Metta Hour with Sharon Salzberg

For episode 228 of the Metta Hour, we are continuing our Mental Health Series. In this series, Sharon sits down with different teachers, experts, and health advocates to explore and destigmatize mental health by applying the tools of Buddhist wisdom and spiritual practice.

For this sixth episode of the series, Sharon speaks with Dr. Richie J. Davidson, PhD. Richie is the William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Founder and Director of the Center for Healthy Minds. He is best known for his groundbreaking work studying emotion and the brain. A friend and confidante of the Dalai Lama, he is a highly sought after expert and speaker, leading conversations on well-being on international stages such as the World Economic Forum, where he serves on the Global Council on Mental Health.

In this episode, Sharon and Richie discuss:

• How Richie came to this path
• Meeting Daniel Goleman and Ram Dass
• How Danny Goleman brought Sharon to her first retreat
• The term “Mental Health”
• Innate Goodness
• Believing in Growth Mindset
• A vision of possibility for ourselves
• The role of systemic oppression in mental well-being
• Intergenerational Resilience
• Richie’s four pillars of well-being
• Personal mental hygiene
• “The road to Lhasa goes up and down” – Mingyur Rinpoche
• The value of community and teachers in mental health 
• Richie driving Mingyur Rinpoche
• Contemplative Neuroscience
• The Science of Flourishing Course
• Richie’s new book project

The conversation closes with a guided meditation led by Richie. To learn more about Riche’s work or his different books, you can visit his website and check out the Center for Healthy Minds.

Join Richie’s upcoming course The Science of Flourishing: Well-Being Skills for Daily Life. Save 20% off the course using coupon code METTA20.

Mental Health Resources

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline call 988 or (800) 273-8255
• Psychology Today Find a Mindfulness-Trained Therapist
• Active Peace Yoga with Reggie Hubbard
• The Psychology Podcast with Scott Barry Kaufman
• Mark Epstein Psychiatrist & Author with a Buddhist Lens
• Nalanda Institute Contemplative Psychotherapy Program
• Express Yourself Black Man Healing Community for Black Men
• Black Boys Om Black Boys & Men Healing & Wellness Education
• Cloud Sangha Community For Meditation & Wellness
• The Trevor Project Support for LGBTQ Mental Health
• Therapy for Black Girls Mental Wellness for Black Women and Girls
• The Friendship Bench Creating Safe Spaces & Community
• Hope for Bereaved Grief Support Groups
• Option B Grief, Trauma and Loss Support

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For episode 227 of the Metta Hour, we are continuing our Mental Health Series. In this series, Sharon sits down with different teachers, experts, and health advocates to explore and destigmatize mental health by applying the tools of Buddhist wisdom and spiritual practice.

For this fifth episode of the series, Sharon speaks with psychiatrist, clinical researcher, and meditation scholar-teacher, Joe Loizzo, MD, PhD. Joe is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and Columbia-trained Buddhist scholar with over forty years’ experience studying the beneficial effects of contemplative practices on healing, learning and development. He is an Assistant professor at Weill-Cornell Medical College, the founder of the educational non-profit Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Science, and author of several books.

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/metta

In this episode, Sharon and Joe discuss:

• The conflict in the Middle East
• How Joe came into the field of Mental Health
• How the field has evolved thus far
• How events of the world affect the personal
• Should mental health care plans include service?
• How stigma around treatment is evolving
• Contributing factors to the Mental Health Crisis in the U.S.
• The impetus for founding Nalanda Institute
• The role Joe played in Sharon’s early teaching
• Eastern vs Western approach to psychology
• The compassionate approach to the human condition
• Learning to work with our minds is not a luxury
• Where psychedelics fit in
• The future of Mental Health

The conversation closes with a guided meditation led by Joe. To learn more about Joe’s work or his different books, you can visit his website.

If you would like to suggest a topic for this series, you can email [email protected] with your questions and suggestions.

Mental Health Resources

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline call 988 or (800) 273-8255
• Psychology Today Find a Mindfulness-Trained Therapist
• Active Peace Yoga with Reggie Hubbard
• The Psychology Podcast with Scott Barry Kaufman
• Mark Epstein Psychiatrist & Author with a Buddhist Lens
• Nalanda Institute Contemplative Psychotherapy Program
• Express Yourself Black Man Healing Community for Black Men
• Black Boys Om Black Boys & Men Healing & Wellness Education
• Cloud Sangha Community For Meditation & Wellness
• The Trevor Project Support for LGBTQ Mental Health
• Therapy for Black Girls Mental Wellness for Black Women and Girls
• The Friendship Bench Creating Safe Spaces & Community
• Hope for Bereaved Grief Support Groups
• Option B Grief, Trauma and Loss Support

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For episode 226 of the Metta Hour, we’re bringing you an episode from the Ten Percent Happier Podcast in which Dan Harris interviews Sharon about her brand new book, “Finding Your Way.”

You can get a copy of “Finding Your Way” in hardcover or ebook formats at our website.

Dan Harris is a former ABC News anchor who, after reporting all over the world, experienced an on-air panic attack while hosting Good Morning America. Despite initial misgivings, he turned to meditation and changed his life for the better. He is the author of the book “10% Happier,” a #1 New York Times bestseller, and the Ten Percent Happier podcast host.

In this conversation, Sharon and Dan discuss:

• The impetus for Sharon’s new book

• What Sharon means by “an authentic life”

• Learning to be your own BFF

• How the notion of self-love squares with the Buddhist notion of emptiness

• Why it can be harder to receive love and help than to give it

To hear more episode of the Ten Percent Happier Podcast or App, visit their website.

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For episode 225 of the Metta Hour, Sharon welcomes New York Times bestselling author Katherine May.

Click here to learn more about Sharon’s new book, Finding Your Way, available Oct 10th!

Katherine May is an internationally bestselling author and podcaster. Her most recent book, “Enchantment: Awakening Awe in an Anxious Age” was an instant New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller. Her internationally bestselling hybrid memoir “Wintering” was adapted as BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week. Katherine’s podcast, How We Live Now, ranks in the top 1% worldwide, and she has been a guest presenter for On Being’s The Future of Hope series. Katherine lives with her husband, son, two cats, and a dog. She loves walking, sea-swimming, and pickling slightly unappealing things.

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/metta

In this conversation, Sharon and Katherine discuss:

• Coming into contact with life
• Learning to pay attention again
• The way rushing hinders our attention
• Not spending time in one paradigm at a time
• Sharon’s favorite word
• “Enchantment” following “Wintering” thematically
• Challenging our assumptions
• Human endeavors that inspire awe
• Awe isn’t just about prettiness
• Katherine’s experience learning meditation
• The myth of a perfect mindfulness performance
• The bigger picture balance in life
• Blocks we can feel towards our pleasure and joy
• Holding joy and pain simultaneously
• How Interconnection expands us to the natural world

Katherine closes the session with a short reading from her book, “Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age,” now available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats. You can visit her website to learn more about Katherine and hear her podcast.

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For episode 224 of the Metta Hour, Sharon sits down with Susan Bauer-Wu to talk about her new book, A Future We Can Love: How We Can Reverse the Climate Crisis with the Power of Our Hearts & Minds.

Susan is an organizational leader, clinical scientist, and mindfulness teacher whose lifework has been dedicated to alleviating suffering and fostering well-being through contemplative wisdom. Susan  is the president of the 

Mind & Life Institute and deeply committed to the care of our planet and to policies and personal actions that will ensure a future we can love for our children and grandchildren.

In this conversation, Sharon and Susan discuss:

• Susan’s early career in Healthcare
• Authentic Presence & Compassion 
• How Susan connected to climate work
• Interconnection means we’re the problem & solution
• The genesis for Susan’s book, A Future We Can Love
• The meeting of H.H. the Dalai Lama and Great Thunberg
• The Dalai Lama’s history as a climate activist
• How writing the book affected Susan
• The science of climate feedback loops
• How Buddhist teachings help us engage in climate change
• Learning to metabolize difficult feelings
• Being a Bodhisattva of the Environment
• Susan’s vision for the future

Susan closes the session with a guided meditation and ecosattva vow. You can get a copy of Susan’s book A Future We Can Love, right here.

Ram Dass' Love Serve Remember Foundation and the Alan Watts Organization invite you to open your mind, open your heart, and tap into the living truth of Alan Watts and Ram Dass. Click to learn more about this special 4-week Virtual Course: The Presence of the Way: The Dharma of Alan Watts and Ram Dass

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For episode 223 of the Metta Hour, we are continuing our Mental Health Series.

In this series, Sharon sits down with different teachers, experts, and health advocates to explore and destigmatize mental health by applying the tools of Buddhist wisdom and spiritual practice. For this fourth episode of the series, Sharon speaks with neuroscientist, artist, and activist Dr. Sará King.

Sará is currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Public Health at the T. Denny Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion in Human Health and Social Justice at UCSD. She is also the co-director of Mobius, a home for the development of Liberatory Technology, and the founder of MindHeart Collective. In 2022, she was also named one of the “10 Most Powerful Women in Mindfulness” by Mindful Magazine.

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/metta

In this conversation, Sharon and Sará discuss:

• Sará’s personal history that shaped her path

• The hope that Neuroplasticity offers

• How well-being is understood in neuroscience

• Sará’s definition of the term “social justice”

• Loving Awareness

• Growth versus fixed mindset

• The stories that are told about us

• The role of pain in Mental Health

• Sará’s Systems Based Awareness Map

• Cultivating system-based thinking

• Resilience building

• Post-Traumatic Growth 

The conversation closes with a guided meditation led by Sará. To learn more about Sará’s work, you can visit her website.

Mental Health Resources

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline call 988 or (800) 273-8255

Psychology Today Find a Mindfulness-Trained Therapist

Active Peace Yoga with Reggie Hubbard

The Psychology Podcast with Scott Barry Kaufman

Mark Epstein Psychiatrist & Author with a Buddhist Lens

Nalanda Institute Contemplative Psychotherapy Program

Express Yourself Black Man Healing Community for Black Men

Option B Grief, Trauma and Loss Support

Black Boys Om Black Boys & Men Healing & Wellness Education

Cloud Sangha Community For Meditation & Wellness

The Trevor Project Support for LGBTQ Mental Health

Therapy for Black Girls Mental Wellness for Black Women and Girls

The Friendship Bench Creating Safe Spaces & Community

Hope for Bereaved Grief Support Groups

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For episode 222 of the Metta Hour Podcast, we are closing out the Real Life Series to celebrate Sharon’s new book by the same name, “Real Life.”

This interview features a conversation between Sharon and Andrés Gonzalez, Ali, and Atman Smith, recorded for the Living An Authentic Life Summit.

Andy, Ali, and Atman co-founded the Holistic Life Foundation, a non-profit organization bringing yoga, meditation, and breath-work to thousands of at-risk kids in Baltimore schools since 2001. Their work has received wide national attention due to their remarkable results in public schools where suspension rates plummet and graduation rates skyrocket. Outside of the Holistic Life Foundation, Ali, Atman, and Andy also teach to diverse populations worldwide, including drug treatment centers, mental crisis facilities, homeless shelters, and Yoga, Wellness, and Mindfulness Festivals. Their first book, “Let Your Light Shine” was published in 2022 by Penguin Random House.

To learn more about Andy, Ali, and Atman’s work, you can visit the website for their book.

Real Life, the book that inspired this series, is now available from Flatiron Books in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats. To learn more about the book or get a copy, you can visit Sharon’s website here.

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For episode 221 of the Metta Hour Podcast, we are continuing the Real Life Series in celebration of Sharon’s new book by the same name, “Real Life.” In this conversation, Sharon and Daisy Hernández speak about the emergence of equanimity on the spiritual path and the dawning of clarity.

This interview features a conversation between Sharon and Daisy Hernández, recorded for the Living An Authentic Life Summit.

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/metta

Daisy Hernández is a Journalist, Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Northwestern University and the author of The Kissing Bug, which won the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award and was selected as an inaugural title for the National Book Foundation’s Science + Literature Program. Her memoir A Cup of Water Under My Bed won the IPPY Award for best coming-of-age memoir and Lambda Literary’s Dr. Betty Berzon Emerging Writer Award.

To learn more about Daisy’s work, you can visit her website.

"Don’t sweat the small stuff. My mother used to say that, I guess. In Spanish, the equivalent to ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’ is ‘No te ahogues en un vaso de agua’, literally, ‘don’t drown yourself in a cup of water.” – Daisy Hernández

Real Life, the book that inspired this series, is now available from Flatiron Books in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats. To learn more about the book or get a copy, you can visit Sharon’s website here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For episode 220 of the Metta Hour Podcast, we are continuing the Real Life Series celebrating Sharon’s new book by the same name, “Real Life.”

This interview features a conversation between Sharon and Mark Epstein, recorded for the Living An Authentic Life Summit.

Real Life, the book that inspired this series, is now available from Flatiron Books in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats. To learn more about the book or get a copy, you can visit Sharon’s website here.

Mark Epstein is a psychiatrist in private practice in New York City and the author of a number of books about the interface of Buddhism and psychotherapy, including Thoughts without a Thinker, Going to Pieces without Falling Apart, Going on Being, and his newest work The Trauma of Everyday Life. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Harvard University and is currently Clinical Assistant Professor in the Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis at New York University.

To learn more about Mark’s work, you can visit his website.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For episode 219 of the Metta Hour Podcast, we are continuing the Real Life Series celebrating Sharon’s new book by the same name, “Real Life.”

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/metta

Joél Leon is a storyteller, performer, poet, musician, and author who proudly hails from The Bronx. He is an alumnus of the famed Creative Collective NYC Creative Class and has gone on to win The BCA Bronx Recognizes Its Own Award in Poetry. In addition, he has authored the acclaimed books - “Book About Things I Will Tell My Daughter” and “God Wears Durags, too.” Joél is currently a Creative Director at the New York Times’s T Brand Studio.

To learn more about Joél’s work, visit him on Instagram and other socials: @iamjoelleon

This interview features a conversation between Sharon and Duncan Trussell, recorded for the Living An Authentic Life Summit.

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