Orsborn shares the concept of embracing old age as a transformative process. She emphasizes the importance of accepting reality, embracing mortality, and recognizing one's belovedness. She also touches on the evolutionary purpose of old age and the role of spiritual practices in navigating life's challenges, including illness and loss. Carol Orsborn, Ph.D. received her Masters of Theological Studies and Doctorate in History and Critical Theory of Religion from Vanderbilt University, with post-graduate work in Spiritual Counseling at the New Seminary in Manhattan. She specialized in adult development and ritual studies. She has served on the faculties of Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, and Georgetown Universities. She is the author of Older, Wiser, Fiercer: The Wisdom Collection (self-published 2019), The Making of an Old Soul: Aging as the Fulfillment of Life's Promise (White River Press 2021)and Spiritual Aging: Weekly Reflections for Embracing Life (Park Street Press 2024).

Interview Date: 1/10/2025    Tags: Carol Orsborn, Joan Chittister, fear, denial, God, grace, Tolstoy, Death of Ivan Illich, Ram Dass, hope, expectation, curiosity, Personal Transformation, Spirituality, Aging

It’s possible to rewire our neural networks and build resilience so that positive emotions become a default reaction. Graham explains how habits such as mindfulness, self-compassion, and body awareness can help us learn to naturally respond with grace and skill when we are under pressure. She offers practicable suggestions to consciously develop our natural resilience. Linda Graham, MFT is a licensed psychotherapist and meditation teacher in full-time practice in the San Francisco Bay area. She integrates her passion for neuroscience, mindfulness, and relational psychology through trainings, workshops, and conferences. She publishes a monthly e-newsletter entitled Healing and Awakening Into Aliveness and Wholeness, and weekly e-quotes on resources for recovering resilience, archived on her website. She’s the author of Bouncing Back: Rewiring Your Brain For Maximum Resilience And Well-Being (New World Library 2013)

Interview Date: 3/20/2015    Tags: Linda Graham, resilience, prefrontal cortex, positive emotions, mindfulness, self-compassion, negativity bias, body memory, implicit memory, posturing, default network, equilibrium, left brain, right brain, neuroscience, brain science, Personal Transformation, Science, Health & Healing, Self Help

If we are to grasp Willis Barnstone’s greatest contribution to culture over the course of his 87 years, we can focus on his role first and foremost as a poet – a lover of words, both his own and those of others, and on what he believes are sacred words from our earliest written records down to present day mystics and poets. Willis Barnstone is a poet, translator, biblical scholar, memoirist, anthologist, teacher, and painter. He is a former O’Connor Professor of Greek at Colgate University, Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature at Indiana University, a Guggenheim Fellow, and winner of numerous literary awards, including the Emily Dickinson, Lannon, and W. H. Auden awards. In 2015 he was recipient of the Fred Cody Lifetime Achievement Award. He is translator of the Greek Lyric Poets, a literary historical version of the New Testament, and poets as diverse as Sappho, Rainer Maria Rilke, Jorge Luis Borges, Antonio Machado, Wang Wei, and St. John of the Cross.

Barnstone’s life’s work includes over 75 books including With Borges on an Ordinary Evening in Buenos Aires (University of Illinois Press 1999), The Poems of Jesus Christ (W.W. Norton & Company 2012), The Poetics of Ecstasy: Varieties of Ekstasis from Sappho to Borges (Holmes & Meier Pub 1983), The Poetics of Translation: History, Theory, Practice (Yale University Press 1995), Sappho and the Greek Lyric Poets (Pantheon 1988), The Other Bible (HarperOne 2005), The Apocalypse (editor, translator) (New Directions 2000), The Gnostic Bible (Shambhala 2009), The Restored New Testament: A New Translation with Commentary, Including the Gnostic Gospels Thomas, Mary, and Judas (W.W. Norton and Company 2009) and A Book of Women Poets from Antiquity to Now (editor with Aiki Barnstone) (Schocken1992)

Interview Date: 3/9/2015   Tags: Willis Barnstone, poetry, prose, metaphor, literature, Antonio Machado, Robert Fitzgerald, Jack Kerouac, Eve of the Bible, Jack Kerouac, St. John of the Cross, Jesus, translation, art of conversation, Jorge Luis Borges, Arts & Creativity

As a creativity coach, Dr. Maisel helps us to avoid getting stuck. He has learned to distinguish between every day creativity and the creative identity. When one self-identifies with an art form, it involves a new level of responsibility and commitment. He reminds us that great work takes more than mere interest, it takes love. Eric Maisel, Ph.D. is a licensed family therapist, a creativity coach, and author of more than 40 books. He also conducts writing workshops and trains creativity coaches. His books include: Life Purpose Boot Camp: The 8 Week Breakthrough Plan for Creating a Meaningful Life (New World Library 2014), Secrets of a Creativity Coach (Motivational Press 2014), Why Smart People Hurt (Conari Press 2013), Fearless Creating (Tarcher 1995), Van Gogh's Blues: The Creative Person's Path Through Depression (New World Library 2007), Mastering Creative Anxiety (New World Library 2011), Making Your Creative Mark (New World Library 2013), Natural Psychology: The New Psychology of Meaning (Natural Psychology Press 2012), Rethinking Depression (New World Library 2012), Brainstorm: Harnessing The Power of Productive Obsessions (New World Library 2010), Creativity For Life (New World Library 2007) and Coaching the Artist Within (New World Library 2005)

Interview Date: 1/15/2015  Tags: Eric Maisel, creativity, stuck, creative process, creative identity, creativity coach, creativity consulting, manifest potential, healthy narcissism, healthy ego structure, quietness, permission, self-expression, fragmentation, creativity practice, routine, finishing, identity, detachment, creative process, lineage, messes and mistakes, innovation, problem solving, divergent thinking, creative enterprise, original work, showing up, morning practice, creative flow, ceremony, great work, Spirituality, Philosophy, Personal Transformation

What drags us under when we experience setbacks, failures, criticism while working for a cause, person, or place? Wheatley advises us to work with as much diligence as we can. She says that in the end it is about feeling that it is our work to do and doing it with vigor and enjoyment even though we don’t know what the outcome will be. Margaret Wheatley is an internationally acclaimed writer, speaker, and teacher. She is co-founder and President Emerita of The Berkana Institute, a charitable foundation that works with people around the world who strengthen their communities using the wisdom and wealth already present in their people, traditions, and environment. Her books include Leadership and the New Science (Berrett-Kohler 1998), Perseverance (Berrett-Koehler 2010), Turning To One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope in the Future (Berrett-Koehler 2009), So Far from Home: Lost and Found In Our Brave New World (Berrett-Koehler 2012) and Who Do We Choose To Be: Facing Reality, Claiming Leadership, Restoring Sanity (Berrett-Koehler 2017).

Interview Date: 8/19/2010     Tags: T. S. Eliot, "only don't know”, bravery, Carlos Castaneda, Chogyam Trungpa, creativity, curiosity, Don Juan, Hopi Nation, mp3, personal transformation, righteous anger, steadfastness, vision, Margaret Wheatley, Personal Transformation

Grunther states that we’re in the midst of a New Renaissance when the greatest knowledge and wisdom, both ancient and contemporary, is just a few keystrokes away through digital screens that billions around the planet can access. He shares the three key shifts in human consciousness taking place today, ranging from quantum physics to AI and left/right-brain thinking. Douglas Grunther is the creator and host of the Woodstock Roundtable an award winning radio talk show covering philosophy, depth psychology, and spiritual insight. He is also a dream work facilitator. He is the author of The Quantum & The Dream: Visionary Consciousness, AI, and The New Renaissance (Epigraph Books 2024)

Interview Date: 11/15/2024     Tags: Douglas Grunther, AI, Right hemisphere of the brain, left hemisphere of the brain, Lynn Margulis, Elisabet Sahtouris, Albert Einstein, Iain McGilchrist, Wolfgang Pauli, Carl Jung, Sigmond Freud, Max Planck, Wermer Heinsenberg, Niels Bohr, Yin-Yang, Gaia theory, Plato, Marshall McLuhan, Science, Personal Transformation, History, Social Change/Politics

Writing your memoir is a powerful process for discovering elusive elements in your psyche. It forces you to see your life from an entirely different perspective. Peterson encourages us to explore the untold story of you — and the inner hero, heroine, angel, or villain you have yet to meet. She gives a simple writing exercise to help you get started. Brenda Peterson is a novelist, nature writer, and writing teacher. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Orion Magazine, and O: The Oprah Magazine. She’s a regular commentator for Seattle NPR and the Huffington Post. Her books include Build Me an Ark: A Life with Animals (W. W. Norton 2001), Duck and Cover (Backinprint.com 2004), I Want to Be Left Behind: Finding Rapture Here on Earth (Da Capo Press 2010) and Your Life is a Book: How to Craft & Publish Your Memoir (co-author Sarah Jane Freymann) (Sasquatch Books 2014), Wolf Haven: Sanctuary and the Future of Wolves in North America (coauthor Annie Marie Musselman) (Sasquatch Books 2016) and Wolf Nation: The Life, Death, and Return of Wild American Wolves (De Capo 2017)

Interview Date: 2/10/2010     Tags: Brenda Peterson, family, memoir, inner critic, fundamentalists, the Rapture, humor, Writing, Religion, Family/Community, Ecology/Nature/Environment, Spirituality, Philosophy

Magsamen and Ross emphasize the transformative power of art, in all its forms. It impacts neural circuitry, physiology, and behavior, enhancing physical and mental well-being, reducing stress, improving cognitive function, and fostering social connections. They highlight the importance of integrating the arts in healthcare, education, and community building. Susan Magsamen is the founder and executive director of the International Arts + Mind Lab, Center for Applied Neuroaesthethics (known as the IAM Lab) at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she’s a faculty member in the Department of Neurology. Ivy Ross is Chief Design Officer of Consumer Devices at Google and has led teams that have won hundreds of design awards. She’s a National Endowment for the Arts grant recipient and was ninth on Fast Company’s list of the 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2019. Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross are Co-authors of Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us. (Random House 2023)

Interview Date: 10/14/2024   Tags: Susan Magsamen, Ivy Ross, doodling, E.O. Wilson, salience, neuro arts, neuroaesthetics, improv, endocrine system, James Pennebaker, Stuart Brown, play, neurosynapses, John Krakauer, Art & Creativity, Health & Healing, Personal Transformation

Johnson shares her personal journey of engaging with A Course in Miracles, and speaks of its value in transforming our perception of the world and activating our innate intelligence, thus launching us into living a life of joy and fulfillment. According to ACIM, true miracles occur when our perception shifts from fear to love. Hope Johnson is a teacher of mysticism who draws on the teachings of Jesus from A Course in Miracles, as well as the Buddha, the Bhagavad Gita, yogic philosophy, quantum physics and other traditions. She leads free weekly online wisdom dialogues and free daily lessons on A Course in Miracles that involve reading a lesson with insightful commentary for practical applications in daily life. She also offers one-to-one guidance towards recognizing and embracing the ever-present reality of love. She is the founder and creator of Miracle Botanicals Essential Oils. She is the author of Unschooling For Parents: Protecting Innocence, A Mystics Guide To Awakening With Children (Hope Johnson 2019)

Interview Date: 11/1/2024     Tags: Hope Johnson, A Course in Miracles, miracle, perception beliefs, dream, fear, love, negative thoughts, ego, suffering, Meditation, Personal Transformation, Psychology, Religion, Spirituality, parenting

Here Gober talks about how materialism is giving way to a new scientific paradigm where matter is derived from consciousness. He has compiled extensive research and gives numerous examples from many reputable physicists that turn the reigning scientific paradigm upside down and he indicates what this implies for our everyday lives. Mark Gober is a senior member of the Sherpa Technology Group in Silicon Valley, California, a firm that advises technology companies on mergers and acquisitions and business strategy. He previously worked as an investment banker analyst in New York. Mark graduated Magna Cum Laude from Princeton University and has collected and surveyed a large body of research of various scientific papers and books about consciousness, biological processes, psychic phenomena, near-death experiences, and quantum physics. He is the author of: An End to Upside Down Thinking: Dispelling the Myth That the Brain Produces Consciousness, and the Implications for Everyday Life (Waterside Press 2018)

Tags: Mark Gober, scientific materialism, scientific anomalies, Galileo, Carl Sagan, Copernicus shift, telepathy, Kenneth Pelletier, Uri Geller, Faraday Cage, remote viewing, ESP, consciousness, brain, Dr. Pim van Lommel, NDEs, Near Death Experiences, Dr. Bernardo Kastrup, Rupert Spira, Bruce Lipton, epigenetics, DNA, Dean Radin, quantum entanglement, Albert Einstein, double slit experiment, movie Defending Your Life, psychic mediums, Mind Dynamics, healing at a distance, Science, Death & Dying, Parapsychology/Paranormal, Personal Transformation, Philosophy, Intuition/Psychic,