 On the road to sobriety, the questions we need to ask, and the ways we need to listen. Laura McKowen inspires people to say yes to a bigger life after addiction. She’s the author of the forthcoming memoir, We Are The Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life (January 2020), and has been featured on WebMD, The Guardian, The New York Post, Bravo, and the TODAY show. She writes an internationally recognized, award-winning blog, is the host of two Top 100 iTunes podcasts, and leads sold-out retreats and courses focused on sobriety and personal development.  How Laura's Mom felt about the book [2:58] Laura's "last hurrah" before becoming sober [6:57] Finding a home inside oneself [12:27] Growing up [14:54] A different way of looking at anxiety [17:15] On not rushing our learning [23:32] When there is no "rock bottom" [26:12] Boundaries and The Pregnancy Principle [33:36] How Laura talks to her child about sobriety [37:13] Following the breadcrumbs [43:15] Prayer [47:34]  Resources We Are the Luckiest - Laura McKowen Drinking: A Love Story - Caroline Knapp The Great Work of your Life - Stephen Cope 

Episode 53: Laura McKowen

Content and conversations for times of transition and change.

Join me in discussion with renowned luminaries and dear friends to explore life's myriad transitions, our understandings and our responses. What does it mean to be present, to shift our perceptions, to engage with the world meaningfully, with dignity and care? With respect for the ancient practices and the modern wisdom that continue to inform and elevate our exchanges, each episode is an invitation to Practice You.

Personal Journals

Society & Culture

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Alternative Health

Health

Health & Fitness

On the causes of, and possible solutions for, autoimmune struggles. On resolving the trauma signature so many of us carry.

Episode 191:  Sara Szal Gottfried, MD

 On resilience, via the wisdom of our ancestor Ralph Waldo Emerson. Seeing our character reflected in our opinions of the world. Shifting our lens to acknowledge our uniqueness, practicing surmounting our subjectivity in order to steep ourselves in reality as it is with empathy, equanimity and insight.   (1:00) – Stoicism and Self-Reliance with Mark Tuzik. (4:56) – Emerson’s philosophy and its impact on Thoreau’s work. (13:12) – Emerson’s philosophy of self-awareness and perception. (19:07) – Solitude, loneliness, and self-discovery. (25:02) – Writing, self-doubt, and emotional reactivity. (31:14) – Emerson’s philosophy and its application to relationships.  Mark Matousek is a bestselling author, teacher, and speaker whose work focuses on personal awakening and creative excellence through transformational writing and self-inquiry. His books include Sex Death Enlightenment: A True Story, The Boy He Left Behind, When You’re Falling, Dive, Ethical Wisdom: The Search for a Moral Life, Ethical Wisdom for Friends, Mother of the Unseen World, and Writing to Awaken: A Journey of Truth, Transformation, and Self-Discovery. His work has appeared in numerous anthologies and publications, including The New Yorker, O: The Oprah Magazine, Details, Tricycle, Good Housekeeping, and Harper’s Bazaar.  He has blogged for Psychology Today and offers courses in creativity and spiritual growth around the world. In 2013, Mark founded The Seekers Forum, a global online community for non-sectarian spiritual dialogue. He is on the faculty of The New York Open Center, The Omega Institute, 1440, Esalen, The Rowe Center, Hollyhock, and Blue Spirit, Costa Rica.  He lives with his partner in Springs, New York. His new book is Lessons From An American Stoic.   

Episode 190: Mark Matousek

From the wild edge of intuition, women's health, inner presence and full embodiment, a peek inside the hearts of wise, engaged women.    (2:48) – Women’s health and intuition with a holistic approach. (8:50) – Rituals and inner terrain mastery for personal growth. (16:43) – Women’s cycle, herbal medicine, and personal growth. (23:53) – Women’s empowerment and healing. (32:02) – Women’s leadership and herbal medicine course. (36:32) – Meditation and inner wisdom for personal growth.  Seraphina Capranos is a clinical herbalist, homeopath, and initiated priestess with a practice spanning over two decades.  As well as being a deeply engaging teacher and speaker, she has a clinical practice on Salt Spring Island. Her unique blend of gifts straddle the vast worlds of plant medicine, homeopathy, and ritual and ceremonial magic. She is a sought after international teacher who has taught thousands of students since 2008. She is the CEO and founder of The Center for Sacred Arts.  From The Wild Edge is a ground-breaking virtual program that weaves a rich tapestry of Myth, Herbal Medicine, Modern Science and Ritual, taught by Seraphina and Dr. Karley Denoon. Blending expert health and hormonal guidance, herbal medicine, enriching community learning, elevating your understanding of what it means to heal as a woman in our times, From The Wild Edge might be a relevant course for you.  ELENA means 5% off the course at this link. Enrollment closes Sunday May 12, 2024.

Episode 189: Seraphina Capranos

On redefining power, living and leading without apology, spacious parenting and the perceptions holding us back.  (2:24) – Self-awareness, identity, and heritage. (7:32) – Identity, belonging, and cultural heritage. (11:38) – Heritage, identity, and systemic racism. (16:35) – Privilege and allyship in a 20-year marriage. (20:50) – Parenting, values, and personal growth. (27:01) – Parenting teenagers and respecting their identity choices. (31:40) – Privilege and its various forms. (36:23) – Privilege and leadership with a focus on neurodiversity and accessibility.  One of Australia's leading credentialed coaches for female executives and entrepreneurs, Kemi Nekvapil is an author and a highly sought-after international speaker, a flower farmer, a wife and mother, and a solid friend. She's studied leadership and purpose at The Gross National Happiness Centre in Bhutan and trained with Dr Brené Brown to become a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator, working with teams and organisations to create daring leaders and courageous cultures. Kemi is a facilitator for The Hunger Project Australia and a regular interviewer of industry icons including Elizabeth Gilbert, Martha Beck and Marie Forleo, and she hosts the number one ranking podcast The Shift Series. With a level of compassion and wisdom only gained through extraordinary life experience, Kemi is a powerful advocate for connected, value-based living.

Episode 188: Kemi Nekvapil

On the unexpected places of practice in our lives, the freedom of rigor, and the wisdom of closing the chasm between our values and our actions.    (2:06)- Zen Buddhism’s Eightfold Path and personal growth. (6:47) – Buddhism, compassion, and social justice. (14:43) – Buddhist ceremony and personal growth. (20:43) – Meditation, mindfulness, and personal growth. (27:06) – Zen Buddhism and practice in Japan. (36:21) – Meditation, routines, and finding peace. (40:38) – Finding freedom through rigor and discipline.   Sensei Koshin Paley Ellison, MFA, LMSW, DMIN, is an author, Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, and Certified Chaplaincy Educator. After many years as a chaplain and psychotherapist, Koshin co-founded the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, which offers contemplative approaches to care through education, personal caregiving, and Zen practice. Today, New York Zen Center’s methodologies are internationally recognized—and have touched the lives of tens of thousands of individuals. Koshin is a world renowned thought leader in contemplative care. He is the author of Untangled: Walking the Eightfold Path to Clarity, Courage, and Compassion (Balance/Hachette, 2022); Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up (Wisdom Publications, 2019) and the co-editor of Awake at the Bedside: Contemplative Teachings on Palliative and End of Life Care (Wisdom Publications, 2016). His work has been featured in the New York Times, PBS, CBS Sunday Morning, Tricycle among other publications.  Koshin's new book, Untangled: Walking the Eightfold Path to Clarity, Courage, and Compassion, is a welcoming guidebook for finding expansive ease and deep compassion within oneself and through relationships with others based on the Eightfold Path, one of Buddhism’s foundational teachings. In his book, Koshin weaves together anecdotes from his own life dealing with abuse and discrimination, insights from many wise teachers, and invitations to constantly practice showing up to our lives in every moment.

Episode 53: Laura McKowen

Download our free app to listen on your phone