Sounds True: Insights at the Edge

Tami Simon speaks with Richard Rudd—mystic, poet, and founder of the Gene Keys—about his profound awakening at 29, the transformative system he developed, and the evolutionary shift humanity is experiencing. They explore shadow patterns, the art of contemplation, gentle transformation, and why the next few years may mark a critical turning point in human consciousness.

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One. 

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Tami Simon speaks with celebrated New York Times columnist David Brooks about his transformative journey from cerebral detachment to emotional awakening. They explore how a mystical subway experience forever altered his vision, the difference between diminishers and illuminators, and why perceiving souls—not just molecules—is essential to truly knowing another person.

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One. 

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

Two questions live in our hearts as we face death: Am I loved? And have I loved well? Frank Ostaseski—a pioneer in compassionate end-of-life care and author of The Five Invitations—shares his insights and experiences with Tami in this episode, informed by decades at the bedside of dying people, exploring emotional flexibility, the practice of allowing, and discovering indestructible love through vulnerability and presence.

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One. 

For more with Frank Ostaseski:

Year to Live Course (Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

Spirit of Service (Upaya Zen Center)

Awareness in Action: The Role of Love (Upaya Zen Center, Frank Ostaseski & Sharon Salzberg)

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In this special episode, Tami Simon brings together two visionary teachers for a rare conversation exploring awakening’s multiple dimensions. Join Tami and her guests A.H. Almaas—founder of the Diamond Approach—and Zen teacher Henry Shukman for an extraordinary exploration of awakening’s multiple dimensions. Discover why spiritual realization isn’t one destination but an ongoing revelation of reality’s many faces, from blazing emptiness to infinite love.

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One. 

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

Tami Simon speaks with life coach and author Andrea Owen about her audio immersion workshop with Sounds True, Live Like You Give a Damn. Together, they explore what it means to trust yourself deeply, rush the net even when you’re afraid, and show up with “big prize energy.” Andrea shares hard-won wisdom about self-abandonment, resilience, and learning to parent yourself when life hands you a “sh*t sandwich.”

Note: This interview originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at http://www.join.soundstrue.com

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How do you stay committed to staying sober when life brings its inevitable challenges? Tami Simon speaks with Steven Washington—a former professional Broadway dancer and author of Recovering You: Soul Care and Mindful Movement for Overcoming Addiction—about transforming addiction through embodied practice, moving through shame with self-compassion, and discovering that sensitivity can be a superpower rather than a burden.

Note: This interview originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at http://www.join.soundstrue.com

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Tami Simon speaks with Leah Lamb, founder of the School for Sacred Storytelling, about how storytelling serves as guidance through crisis and transformation. They explore the original role of storytellers as healers and guides, the power of language to shape reality, and how stories can help us navigate grief, heartbreak, and collective challenges with courage and hope.

Learn Sacred Storytelling with Leah Lamb. Step into this ancient art and learn how to share stories that open hearts, heal the world, and ignite change with master storyteller. In Leah’s 5+ hour audio course Sacred Storytelling, you’ll unlock your creativity, find your unique voice, and unearth the wisdom within your own life experiences. Learn more at https://www.soundstrue.com/products/sacred-storytelling

Note: This interview originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at http://www.join.soundstrue.com

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Aviv Shahar explores why we’re living through an Epochal Moment—a rare transition between ages where one epoch dies as another emerges. He maps the five-thousand-year journey that brought us here, reveals the “bugs” in our collective evolution that require remedying, and describes the emerging capacities of the universal human we’re becoming as we navigate this bewildering, transformative threshold.

Note: This interview originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at http://www.join.soundstrue.com

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**SPECIAL ENCORE PRESENTATION**

Richard “Dick” Schwartz earned his PhD in marriage and family therapy from Purdue University. He coauthored the most widely used family therapy text in the United States, Family Therapy: Concepts and Methods, and is the creator of the Internal Family Systems Model, which he developed in response to clients’ descriptions of various “parts” within themselves. With Sounds True, Dick has written a new book titled No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon talks to Dick about the transformation that occurs when we welcome every part of who we are. He explains that even our most destructive parts have protective intentions, put in place to shield us from unprocessed pain, and details his method for accessing and mending these inner wounds. They also discuss the myth of the “mono mind,” and why the mind is naturally multiple; how “exiled” trauma can manifest as bodily pain; connecting with our core Self and letting it lead us in our healing; and how the language of “parts” can be useful in our relationship dynamics.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Listeners of Insights At The Edge get 10% off their first month at www.betterhelp.com/soundstrue.

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Lorena Saavedra Smith shares how ancestral Pacha philosophy transforms the immigration experience into spiritual reclamation. Through the metaphor of the jaguar, she reveals a four-step method for calling back fragmented soul parts and reconnecting with nature’s wisdom. Discover how replanting yourself in new soil doesn’t require abandoning your roots—and why the matriarchs are calling us home.

Note: This interview originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

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