For episode 155 of the Metta Hour, Sharon speaks with Mark Nepo. Mark is an author, poet, and spiritual teacher with over 40 years of teaching experience.

Mark Nepo has published twenty-two books, including the New York Times bestseller The Book of Awakening, and his most recent release from 2020, The Book of Soul.

In this episode, Mark shared his personal journey that brought him to the spiritual path and writing. They discuss the coronavirus through stages of grief, and how the different stages of denial, anger, bartering, depression, and acceptance are reflective of different aspects of the collective. They talk about loss and grief as a process of destruction and reconstruction and how to honor each aspect of that process. They also discuss of the importance of meaning in mental health and in life in general. Mark offers some ideas for how to recover meaning for ourselves when we have lost it. He shares how we can individually and collectively determine what needs repair, what needs reimagining, and what needs to be left dismantled now that it’s been broken. Sharon asks Mark how he counsels people who are grappling with feelings of failure and brokenness, and how we can embrace the entirety of our experience. The episode closes with Mark reading a poem and offering a short reflective journaling prompt.

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For episode 154 of the Metta Hour, Sharon speaks with Tami Simon.

Tami Simon is the founder of Sounds True, a multimedia company that has produced over 3,000 titles and been nominated twice for the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing companies. Tami also hosts the popular Sounds True podcast, Insights at the Edge, with more than 15 million downloads. Tami has been instrumental in the creation of the Inner MBA Program: a nine-month interactive program featuring esteemed CEOs and conscious business and mindfulness leaders created by Sounds True, LinkedIn and Wisdom 2.0.

In this episode, Tami shares how she came to the practice of meditation and her journey integrating those experiences in her life. She discusses the history of Sounds True and her original inspiration that launched the company, and how that has evolved to present day. They also discuss the Inner MBA program and the nuance of bringing mindfulness and compassion practices to the workplace. The conversation closes with Tami leading a guided meditation.

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For episode 153 of the Metta Hour, Sharon speaks with mindfulness teacher and author, Scott Shute.

Scott Shute is the Head of Mindfulness and Compassion at LinkedIn and blends his lifelong practice and passion with his practical leadership and operations experience. His mission is to change work from the inside out and he is the author of the new book “The Full Body Yes,” released in May of 2021. In this episode, Scott shares what brought him to meditation practice in his early life and how that eventually led him to bring that to his work. They discuss the role that compassion plays in the workplace, both in leadership and relationships. Scott shares some research about the primary factors that contribute toward developing a high-performance team, and the importance of psychological safety in the workplace. Sharon and Scott talk about his book, and what constitutes the experience of a “full-body yes,” especially given the inequities in life and our culture. Scott speaks about the role that optimism can play to harness greater agency and a sense of choice, especially when the circumstances of our lives are limited. They speak about the complexities in navigating agency and compassion when we face difficulty in life, and some common misconceptions about mindfulness in this realm. Sharon asks Scott about how compassion practices are helping companies in the corporate sphere are responding to COVID and the mental health crisis many are facing. The episode closes with Scott leading a guided meditation on self-compassion.

Find online learning resources and offerings from Scott at scottshute.com

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For episode 152 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon speaks with Dani Shapiro.

Dani is the author of the New York Times best-selling memoir, Inheritance, published in January 2019 by Knopf. Her other books include the memoirs "Hourglass," "Still Writing," "Devotion," and "Slow Motion," and five novels. She is also the host of her own podcast, Family Secrets. Dani teaches writing workshops worldwide, has taught at Columbia and New York University, and is the co-founder of the Sirenland Writers Conference in Positano, Italy.

The conversation begins with Dani sharing how she came to writing in her early life and how her father's tragic death shaped her path. She shares how she came to formal spiritual practice after becoming a mother and finding the meditation teachings of Sylvia Boorstein in 2007. Dani reflects on how her meditation practice has become intertwined with her writing practice and how she approaches writing as a spiritual path. They discuss how different aspects of formal meditation practice can act as a training ground for writing. Sharon reflects on some of the challenges she faces as a writer and how she has used mindfulness to work with them. Dani speaks about her what led her to start her podcast, Family Secrets, after finishing her most recent book, "Inheritance" which now has 40 episodes to date. The episode closes with Dani reading a short excerpt from her book, Inheritance.

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For episode 151 of the Metta Hour, Sharon speaks with Dr. Will Van Derveer MD and Keith Kurlander, MA, LPC.

Will and Keith are Co-Founders of the Integrative Psychiatry Institute, which teaches mental health providers how to recognize and resolve an expanded spectrum of root causes of mental illness, and also the Integrative Psychiatry Centers, which provide integrative psychiatry and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for complex mental health challenges. Together they are also the hosts of the Higher Practice Podcast.

The conversation begins with some background on how Will and Keith came to Integrative Psychiatry. Sharon asks how each of them has dealt with burnout and despair in their lives as care-providers in the field of mental health. They also discuss some of the unique issues that caregivers face right now in the pandemic and how self-compassion can offer support. Keith and Will share some of the changes they are seeing in clients due to the social isolation and offer some tools to help regulate the nervous system and stay connected to our deeper values at this time. They also speak about the importance of reframing and de-stigmatizing mental suffering for a spectrum-based model and close the conversation with a guided reflection.

Links from this episode: Integrative Psychiatry Institute | Integrative Psychiatry Centers

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For episode 150 of the Metta Hour, Sharon speaks with Karen Stewart.

Karen is a Mental Health Psychosocial Support Specialist and Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over thirty years of working in a wide variety of mental health settings. Ten of those years have been working with Doctors Without Borders throughout Asia and Africa. Learn about Karen's offerings at karenstewart.org.

To start the conversation, Karen shares what brought her to social work after a traumatic childhood. They discuss the meaning of the word “trauma” and the different forms of trauma: acute, chronic, and complex trauma. They discuss the difference between trauma and PTSD and the concept of Post-Traumatic-Growth. Karen shares some of her experience working with Doctors Without Borders in catastrophic environments and how she provides mental health resources to those communities. They speak at length about resilience and how to bolster our stress response in a more balanced way. Sharon reflects on the epidemic of loneliness that so many experienced before the pandemic and how it has evolved a year into the COVID-19 pandemic. Karen shares some breathing, grounding, and gratitude techniques to counteract pandemic fatigue and loss stressors. The episode closes with a discussion on resilience and a healthy lifestyle for individuals and those in the personal or professional caregiving roles and a Containment Practice led by Karen.

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In episode 149 of the Metta Hour, Sharon speaks with Tim Desmond.

Tim is a psychotherapist, author, Distinguished Faculty Scholar at Antioch University New England, and student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. He is the founder of Peer Collective and co-founder of Morning Sun Mindfulness Center in Alstead, NH. He was also a co-organizer of Occupy Wall Street. Tim's publications include Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy, The Self-Compassion Skills Workbook, and the 2019 release, How to Stay Human in a Fucked Up World.

In this conversation, Tim shares his history and what led him to become an activist and student of meditation, and eventually professional psychology. He shares about the impetus for the Morning Sun Mindfulness Center as well as the Peer Collective. They discuss the role of faith and love in psychotherapy and what the x-factor is in therapeutic healing. Tim reflects on the power of self-compassion and how to cultivate it and its transformational effects. They also discuss the role of suffering in happiness and how to work with suffering in a forward-leading way. Tim shares about his most recent book, How to Stay Human in a Fucked Up World, and the circumstances around the writing of that book. The episode closes with Tim leading a five-minute guided meditation.

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For episode 148 of the Metta Hour, Sharon celebrates the 45th anniversary of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts.

Founded by Sharon, Joseph Goldstein, and Jack Kornfield on February 14th, 1975, this year marks 45 years since IMS opened doors to the public. Sharon reflects on this special anniversary and shares one of her earliest archival recordings from IMS from 1983. Since its inception, IMS has proven a wellspring of spiritual wisdom and a refuge of practice for individuals interested in meditation, mindfulness, lovingkindness, and self-inquiry.

Information on IMS and its ongoing offerings can be found at Dharma.org. For a catalog of dharma talks shared at IMS from a wide assortment of spiritual teachers, please visit: DharmaSeed.org. 

“I think about this running river, and I’m a part of it. It’s just this incredible feeling to watch it go on and spread in the way that it has…It’s hard to even believe what has happened, that IMS has become a refuge of practice for so many.” – Sharon Salzberg

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For episode 147 of the Metta Hour, Sharon speaks with her longtime friends and colleagues Rameshwar Das and Roshi Joan Halifax Ph.D. about the new book, “Being Ram Dass.”

This intimate conversation begins with Rameshwar Das and Roshi reflect on the first time they met Ram Dass and their early friendships in the 60s. They discuss the role that Ram Dass played in their community, as well as his formative inspiration in some of their first teaching experiences. Roshi shares about Ram Dass’s pioneering work in the prison systems and end-of-life care. Rameshwar Dass speaks at length about the process of working with Ram Dass to create “Being Ram Dass” and closes the episode by leading a loving awareness meditation. Learn more about the new book at beingramdass.com

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