Mindful U at Naropa University

In this episode, Peter Grossenbacher, PhD—Naropa faculty member and psychological researcher—explores the science of psychology through his research on perception, sensory experience, and psychedelic states, and how these insights bridge disciplines from counseling to biology.

Drawing on his work at the intersection of meditation, consciousness, and psychological science, he reflects on the transformative potential of contemplative practice—how shifts in perspective can reshape our experience of self and world. He also examines the limitations of frameworks like the DSM in capturing the fullness of human experience, and how Naropa’s emphasis on authenticity, presence, and relationship fosters academic freedom and spontaneous, teachable moments in the classroom.

Special Guest: Peter Grossenbacher, PhD.

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In this episode, Dr. Ji Hyang Padma—Associate Professor in Naropa University’s Master of Divinity program, Soto Zen teacher, and longtime interfaith chaplain—explores the art and profession of spiritual care .Drawing on more than twenty-five years of Zen training, including fourteen years in monastic practice, she shares what it means to serve as a “spiritual friend,” accompanying people through illness, grief, and life’s most vulnerable transitions—and how contemplative practice helps us meet suffering with spaciousness rather than trying to fix it.

She shares insights from her work across university chaplaincies and contemplative education, describing how spiritual care supports meaning-making across cultures and beliefs, why presence itself can be healing, and how grounding in one’s own practice enables compassionate connection with others. She illustrates how professional spiritual care can be a profound relational practice—one that helps us face impermanence, open the heart, and discover wholeness within the realities of being human.

Special Guest: Ji Hyang Padma.

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In this episode, Heather Sutton, MA, LPC—somatic counselor, Dance/Movement Therapist, and chair of Naropa’s Somatic Counseling program—explores the healing intelligence of the body through somatic therapy and dance/movement counseling.

Drawing on more than twenty years of clinical practice and her leadership in adaptive movement, Heather shares her journey from dancer to therapist and clarifies the distinctions between dance/movement therapy and body psychotherapy. She explains why not all experiences have words—and how movement helps us navigate difficult emotions, reclaim safety in the body, and stay with sensation long enough to learn from it.

Heather also explores real-world applications of somatic counseling, the nuances of Naropa’s two somatic concentrations in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, the central role of emotional attunement in therapeutic relationships, and how embodied practice fosters resilience, presence, and transformation.

Special Guest: Heather Sutton.

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In this episode, Michael Franklin, PhD—author, professor, and former chair of Naropa University's graduate Transpersonal Art Therapy program—joins us to explore art as a transformative path for healing the soul.

Franklin invites us into the contemplative language of art—through mediums like clay, paint, and film—and how these move us beyond just self-expression and into uncovering deeper layers of ourselves and our potential. Drawing from his journey into transpersonal art therapy, he explains why art may be the most precise language for emotion, and how fluency in creative practice helps us stay present with our own discomfort so we can more compassionately accompany others through theirs in the practice of Art Therapy. 

Special Guest: Michael Franklin.

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New MindfulU Podcast episode: The Journey of a Poet with poet, Naropa Summer Writing Program faculty, and Brown University professor Eleni Sikelianos.

In this episode, Eleni shares the unconventional path that led her to a life of poetry—from hitchhiking around the world to synchronistic events that brought her to Naropa for an MFA. She reflects on how her writing has transformed over the years, the beauty and importance of ecopoetics, the practice of deep listening, her thoughts on AI, and the many unexpected places she draws inspiration from.

Special Guest: Eleni Sikelianos.

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Laird is an alumnx of Naropa’s MFA Creative Writing program, former Naropa core faculty and Summer Writing Program faculty for 15 years, author of 9 novels, and current professor of writing at Brown University.

In this episode, he takes us on the journey of finding his writing voice, the experiences that allowed him to become a published author and teacher, and what he believes about what it takes to make it as a writer.

Special Guest: Laird Hunt.

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A new podcast episode is out: A Look at Career & Life.

Curious what Career & Life Services at Naropa has to offer you as a student or alumnx?

Jessica DelCastillo, Senior Director of Academic Advising and Career & Life Development, and Danielle Swaser, Associate Director of Career & Life Development, sat down with MindfulU podcast host, David Devine, to share what career & life support looks like and what they offer—from interviewing and negotiations skills to strengths assessments, career workshops, and career change exploration.

This episode helps you understand what’s available to you as student, future student, or alumnx looking for support in developing an aligned career.

Special Guests: Danielle Swaser and Jessica DelCastillo.

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Did you know that translating poetry from one language to another is an art unto itself?

In our latest episode of Mindful U podcast author, translator, and veteran, Bill Porter, who goes by the pen name Red Pine, takes us through the process of finding the true heart of poem that’s hidden beneath words.

Hear his journey of how he began translating thousand-year old Chinese poetry and Buddhist and Taoist texts, and how that has shone a light on the nature of language itself. As a translator, he sees language as an experience that cannot be replicated and perfectly transformed from one into another, but when we dance with the rhythm that’s behind words themselves, and immerse ourselves in the world view of another we can find the true heart and meaning of an author.

Special Guest: Bill Porter.

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Mitchie Takeuchi is the writer and producer of the "The Vow From Hiroshima" a film about an atomic bomb survivor in Hiroshima who has dedicated her life to nuclear disarmament and activism. Mitchie is also a descendant of survivors of the atomic bomb and the film follows their friendship and mission to abolish nuclear weapons worldwide.

On this episode, Mitchie shares about her life and work, how this film came together, and the impact she hopes it will have on nuclear guardianship and more.

“Nuclear weapons and humanity can’t coexist”

Special Guest: Mitchie Takeuchi .

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Reggie Hubbard is a yogi, political campaigner and activist, speaker, and meditation instructor.

On this episode he speaks to working with grief and how to heal, he tells his story of how he aligned his professional and spiritual life into an integrated path of purpose, and he explains why he believes mindfulness is essential to political activism.

Special Guest: Reggie Hubbard.

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