Enlighten: Uplift & Inspire

On this week's episode, my guest Bob Levy, entrepreneur and consultant, takes time to reflect and envision a new chapter in his life. How do we actually make the golden years golden? Crediting his mother, Bob has had the courage to embrace change throughout his life, be it change in careers, relationships, homes and communities. Averse to the finality in the word retirement, Bob prefers the words re-imagining and re-engaging for this new chapter. He is eager to take his life and work experiences, his skills and passions and find a fun, satisfying way to give back. Bob's non-traditional approach to life, his intellectual curiosity, meaningful connections with his wife, sons and grandchildren, and his search for new ways to contribute to important causes, may inspire you to contemplate your own legacy. Check out the show notes for links to Bob's email and website. Enjoy the podcast! Links: Bob's Web Site Bob's Email NYT: Trump Place Sign Comes Down

On this week's episode, as nature transitions from winter to spring, I share some wonder and wisdom I discovered in watching the natural world thaw. When I paused and paid attention to the sights and sounds of snow and ice melting, I was inspired to look at what needs to soften within me. There are certainly concepts, emotions and behaviors that need to melt in our world. How can we transform our internal fog into mist and mystery, hope and healing? May we be guided by nature's lead to melt anger and blame, dissolve disconnection and cutting ourselves off, soften our overwhelm. Engaged spirituality during times of suffering invites us to thaw, melt, soften that which is rigid in our hearts. Thaw duality, thaw harsh judgement, thaw perceptions of enemies, thaw closed mindedness, thaw hatred, thaw war. Melt into compassion, forgiveness, and healing as we align with a vision of love and transformative possibility. Enjoy the podcast! Links: YouTube: Ukrainian girl singing "Let It Go" in bomb shelter IG: Ani Pema Chodron IG: Tara Brach

Today marks the 200th episode of our podcast! We launched our podcast in January 2018, just over 4 years ago. Looking back over these 4 years, I am deeply grateful for this podcast, all my guest and all my listeners. It began as my heart's desire to shine light on everyday people who inspire me. We've had a wide range of guests: musicians, social justice activists, artists, yoga teachers, educators, actors, dancers, writers, photographers, filmmakers, researchers, students, formerly incarcerated people, politicians, entrepreneurs and humanitarians. These 150 guests had a quality, a life story, or an experience that inspired me. Be it creativity, courage, humor, overcoming adversity, learning spiritual lessons from difficult challenges, perseverance, resilience, gratitude, grace and humility. Thank you for celebrating our 200th episode with me! May each episode moving forward enrich your journey of living a little more mindfully, a little more authentically, a little more joyfully. Honored to partner with you as we each radiate love and light on our enlightened path and out into the world.

On this week's episode, we look at cluttered drawers, how they become dumping grounds for random odds and ends and how they call us to action! Every once in a while, our cluttered drawers need our attention, need us to empty, sort and organize. Not always easy to acknowledge, but important to address. I think of a cluttered drawer as metaphor for life. How much personal clutter do we ignore, let build up until it shouts at us to attend it? How much collective clutter do we dismiss, in hopes it will go away… if we simply forget about it? As we end the month of February, "Black History Month", "Black Futures Month", how much racism clutter remains in our personal and collective drawers? How can we individually and as a country, steeped in systemic racism, unpack our clutter, sort through the items we prefer to ignore, minimize or pretend don't exist? Hoping this inspires you to take the time to empty out your cluttered drawers, physically and metaphysically, personally and collectively. May we have awareness of what lies under the surface. May we take responsibility for the wounds that get ignored, buried and dismissed. May we be inspired to take action that clears the clutter and promotes healing. Enjoy the podcast!

On this week's episode, I share some wisdom I learned from Yin Yoga that can easily be applied off the yoga mat. The philosophical foundation of Yin Yoga is to practice having awareness of what is, with acceptance. That so resonates with all of life. Awareness of what is with acceptance, in my body, in my mental state, my emotional state, would only enrich my spiritual state of being. Three principals of Yin Yoga are: 1. Meet your edge; 2. Stay in stillness; and 3. Hold it for time. So in a Yin Yoga class, we get into a posture, meet the edge of discomfort (not pain), stay in that posture in stillness and hold it for time. We can stay in a posture for 3-7 minutes. In Yin Yoga, we are targeting the Yin tissues of the body: the fascia, joints and ligaments. In Yin Yoga we move slowly, gently, staying present to what is, with acceptance. Yin invites us to let go of any doing, to yield, to receive. We all have both sides, both Yin and Yang. In our fast paced world of productivity, competition, and over-doing, may you be open to balance your life with more Yin energy. May you invite a slower, gentler approach that allows you to meet your edge, stay in stillness and hold it for time. May you be nourished and pleasantly surprised by the gifts that await you as you bring awareness to what is, with acceptance. Enjoy the podcast! Links:

On this week's episode, I explore my desire to acknowledge, honor and celebrate Black History Month in a meaningful way. An inspiring article from Shaun King's newsletter "The North Star", written by Kendi, a student at NYU, introduced me to a new term "Black Futures Month" which integrates past, present and a hopeful future. May we, as Kendi states: "reflect on the tumultuous journey of Black people in America and the community's triumphs against all odds." Let's celebrate and support today's activists, authors, and freedom fighters, while embracing a Black Futures Month that highlights progress, active activism and an investment into a better Black future, that only ensures a healthier future for all of us. I am also excited about a future that reflects what white people have examined themselves, their guilt, their silence, their courage and vulnerability. What am I doing as a privileged white woman to combat racism, change the world and become a good ancestor? What are you doing? May this month: "Black History Month", "Black Futures Month' inspire each of us to invest in a healthier future for all of us. Enjoy the podcast! Links:

On this week's episode I honor the Vietnamese Buddhist monk, peace activist, author and spiritual leader, Thich Nhat Hanh, who recently died at age 95. He was the embodiment of his inspiring values: engaged Buddhism, peace activism and mindful living. My own meditation and spiritual practices have been enriched by this gentle, wise soul for 4 decades. Since his death, I've immersed myself in reading more about Thich Nhat Hanh's extraordinary life. What a tremendous supply we can access of videos, audios and articles along with over 100 published books written by Thich Nhat Hanh that include his memoirs, journals, children's books and poetry. I read aloud an article posted on Fellowship of Reconciliation's (FOR) online magazine that illuminated for me a comprehensive, broad stroke of Thich Nhat Hanh's life. May you also fill your senses, thoughts and hearts with the inspiring wisdom and compassion of Thich Nhat Hanh, for I believe he was and will continue to be one of the most influential spiritual leaders that has graced our world. Enjoy the podcast! Links:

On this week's episode I reflect on the legacy of Sidney Poitier and Martin Luther King, Jr. The gifted actor, director and activist, Sidney Poitier died on January 6th, 2022. The following week we honored MLK Day, a hard-fought national holiday to pay tribute to the leader of the Civil Rights Movement. Both these men had such a significant impact on me, from early childhood, through my formative years in the 60s and 70s. These 2 incredible men of courage and leadership each found their unique way to access their gifts, live in integrity, and challenge the humiliating, oppressive ways Black people in the United States are treated. Both these men were articulate, dignified and implemented mindful ways to reach into the heart and conscience of Americans, particularly white Americans. It is no surprise that they knew each other, supported each other and had a great respect for one another. The motto of MLK Day is "Remember, Celebrate, Act" and "A Day On, Not a Day Off!" Let's do what we can throughout the year to honor these men and the truth they stood for. Don't let someone pull you so low as to hate them. Stand into your values in times of challenge. Acknowledge how easy it would be to react in bitterness, yet seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. Channel your anger to positive. Forgive. Keep loving. Live into the redemptive power of love. Enjoy the podcast! Links: Democracy Now - 1/17/2005

On this week's episode I explore some of the ripple effects of Covid-19. Seems like everyone has been directly or indirectly impacted by the recent Covid surge! The virus has spread exponentially. And whether you've had the virus or someone in your close circle has had it, most of us have been up close and personal with Covid. With our personal Covid stories, the ripple effect of Covid continues. I humbly acknowledge the devastating loss and grief that Covid has created for hundreds of thousands of people. Covid, like life, entails both devastation, heartache and loss alongside gratitude, heart connection and blessings. And as I sit with the ripple effects I have experienced with Covid, my soul is nourished by the tender gifts, the heart openings, the ah-ha moments of what came into focus for me. My big epiphany is that the most important ripple effect of Covid has been LOVE. LOVE for ourselves, LOVE for one another, LOVE for those hurting, struggling, suffering, forgiving, grieving, helping, supporting. LOVE heals us, binds us and transforms us. Whatever your personal Covid story is, may you let the ripple effect of LOVE course its way around you, through you and from you. May the ripple effect of Covid-19 and this global pandemic be a reminder for all of us to LOVE a little more genuinely, graciously and richly. Enjoy the podcast! Links: Along Came Abby

Last week, for the first episode of 2022, I shared my personal experience with Covid. On this week's episode, I reflect on this past year, thanking my guests from 2021 and acknowledging that 2022 marks the beginning of our 5th year of the podcast. In the year 2021, we had a total of 19 guests, plus 2 tributes to dear friends, previous guests who died this year: re-releasing my conversations with Peter Fish and Tony Falco. We recorded 12 of our 19 guests via Zoom, with only 7 being able to be here in person. This past year, I shared 24 stories or guided meditations. I told personal stories, reflected on "whiteness", communed with angels, and deepened my reverence for mystics and mystery. I became more curious to actively learn more about the Native people of where I live - the Lenni Lenape people. I dropped into more intimacy with nature and welcomed the everyday miracles that surround us. I hope that my guests and stories this past year have helped to uplift and inspire you along your journey. Thank you, 2021 for another year of inspiring guests, personal reflections, stories and meditations. May we all practice restoring humanity, dignity, compassion, and justice. May you be safe and healthy, and join me in searching for the mysterious, wondrous ways the Universe is conspiring to support us in 2022. Enjoy the podcast.