us, but when we learn to welcome anxiety, we can access its remarkable gifts.

In this episode, Karla is joined by licensed psychologist Elizabeth Markle for an in-depth conversation on anxiety as an essential source of foresight, intuition, and energy. Drawing from her latest book, Embracing Anxiety, Karla shares practices for befriending your anxiety at any level and illuminates how this vital emotion—when engaged wisely—can help you focus, plan, take action, and fulfill your goals.

This episode was recorded during a live online event on June 24, 2020.

As social distancing becomes a new way of life, connecting with friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors can be difficult and stressful. Suddenly we find ourselves in a new social landscape at a time when we need our communities most. Many are experiencing feelings of isolation and depression. All over the world, from balcony sing-alongs to Zoom graduation parties, people are finding new ways to connect to each other. What does this new normal mean for our mental health? How can we cultivate, maintain, and grow our relationships in these difficult times?

In this episode recorded during a live online conversation on June 11, 2020, CIIS faculty and therapist Christine Brooks and author of Millenneagram Hannah Paasch explore human connection in COVID-19 and beyond. They talk about connection at this time, drawing upon knowledge of the enneagram and other tools for understanding yourself and those around you.

As he approached his 30th birthday, Sopan Deb found comfort in his day job as a writer for the New York Times and as a practicing comedian. But his stage material highlighting his South Asian culture only served to mask the insecurities borne from his family history. Theirs was an ostensibly nuclear family without any of the familial bonds.

In Sopan’s latest book, Missed Translations, he raises the essential questions: Is it ever too late to pick up the pieces and offer forgiveness? How do we build bridges where there was nothing before—and what happens to us, to our past and our future, if we don’t?

In this episode, Alka Arora, Associate Professor of Women’s Spirituality at CIIS, talks with Sopan about the silence and ignorance that separate us, and the blood and stories that connect us.

This episode was recorded during a live online conversation on June 3, 2020.

“Quit being a drop. Make yourself an ocean.” Rumi’s inspiring and deceptively simple poems have been called ecstatic, mystical, and devotional. For writer and activist Melody Moezzi, they became her lifeline.

Melody’s latest book, The Rumi Prescription, follows her path of discovery as she translates Rumi’s works for herself, gaining wisdom and insight in the face of a creative and spiritual roadblock. In this episode, Professor and Co-Chair of CIIS’ Expressive Arts Therapy Program Shoshana Simons talks with Melody about her life and how the wisdom she found exploring Rumi can help us make sense of our modern lives.

This episode contains explicit language. It was recorded during a live online event on May 20, 2020.

Activist and writer Kevin Powell has emerged as one of the most acclaimed voices in America today, tackling some of the biggest issues of our time through his writing and speaking.

In this conversation with former CIIS School of Consciousness and Transformation Dean Kathy Littles recorded on October 15, 2018, Kevin shares his thoughts shortly after the publication of his most recent book My Mother. Barack Obama. Donald Trump. And the Last Stand of the Angry White Man.

What dreams might be taking root through this nightmare? How might works of cli-fi and other apocalyptic narratives help us prepare for our future and face our mounting anxieties?

In this episode, therapist and cultural anthropologist Zara Zimbardo and narrative strategist and climate activist Patrick Reinsborough pose and explore questions like these and more as they deepen, sharpen, and expand upon their previous conversation titled Apocalypse Now.

This episode was recorded on May 25, 2020 at Zara and Patrick’s home in Oakland, CA. While this conversation stands alone, it is a companion piece to their live online conversation recorded on May 13 2020. To hear that conversation, look for the episode titled Apocalypse Now in our feed or find it on our website at https://bit.ly/ApocalypseNowPod.

In solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter and #AmplifyMelanatedVoices, we are continuing to highlight conversations from our archives that feature black thinkers, activists, and writers. This week we are revisiting our first podcast, recorded on April 10, 2015, with public intellectual and world-renowned author of Race Matters, Dr. Cornel West.

In this episode Dr. Cornel West is in conversation with former CIIS Dean of Diversity and Inclusion Denise Boston about the burdens black men carry in society.

We hope that listening to this episode, and Revisiting Series as a whole, provides resources and connection in these transformative times. You can find all five of these episodes and more on the Recommended page at ciispod.com or by subscribing to this podcast.

In this episode recorded on February 8, 2019, world-renowned meditation teacher and New York Times bestselling author Sharon Salzberg is joined by AI scientist and contemplative teacher Nikki Mirghafori in a conversation on cultivating resilience, compassion, and clarity during difficult times.

In solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter and #AmplifyMelanatedVoices, this week we are highlighting four conversations from our archives that feature black thinkers, activists, and writers. Starting Thursday, June 4th through Sunday, June 7th, 2020 we are re-releasing conversations with Ijeoma Oluo, Damon Young, Joy DeGruy, and Angela Davis.

We hope that listening to these episodes provides resources and connection in these transformative times. You can find all four episodes and more on the Recommended page at ciispod.com or by subscribing to this podcast.

In this episode, activist, author, and former Black Panther Party member Angela Davis spoke with CIIS Professor Danielle Drake about her life and work at a live event recorded on April 13, 2018.

In solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter and #AmplifyMelanatedVoices, this week we are highlighting four conversations from our archives that feature black thinkers, activists, and writers. Starting Thursday, June 4th through Sunday, June 7th, 2020 we are re-releasing conversations with Ijeoma Oluo, Damon Young, Joy DeGruy, and Angela Davis.

We hope that listening to these episodes provides resources and connection in these transformative times. You can find all four episodes and more on the Recommended page at ciispod.com or by subscribing to this podcast.

In this episode, author Joy DeGruy was joined in conversation recorded on January 19, 2018 by former CIIS Dean of Diversity and Inclusion Denise Boston to explore how trans-generational trauma and systems of oppression influence race relations in America.