Connection is the Medicine

CONNECTION IS THE MEDICINE PODCAST E19

Hosted by Eaden Shantay with Guest Billy Wynne

What if fulfillment is not waiting in the next achievement, relationship, or spiritual breakthrough, but is available in the life we already have?

EPISODE SUMMARY 

In this episode of Connection is the Medicine, Eaden Shantay welcomes author and meditation teacher Billy Wynne for a heartfelt exploration of Zen, the radical art of lessening, and the freedom that comes from meeting life as it is. Billy shares how upheaval in his early life shaped a search for security, and how a moment of exhaustion while running Awake, the alcohol-free bar he co-founded with his wife, revealed the limits of trying to do more and be more.

Together, Eaden and Billy explore the difference between studying spiritual teachings and embodying them in everyday life. They discuss Zen and insight meditation, the ethical commitments of Jukai, sobriety, and emptiness as a fertile openness rather than a lack. The conversation moves from meditation into work, leadership, and intimate relationships, asking what becomes possible when we loosen our expectations and give ourselves and those we love room to be who we are.

Opening with a compassion recitation and closing with the Four Bodhisattva Vows, this is an invitation to put down self-judgment, make space for stillness, and discover connection in the ordinary moments of being alive.

ABOUT BILLY 

Billy Wynne is the author of The Empty Path: Finding Fulfillment Through the Radical Art of Lessening. A certified mindfulness meditation teacher trained under Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach, he received lay Zen ordination at the Zen Center of Denver in 2020 and is the founding practice leader of Roaring Fork Zen in Carbondale, Colorado.

TOPICS COVERED

Meditation can be a place to stop judging yourself, even when your mind wanders.

Let practice enter ordinary life. Embodiment happens in how we greet a stranger, work, eat, listen, and relate.

Lessening is an inner reorientation. Keep doing what matters, without asking achievement or accumulation to prove your worth.

Emptiness can make room for life. Billy describes it as openness beyond fixed labels, judgments, and attachments.

Presence and meaningful action can work together. Attend to the activity itself rather than continually measuring yourself against the goal.

Love includes freedom. Take responsibility for how you show up, and loosen the demand that another person manage your happiness.

LINKS AND RESOURCES

Official website https://billywynne.com/

Billy's teaching and guided meditations Includes his talk on the Sixteen Bodhisattva Precepts https://billywynne.com/mindfulness

https://www.truenaturehealingarts.com/

The Sixteen Bodhisattva Precepts. San Francisco Zen Center's text; wording varies by lineage https://www.sfzc.org/offerings/establishing-practice/sixteen-bodhisattva-precepts

Zen Center of Denver. Paige Noon's teaching on zazen and the precepts https://zencenterofdenver.org/zazen-and-precepts-not-separate/

The Empty Path: Billy's book and the radical art of lessening https://billywynne.com/empty-path

Roaring Fork Zen Community, practice information, and introductory resources https://roaringforkzen.org/

The Emptiness of Love. Billy's Tricycle essay discussed in the episode https://tricycle.org/article/the-emptiness-of-love/

Roaring Fork Zen recitation texts. Community chant booklet, including texts used in practice. https://roaringforkzen.org/rfz-recitation-texts

Mindfulness in Plain English. Bhante Gunaratana's introductory book mentioned by Billy. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Mindfulness-in-Plain-English/Bhante-Gunaratana/9780861719068

Presence-Based Coaching. The coaching approach Billy discusses. https://presencebasedcoaching.com/

Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification. The program with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. https://mmtcp.soundstrue.com/

Matthew Helt. Coach profile at Prairiesattva. https://prairiesattva.com/coaches

Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village. The practice tradition referenced in the conversation. https://plumvillage.org/

Zenki Christian Dillo. Teacher profile at Boulder Zen Center. https://www.boulderzen.org/teacher

TOPICS WITH TIMESTAMPS

00:57 Welcome and opening compassion recitation

03:04 Crossroads: early upheaval, Awake, and choosing less

08:08  A spiritual journey without a once-and-for-all finish line

13:00 Putting self-judgment down; the support of community

16:17 What sitting reveals; embodying the teachings

21:39 Zen and Vipassana: two doors into practice

26:18 Jukai, the precepts, and Billy's decision to stop drinking

31:12 Emptiness as openness, not lack

34:13 Buddhist lineages and the conversation with Vedic traditions

38:27 The radical art of lessening

43:36  Presence-based leadership and meeting this moment

47:22 The emptiness of love: expectations, attachment, and freedom

52:28 Four Bodhisattva Vows and closing gratitude

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to Episode #18 of the Connection is the Medicine Podcast with Tommy Rosen. He is the founder of Recovery 2.0, a global community and platform that integrates 12-step recovery with yoga, breathwork, meditation, and embodied practices. 

Author of Recovery 2.0: Move Beyond Addiction and Upgrade Your Life, he has been in recovery for over 35 years and helps people retrain their nervous systems to move beyond the frequency of addiction into greater freedom, presence, and joy.

Episode Overview
In this heartfelt conversation, host Eaden Shantay sits down with Tommy Rosen to explore the deeper dimensions of recovery. Tommy shares two powerful crossroads moments from his own journey—reaching a life-threatening bottom with cocaine and heroin addiction in 1989, and the ongoing challenges of living a spiritual life one day at a time.

The discussion moves from the necessity of hitting bottom and the gift of desperation, through clear distinctions between abstinence, sobriety, and true recovery, into the nature of addiction as nervous-system entrainment. Tommy explains why change often requires ego death, how the “frequency of addiction” continues even after substances are put down (especially around food, sex, money, and technology), and how Recovery 2.0 complements traditional 12-step work with yoga, breathwork, and community.

The episode closes with an accessible reframing of “God” / Higher Power and strong words of encouragement for anyone still sitting on the sidelines.

Key Themes & Timestamps

• Crossroads & Hitting Bottom (01:55)
  Tommy’s 1989 bottom after a three-day cocaine and heroin binge, waking up paralyzed from the waist down, and the moment he finally told the truth and asked for help. The “gift of desperation.”
• Abstinence → Sobriety → Recovery (09:14)
  Clear definitions: abstinence as the necessary first step; sobriety as the point when the obsession lifts; recovery as the ongoing spiritual path of presence, relationship with a Higher Power, and living one day at a time.
• Why We Need to Hit Bottom (14:56)
  Changing levels of consciousness requires ego death. A bottom is simply the moment we are finally willing to tell the truth.
• The “In-Between” Zone (21:16)
  What about those whose addiction is more subtle—cannabis, food, relationships, technology, or living without full presence? Tommy reframes these as the “least fortunate” who are still alive but not truly free.
• Why It’s So Hard to Be With Ourselves (30:06)
  Addiction as deep nervous-system training. Different portals into addiction (trauma, anxiety, depression, rage). The hopeful flip side: if we can train ourselves into addiction, we can train ourselves out.
• Definition of Addiction (36:47)
  Any behavior continued despite negative consequences. The “Big Six” (drugs, alcohol, food, people, money, technology) plus the four aggravations (negative thinking, self-doubt, procrastination, resentment). Ultimately, addiction to “outside-in” living.
• The Frequency of Addiction (41:35)
  How the nervous-system frequency of addiction continues after substances are removed and shows up in food, sex, work, and relationships. Changing the channel so we can attract a different life.
• What is Recovery 2.0? (50:26)
  A mind-body complement to 12-step work. Yoga, breathwork, meditation, nature, food, and relationship as the core practices. Universal-format meetings, online programs, and destination retreats. Breathwork as non-negotiable for changing brain and nervous system.
• God / Higher Power Language (55:37)
  Softening the language of the 12 steps (Universe, Consciousness) to make the work more welcoming while emphasizing direct experience over belief.
• Words of Encouragement (1:00:45)
  If the thought “I need to find out what’s beyond this behavior” has ever arisen, it will never go away. Take one action today. A long, slow recovery is a gift.

Memorable Quotes

“A bottom is nothing more than the moment you’re finally able to tell the truth.”
 — Tommy Rosen (quoting his teacher Guru Prem)

“You are so wired for adrenaline… You need to become thrilled by the subtle.”
 — Tommy’s teacher

“If you have the thought, ‘I need to find out what’s beyond this behavior,’ that thought will never, ever go away.”
 — Tommy Rosen

Resources Mentioned

• Recovery 2.0 portal & meetings: r2o.com
• Book: Recovery 2.0: Move Beyond Addiction and Upgrade Your Life by Tommy Rosen
• Related teachers/practitioners referenced: Dr. Allen Berger, Heather Munro, and others in the Recovery 2.0 community

 If even a small part of this conversation stirred something in you, Tommy and the Recovery 2.0 community welcome you. Visit R2o.com for meetings, programs, and a wealth of free content. You don’t have to figure it out alone.

Connection is the Medicine explores consciousness, recovery, yoga, and the healing power of authentic connection. Hosted by Eaden Shantay.

www.connectionisthemedicine.com

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to Connection Is The Medicine podcast. My name is Eaden Shantay, and today I’m sharing my first solocast. This topic is near and dear to my heart—finding a spiritual path and teacher. 

Please use this solocast as an inquiry and contemplation. My hope and prayer is that this share supports your journey of connection and self-discovery. 

The bottom line, which will be revealed, is that a path and a teacher are simply here to serve our connection and deepening into true self and source or Spirit. 

The beautiful thing is that we already are that which we seek, and so this is a process of uncovering the truth. 

The path and the teacher are here to reflect what is true and not true, what is real and unreal, what is dharmic and virtuous, and what is adharmic and immoral. 

If the path and teacher are true, in time, and with our heart-centered effort, they will support our journey from darkness to light, from suffering to peace, and from limitation to freedom. 

When the student is ready, the teacher and path will appear. May this podcast support your journey home to true Self. 

Om Mani Padme Hum 
(The Jewel is in the Lotus)

In Lak’ech Al’aken
(I am you and you are me) 

Tat Tvam Asi 
(You Are THAT) 

Main Topics:

• This is both an external and internal process. 
• It’s also a very personal and unique journey
• The Spiritual Marketplace is very diverse with many potential directions and offerings
• How do you find the right path for you?
• The are right questions to ask along the way? 
• The perils and pitfalls 
• Experiencing life challenges and asking for support
• A little bit about my personal journey 
• What do we really want?
• We need to know the destination
• Building a map
• Living the questions
• Many teachers, many paths
• A process of change and evolution
• Embracing the unknown
• Discernment and eyes wide open
• Pedestalizing teachers
• Our teachers are human beings too
• Epiphanies
• Applying what we’ve learned to our daily lives
• Learning to just be. 
• When teachers fall from grace
• One path is not better than another
• What works for you? 
• The body’s a temple
• Preparing ourselves for this journey 

This show is brought to you by the Convection Is The Medicine Foundation. Learn more at www.convectionisthemedicine.com 

Offering in service to who we are and all that is. 

Thank you!

Send us Fan Mail

Episode #16: From Chaos and Addiction to a Life of Service and Awakening.

Welcome to Connection is the Medicine, hosted by Eaden Shantay. In this powerful and deeply moving episode, Eaden sits down with dharma teacher, author, and spiritual director John Bruna. His journey is a testament to human resilience and transformation. From a turbulent childhood marked by poverty, violence, addiction, and early loss, to becoming a Buddhist monk, counselor, teacher, and founder of The Way of Compassion, his story illustrates how adversity can become the fertile ground for profound healing, wisdom, and service to others.

Guest Bio

John Bruna is a dharma teacher, author of The Wisdom of a Meaningful Life, and spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Foundation in Carbondale, Colorado. He is also co-founder of the Tri-Wisdom Institute (formerly the Mindful Life Program). His path includes roles as an auto mechanic, corporate manager, school teacher, drug and alcohol counselor, and ordained Buddhist monk. In 2005, he met the Dalai Lama and was later ordained, serving as cultural director of Gaden Shartse Monastery. John’s teachings emphasize universal, accessible, and practical applications of ethics, concentration, wisdom, and the four immeasurables (equanimity, loving-kindness, compassion, and empathetic joy).

Episode Summary

John openly shares his early life: a speech impediment that left him feeling different and terrified on his first day of kindergarten, the loss of his father at age six, raising by a devoted single mother of nine, exposure to heroin addiction in his family, survival in chaotic and violent environments, and his own descent into substance abuse. He describes pivotal rock-bottom moments—including nearly losing his daughter and a violent altercation—that led to his recovery on August 21, 1984.

A core turning point was shifting his life question from “How can I feel okay?” to “How can I be helpful?” This simple but profound reorientation guided his career and personal growth. John also recounts reuniting with his daughter years later, a transformative year of celibacy and meditation in 2000 that prepared him for monastic life, meeting the Dalai Lama, ordination in India, and returning to serve as a teacher and leader.

The episode is filled with humor, raw honesty, and heartfelt wisdom—bringing tears and laughter.

The power of unconditional love (his mother’s example).
Recovery, accountability, and turning past “failures” into fertilizer for growth (Edison analogy).
The importance of checking teachers and communities, applying teachings through direct experience rather than blind faith.
Universal accessibility of dharma principles through the Mindful Life / Tri-Wisdom Institute.
The urgent need for daily meditation practice in our distracted, dopamine-driven digital age to reclaim attention and free will.

Resources & Links

Way of Compassion Foundation & Dharma Center (Carbondale, CO): wayofcompassion.org  
Tri-Wisdom Institute (Mindful Life Program). Trainings, courses, and retreats: https://triwisdominstitute.org
John Bruna’s Book: The Wisdom of a Meaningful Life: https://triwisdominstitute.org/store/
Recommended Books : A New Pair of Glasses by Chuck Sievers & Dopamine Nation by Anne Lembke 
Gaden Shartse Monestary: https://www.gadenshartse.org/eng/ 
14th Dalai Lama: https://www.dalailama.com
John’s Root Teachers: Lati Rinpoche and Geshe Tsultim Gyeltsen
12-Step Tradition of AA

A Note from Eaden

It was a profound blessing to speak with John. His story of turning great adversity into a life of compassion, service, and teaching is deeply inspiring. May his words support you on your own path of healing and awakening. Connection truly is the medicine.

Host Biography

Eaden Shantay has a deep love for personal growth, family, community, the natural world, and creating sacred spaces. His past studies include a bachelor’s in environmental biology, a master’s in clinical psychology, 35 years of Native American Spirituality that include Sun Dancing at Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, and three decades studying Vedanta—the Vedic scriptures on self-knowledge. He presently leads monthly Temazcal ceremonies at Loma Sagrada, week-long personal growth retreats with his wife and partner Deva, and hosts a bi-weekly podcast called Connection Is The Medicine.

Eaden and Deva are the founders of True Nature in Carbondale, CO, and Loma Sagrada, in Nosara, Costa Rica. Loma Sagrada (Sacred Knoll) is a private retreat incorporating gardens using permaculture and biodynamic design principles. Eaden and Deva have won 5 architectural awards for True Nature, CO, and Loma Sagrada. Both Eaden and Deva preside over the Connection Is The Medicine Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to inspiration, connection, and self-discovery.

General Info About Podcast 

Please subscribe on YouTube and leave a review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts; it really helps with reach. Share episodes with those in need, and join the Connection Is The Medicine community.

Next Episodes: Tommy Rosen, Founder of Recover 2.0, bridging recovery, meditation, breath work, and yoga. 
Then Billy Wynne, on Zen and Katy Firefly about Cacao. 
Explore other episodes at https://connectionisthemedicine.com/podcast 

Connection is the Medicine – Healing through authentic connection, one conversation at a time. 
Learn more at www.connectionisthemedicine.com  
Support the foundation and this podcast: https://connectionisthemedicine.com/donate

Listen on your favorite podcast platform (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.)

Send us Fan Mail

Infuse each day with purpose and Spirit 

In this episode of the Connection is the Medicine podcast, Eaden sits down with Yogi, teacher, bestselling author, and spiritual guide Tracee Stanley. They explore Tracee’s journey from a successful career in modeling and then as a film executive in Hollywood. Her studies of yoga and Sri Vidya Tantra yoga in the lineage of the Himalayan master. Her evolution into a teacher and spiritual guide.

Her work centers on yoga nidra, self-inquiry, ritual, and weaving devotion into everyday life.

They discuss her soon-to-be released book Living Ritual: Infuse Each Day with Purpose and Spirit. Life is the practice, and ritual becomes the bridge between the mundane and the sacred. 

TOPICS 

•⁠  ⁠A “Peaceful Warrior gas station burning down moment” — having all her belongings stolen while living in South Africa, which catalyzed a huge life change.
•⁠  ⁠Her awakening, which led to leaving the world of modeling and then entering Hollywood by chance. Tracee simultaneously begins yoga practice and the study of Sri Vidya Tantra Yoga. 
•⁠  ⁠Eventually, she leaves Hollywood and moves to Mount Shasta, California, to open a yoga studio. 
•⁠  ⁠Her latest book is called Living Ritual. Which is about bringing 

RESOURCES AND LINKS

Pre-Order / Book Information
Living Ritual: Infuse Each Day with Purpose and Spirit by Tracee Stanley
Releases August 25, 2026 (St. Martin’s Essentials / Sounds True)
→ https://www.traceestanley.com/livingritual

Life is the practice. Ritual is how we remember.

TRACEE’S BOOKS

•⁠  ⁠Radiant Rest: Yoga Nidra for Deep Relaxation and Awakened Clarity → https://www.traceestanley.com/radiant-rest 
•⁠  ⁠The Luminous Self: Sacred Yogic Practices & Rituals to Remember Who You Are → https://www.traceestanley.com/luminous-self 

C0NNECT WITH TRACEE

•⁠  ⁠Website: https://www.traceestanley.com 
•⁠  ⁠Newsletter Signup: https://www.traceestanley.com/#newsletter 
•⁠  ⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracee_stanley 
•⁠  ⁠Empowered Life Circle (community & practices): https://www.empoweredlifecircle.com 

YouTube Practices with Tracee (great companion listening)
Search her channel: https://www.youtube.com/@traceestanley108 
Recommended: “Create a Rest Nest With Yoga Nidra,” “Into the Void | Yoga Nidra,” and other guided practices.

ABOUT THE GUEST: TRACEE STANLEY 

Tracee Stanley is the author of the bestselling books Radiant Rest and The Luminous Self (Shambhala Publications) and the forthcoming Living Ritual (August 2026). She is the founder of Empowered Life Circle, a sacred community and portal of practices, rituals, and Tantric teachings inspired by more than 28 years of studentship in Sri Vidya Tantra and the teachings of the Himalayan Masters.

As a post-lineage teacher, Tracee is devoted to sharing the wisdom of yoga nidra, rest, meditation, self-inquiry, nature as a teacher, and ancestor reverence. She holds certificates from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Advanced Eco-Therapy and Advanced Ecopsychology. Tracee illuminates the magic found in liminal space and weaves devotion and practice into daily life.
Her core pillars: Community • Rest • Self-Remembrance • Life as a Sacred Ritual • Nature.

ABOUT CONNECTION IS THE MEDICINE PODCAST

Hosted by Eaden Shantay, Connection Is The Medicine explores the healing power of authentic human connection through conversations with visionary teachers, healers, and community leaders. 

Please visit www.connectionisthemedicine.com to learn more. Watch on Youtube, Listen Spotify and Apple Podcasts. 

Thank you for listening. If this episode resonates, please subscribe, rate, review, and share it with others. If you wish to support our work and the work of our foundation, please consider a donation to our non-profit.

Send us Fan Mail

Living In Harmony with Sacred Mother Earth

Stephen Brooks is a pioneering permaculture educator, ethnobotanist, and regenerative community builder with over 30 years of experience in Costa Rica.

Early Life and Awakening: Raised in North Miami, Florida, Brooks’ life changed in 1995 when he witnessed a playground of indigenous children sprayed by a Chiquita Banana crop duster. This event sparked his dedication to sustainable alternatives to industrial agriculture and environmental destruction. He soon founded an eco-tour company, bringing students from the US and Europe to Costa Rica to experience the beauty of the land, its people, and the realities of rainforest loss and agro-business impacts—while showcasing practical solutions.

Key Contributions in Regenerative Agriculture and Food Forests: Brooks is best known as the founder of Punta Mona Center for Regenerative Design and Botanical Studies (established in the late 1990s on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast). This off-grid, beachfront site became a world leader in tropical permaculture, featuring an extensive collection of useful and exotic fruit trees, plants, and food forests. It has hosted the first (and many subsequent) Permaculture Design Courses (PDCs) in Costa Rica, training thousands in regenerative techniques like soil building, biodiversity enhancement, and self-sustaining food systems.

He specializes in exotic fruit trees and “life design” through permaculture—creating abundant, resilient ecosystems that produce food while regenerating land. His signature “Church of Fruit” gatherings celebrate the spiritual and communal connection to plants and diverse fruits.

Sustainable Communities and Broader Impact

Brooks has co-founded or played a key role in several thriving eco-villages and regenerative projects in Costa Rica, including:
•La Ecovilla and Tacotal (2006 onward) — Ecological planned communities.
•Alegría Village — A regenerative “agrihood” with extensive permaculture food forests in San Mateo.
•Eterna and others, emphasizing food forests, community resilience, and harmony with tropical ecosystems.

He co-founded the Envision Festival, a major gathering blending sustainability, culture, music, and education. He also co-founded Ecoversity, which offers online and in-person permaculture education, PDCs, and earth skills training.

Featured in media like Zac Efron’s Down to Earth (Netflix), Brooks continues to teach, consult, and inspire scalable models for regenerative living—focusing on biodiversity, soil health, community, and deeper reciprocity with nature. His work demonstrates how intentional food forests and ecological communities can heal land while supporting vibrant human cultures.

Connect with Stephen

IG: @stephenbrooks
FaceBook: @stephenbrookscr
LinkedIn Stephen Brooks 
Ecoversity: Online and In-person Permaculture Education: ecoversity.org
Youtube: The Church of Fruit with Stephen Brooks 

Permaculture:
•  Punta Mona Center: Foundational Tropical Permaculture site, botanical studies (puntamona.org) 
•  Algeria Village (Regenerative eco-neighborhood in San Mateo, Costa Rica): communidadalegria.com 
•  La Ecovilla (Intentional Regenerative Community) laecovilla.com 
•  Eterna (present Costa Rica regenerative agriculture project in San Juanillo Costa Rica. Eterna.earth 
•  Envision Festival: envisionfestival.com

Thanks for listening and supporting the show.

Send us Fan Mail

Bridging Physics and Consciousness 

In this episode of Connection is the Medicine podcast, Eaden chats with Dr. Aaron Breidenbach — Stanford-trained physicist, quantum materials researcher, spiritual explorer and seeker of the truth. 

Dr. Breidenbach earned his PhD in condensed matter physics, where he grew and studied exotic crystals (Zinc-Barlowite and Herbertsmithite) that may hold the key to quantum computing.

From personal experiences with a brain tumor and seizure, to explorations of meditation, psychedelics, whirling like a Dervish, Aaron weaves together quantum physics, mysticism, and holistic healing. He invites us to reconsider the boundaries between science and spirit, matter and consciousness, and the deep connections that truly heal.

This conversation explores:
The difference between classic and quantum computing
The potential application of specialized crystals in quantum computing, some of which are being grown in Aaron’s lab
Healing from depression and suicidal ideation through non-traditional means including: meditation, psychedelics, IFS therapy, and whirling like a Dervish
The Atacameno, who are indigenous people of the Atacama Desert that mine copper. 
Finding specialized crystals in mine tailings
Seeing Internal Family Systems therapy from an indigenous perspective. 

This episode is for seekers, scientists, healers, and anyone curious about the edge where physics meets the sacred.

Important Links:
    •    Listen on Spotify: [Link to episode]
    •    Listen on Apple Podcasts: [Link to episode]
    •    Watch on YouTube: [Link to episode]
    •    Follow Dr. Aaron Breidenbach:
    ◦    Instagram: @thebreidenbeast (https://www.instagram.com/thebreidenbeast/)
    ◦    Medium: medium.com/@breid.at
    ◦    The Quantum Archeologist: thequantumarcheologist.org (https://thequantumarcheologist.org/)
    •    Connection is the Medicine Podcast:
    ◦    Website: connectionisthemedicine.com (https://connectionisthemedicine.com/)
    ◦    Instagram: @connectionisthemedicine (https://www.instagram.com/connectionisthemedicine/)

Learn more about Aaron’s journey to the Atacama Desert and his research into the crystals found there: https://medium.com/@breid.at

Send us Fan Mail

Brook LeVan – Confessions of a Reluctant Land Whisperer

A poignant and inspirational conversation that invites listeners to reconsider their relationship to land, food, spirit, and the unseen realms that sustain life.

In this episode of Connection is the Medicine Podcast, host Eaden Shantay welcomes Brook LeVan—artist, rancher, alchemist, biodynamic specialist, and co-founder of Sustainable Settings, a 240-acre biodynamic ranch at the base of Carbondale, Colorado’s majestic Mt. Sopris (known to the Ute people as Wemagooah).

Highly recommended for anyone interested in biodynamics, land stewardship, indigenous wisdom, permaculture, or the spiritual dimensions of regenerative agriculture.

Brook speaks about relationship—with self, land, spirit, and the living intelligence of the Earth. The conversation weaves personal stories, spiritual inquiry, and practical regenerative wisdom.

Core Themes

•⁠  ⁠Evocation and Right Relationship: The power of acknowledging, asking, and thanking the land—foundational practices for building a mutually beneficial dialogue rather than extraction.

•⁠  ⁠Biodynamics: Rooted in Rudolf Steiner and Enzo Nastati’s works. Working with subtle forces, alchemical preparations that truly feeds human evolution.

•⁠  ⁠Dowsing, Divination & Intention: Tools and practices for listening to the unseen forces of nature.

•⁠  ⁠The Ute Curse: The violent removal of the Ute people in the late 1800s and the lingering energetic imprint on the region.

•⁠  ⁠Decolonizing the Mind: Brook offers a critique of cultural conditioning and encourages direct, embodied exploration of the world.

•⁠  ⁠Western Material Realism: separating into parts versus dynamic wholeness.

Memorable Ideas:
•⁠  ⁠Life as a co-created dynamic living systems.
•⁠  ⁠The disconnection in modern industrial culture is “by design”—the remedy lies in non-linear ways of knowing and agrarian intimacy.
•⁠  ⁠The evolution of Biodynamic agriculture: exploring the work of Enzo Nastati.

Brook’s most recent offering: Where the Old Woman Cooks and Biodynamic Preparation Making)

Writing: Confessions of a Reluctant Land Whisperer – Poetic Wanderings into Other Realms through the Unknown Arts

Guest Links:
•⁠  ⁠Sustainable Settings: www.SustainableSettings.org
•⁠  ⁠Biodynamic Source: www.BiodynamicSource.org
•⁠  ⁠Biodynamic Botanicals: www.BiodynamicBotanicals.com
•⁠  ⁠Build Soil or Die: www.BuildSoilOrDie.com
•⁠  ⁠Only Sprayed Once: www.OnlySprayedOnce.com

Additional Links:
Rudolf Steiner Archive (rsarchive.org)
https://rsarchive.org/
Enzo Nastati (biodynamics 2.0): https://arcadellavita.it/ & https://enzonastati.it
Enzo Nastati  on YouTube searxh “ARCA DELLA VITA”
Goethe-Institut (English sections) www.goethe.de/en (search for Goethe)
Georges Braque (Cubism):  https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/georges-braque-803

Send us Fan Mail

Merging Yoga, Buddhism and Internal Family Systems. Exploring the somatic, spiritual and psychological.

Dharma teacher Kali Basman beautifully combines Buddhist Psychology, Internal Family Systems Therapy, and Yin Yoga to guide deep healing and embodied presence. Her work integrates the outer frameworks of anatomy and Traditional Chinese Medicine with inner practices of mind training and trauma resolution, inviting a compassionate and somatic approach to inner inquiry and transformation. 

Kali is a certified Internal Family Systems coach, holds a master’s in Environmental Public Health, and brings over a decade of experience as a Global Health consultant with the United Nations Association Global Health Initiative on the Africa Affairs Committee. She also serves as a Conscious Dying Coach and Sacred Passage Doula, gently supporting individuals through life’s most profound transitions.

Learn more about Kali’s work at https://www.kalidurgayoga.com/

Kali will be offering a Spring Yintensive: A Retreat of Stillness & Seasonal Renewal at True Nature Healing Arts in Carbondale, Colorado, from April 23–26, 2026. This four-day immersion invites participants to slow down, soften inward, and attune to the wisdom of the season through Yin Yoga, Zen meditation, somatic ritual, and contemplative dialogue, a field for deep restoration and remembrance in nature’s unfolding. 

For more information and to register, visit: https://www.truenaturehealingarts.com/spring-yintensive

Enjoy the show!

Send us Fan Mail

Ron Speaker is a seasoned investment specialist, financial mentor, and dedicated husband and father.

He began his career in the mid-1980s as a summer intern in the mail room at Janus Capital Group in Denver, Colorado. There, he came under the mentorship of finance legends Tom Bailey and Michael McGoldrick, who would become lifelong influences. 

Speaker rose through the ranks over 21 years at Janus, starting as a securities analyst—traveling internationally to research investments, eventually becoming a senior portfolio manager overseeing multi-billion-dollar mutual funds.

In 2007, Speaker left Janus to found Equus Private Wealth Management in Carbondale, Colorado. He ran Equus for 15 years serving high-net-worth clients, until concluding operations in 2022.

When mentee Michael McGoldrick passed away in 2021, Speaker was appointed CEO (and Founder) of the Michael E. McGoldrick Charitable Foundation, a private family foundation based in Colorado. The foundation supports nonprofits in arts and culture, education, environmental conservation, human rights, peace, justice, and the rule of law.

Today, Speaker dedicates himself to financial education and mentorship. He founded The Finance Camp for teens, an intensive program teaching investing principles through real-world experience, community service, and market simulations. He also supports initiatives like the Youth Entrepreneurial Zone and programs empowering women and young investors.

With over 38 years in the financial markets, Ron Speaker embodies a career of disciplined bond investing, entrepreneurial success, and a commitment to passing on financial wisdom—rooted in Colorado and inspired by his early mentors.

Ron’s two mentors are: 

Tom Bailey who founded Janus Funds, and Michael McGoldricK from the https://memcf.org

Ron has created a financial youth camp: https://thefinancecamp.com

Empowering Women: www.aspenwomenswealth.com 

Ron also received coaching from Jeff Patterson: @officaljeffpatterson

Heroic Program w/ Brian Johnson: IG: @heroicbrian

Thank you for joining us on Connection Is The Medicine podcast. Support the show by liking, sharing, subscribing, commenting and rating. Every action helps.

Enjoy the show!

Send us Fan Mail