The New Dimensions Café

Philip Goldberg has been studying the world's spiritual traditions for more than 50 years. He's a workshop leader, spiritual counselor and meditation teacher, and an ordained interfaith minister. He also co-hosts the Spirit Matters Podcasts. He leads American Veda tours and blogs regularly on Elephant Journal and Spirituality & Health. He is the author of many books, including: American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation How Indian Spirituality Changed the West. (Harmony 2013), The Life of Yogananda: The Story of the Yogi Who Became the First Modern Guru (Hay House, 2nd Edition 2020) and Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times: Powerful Tools to Cultivate Calm, Clarity, and Courage (Hay House 2020) 

Interview Date: 8/10/2020    Tags: Philip Goldberg, pragmatic mysticism, inner peace, Bhagavad Gita, flexibility in spiritual practice, spiritual pantry, smiling, Thich Nhat Hanh, Meditation, Personal Transformation, spirituality

The Mindful Practice of Noticing with Willow Older and Deborah Huber

Willow Older is an award-winning writer who runs her own editorial services business. Raised in the South Island on New Zealand, Willow is a self-taught artist and determined knitter.

Deborah Huber has spent most of her career in the high-tech industry in a variety of creative and management roles. She writes children’s books and dreams of taking a daily swim in the chilly San Francisco Bay.

They are the cofounders of Today I Noticed, a creative mindfulness practice based on the power of paying attention. They lead Today I Noticed workshops for organizations of all sizes and share their observations about everyday life on Instagram @today.I.noticed 

They are co-authors of Today I Noticed: The Little Book of Mindfulness That Will Change the Way You See the World. (Blue Star Press 2023)

Interview Date: 8/12/2026.     Tags: Willow Older, Deborah Huber, noticing, presence, mindfulness, paying attention, intentional noticing, curiosity, gratitude, bite-sized creativity, stress relief, Art & Creativity, Personal Transformation

The Gratitude Habit with Becca Anderson

Becca Anderson is an American writer, teacher, and gardener based in the San Francisco Bay Area, best known for inspirational books celebrating gratitude, women’s lives, and spiritual wisdom. She comes from a long line of preachers and teachers from Ohio and Kentucky. The teacher side of her family led her to become a women’s studies scholar. She credits her spiritual practice with helping her recover from cancer and wants to share this with anyone who is facing difficulty in their life. Her books include:

• The Book of Awesome Women: Boundary Breakers, Freedom Fighters, Sheroes and Female First (Mango Publishing Group 2017)
• Every Day Thankful: 365 Blessings, Graces and Gratitudes (TMA Press 2017)
• Badass Affirmations: The Wit and Wisdom of Wild Women (Mango Publishing Group 2018)
• I Can Do Anything: Positive Affirmations, Inspirational Thoughts and Motivational Words Card Deck (Mango Publishing Group 2021)
• Badass Gratitude: Affirmations for Slaying Your Way to Contentment (Andrew McMeel Publishing 2025)

Interview Date: 7/10/2026      Tags: Becca Anderson, Brenda Knight, Gratitude, affirmations, badass gratitude, healing, breast cancer recovery, intention setting, affirmation jars, gardening, gratitude habits, affirmation prompts, affirmation napkins, affirmation cards, gratitude journal, affirmation practice, gratitude rituals, affirmation writing, gratitude exercises, saying grace ritual, Death & Dying, Ecology/Nature/Environment, Health & Healing, Personal Transformation, Spirituality, Women's Studies

Unity Consciousness and the Healing Soul with Helen Lavretsky, MD, MS

Helen Lavretsky, MD, MS is a medically trained integrative and geriatric psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and professor of psychiatry at UCLA. She directs clinical and research programs in integrative mental health and serves as a director of research for the UCLA Integrative Medicine Collaborative. She is the author of Living From the Soul: The Neuroscience of Spiritual Awakening (Park Street Press 2026)

Interview Date: 7/17/2026      Tags:  Helen Lavretsky, Kundalini Yoga, unity consciousness, spiritual awakening, Tai Chi, soul listening, caregiver burnout, self-regulation, brain health, integrative psychiatry, mental health, resilience, community support, climate change, Kirtan Kriya, chair yoga, aquatic yoga, breathwork, ancient practices Health & Healing, Meditation, Personal Transformation, Community

Elson Haas, M.D. is an integrative medicine practitioner with more than four decades of experience. He’s the Founder and Director of Haas Health Online and the Preventative Medical Center of Marin (PMCM). He is the author of Staying Healthy with the Seasons (Celestial Arts 2003), Staying Healthy Shopper’s Guide (Celestial Arts, 1999), The False Fat Diet: The Revolutionary 21-Day Program for Losing the Weight You Think Is Fat (Ballantine, 2000), The Detox Diet, Third Edition: The Definitive Guide for Lifelong Vitality with Recipes, Menus and Detox Plans (Ten Speed Press 2012), Staying Healthy with Nutrition: The Complete Guide to Diet and Nutritional Medicine (revised) (Celestial Arts 2006) and Staying Healthy with NEW Medicine: Integrating Natural, Eastern and Western Approaches for Optimal Health (Elson Haas 2016).

Tags: Elson Haas, natural medicine, Eastern Medicine, Western Medicine, integrated medicine, energy flow, Chinese, Chi, blood pressure medicine, holistic health, juice cleanse, strengths of Western medicine, insomniac, insomnica, c-pap machine, 5 keys to good health, nutrition, exercise, sleep, managing stress, attitude, positive self-talk, medical insurance and althernative medicine, natural energy, Health & Healing, Self Help

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 is the author of Bouncing Back: Rewiring Your Brain for Maximum Resilience and Well-Being (New World Library 2013) and Resilience: Powerful Practices for Bouncing Back from Disappointment, Difficulty, and Even Disaster (New World Library 2018)

Tags: Linda Graham, resilience, resilient, rewiring our brains, imagination, visualization, guided meditation, negative spiral, AFGOS, Another frickin growth opportunity, curiosity, optimism, awe, gratitude, self compassion, Science, Personal Transformation, Self Help, relationship

Catherine Meeks, Ph.D. is a theologian, educator, and activist whose work weaves together racial healing, spirituality, and socio-cultural analysis. She is the founding Executive Director of the Absalom Jones Episcopal Center for Racial Healing in Atlanta, where she helped create “brave space” for honest conversations, formation, and training around racism, reconciliation, and healing across the Episcopal Church and beyond. She is the founder of Turquoise and Lavender, an institute for transformation and healing and was awarded the President Joseph R. Biden Lifetime Achievement Award for her decades of work for racial justice. Her many books include:

• Living Into God’s Dream: Dismantling Racism in America (Morehouse Publishing 2016)
• Passionate for Justice: Ida B. Wells as Prophet for Our Times, (Nibs Stroupe) (Church Publishing 2019)
• A Quilted Life: Reflections of a Sharecropper’s Daughter (Eerdmans 2024)
• The Night Is Long But Light Comes in the Morning: Meditations for Racial Healing (Morehouse Publishing 2025)
• Bridging the Rivers of Difference: A Proclamation of Unity in Resistance (Morehouse Publishing 2026)

Interview Date: 7/3/2026   Tags: Catherine Meeks, Racial healing; systemic racism; social justice, spiritual activism, community building, storytelling, collective healing, White supremacy, indigenous wisdom seven generation, community organizing, Social Change/Politics, Racism, Spirituality

Shannon Algeo is an American and Irish writer, psychotherapist, researcher, poet, and Yoga Nidra teacher based in California. Shannon is on the faculty of the Esalen Institute and the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, where he leads digital liberation workshops and offline retreats that help participants reclaim their attention, creativity, and relationships in an increasingly digitized world. Named one of Wanderlust's "35 Under 35 in Wellness to Watch," Shannon has spoken at the United Nations and the Museum of Contemporary Art. His work integrates attachment theory, neuroscience, mindfulness, poetry, and depth psychology to help people cultivate greater presence, resilience, and authentic human connection in the digital age. He is the author of:

• Trust Your Truth: Heal Self-Doubt, Awaken to Your Soul’s Purpose, and Live Your Badass Life (New Harbinger Publications 2021)
• The Power in Your Hands: Liberate Yourself from Attachment to Technology (Broadleaf Books, 2026)

Interview Date: 6/5/26   Tags: Shannon Algeo, attachment theory, technology addiction, smartphone use, digital age, AI, artificial intelligence, human connection, secure attachment, insecure attachment, co-regulation, relational field, therapy relationship, digital detox, attention economy, attachment economy, social media, intermittent rewards, human intelligence, rehumanization, presence, transformational change, Mary Main, Dr. Daniel Siegel, Anne Lamott, Mark Coleman, David J. Wallin, Paul Hewson, Mary Oliver, Nikki Myers, Marianne Williamson, Seane Corn, Victor Ochen, John Bowlby, Technology, Psychology, Relationships

Diana Beresford-Kroeger, Ph.D. is an Irish-born botanist, medical biochemist, and author who bridges cutting-edge science with ancient Celtic wisdom about trees and forests. Orphaned in Ireland and taught by her elders in the Brehon and Druidic traditions, she has become a globally recognized voice for the protection of the world’s forests and an early visionary on climate change. Through her scientific work and her “Bioplan” for replanting the global forest, Dr. Beresford-Kroeger invites ordinary people to enter into a renewed, reciprocal relationship with trees as vital allies in healing the planet. Her books and films include:

Our Green Heart: The Soul and Science of Forests (Random House Canada 2024)

Arboretum America (University of Michigan 2003)   and

To Speak for the Trees (Random House Canada 2019)

Her documentary film Call of the Forest: The Forgotten Wisdom of Trees. 

Interview Date: 6/19/2026      Tags: Diana Beresford-Kroeger, Montenegro, E.O. Wilson, sapsucker, Bloodvein River, Pimachiowin Aki preserve, Apios Americana, potato, forest restoration, tree planting, climate change, Celtic wisdom, bioplan, oxygen production, fulvic acid, redwoods, sequoias, ancient knowledge, biodiversity, photosynthesis, cancer prevention, environmental sustainability, global forest, cedars, Hop tree, Hairy hickory, Ecology/Environment/Nature, Indigenous Wisdom, Science

David Ulrich is a college level professor and co-director of the Pacific New Media Foundation in Honolulu, Hawaii. He teaches frequent classes and workshops and is an avid photographer and writer whose work has been published in numerous books and journals. His photographs have been exhibited internationally in more than 75 one-person and group exhibitions. He blogs about creativity and consciousness. He is the author of The Widening Stream: The Seven Stages of Creativity (Beyond Words 2001) and Zen Camera: Creative Awakening With a Daily Practice in Photography (Watson-Guptill 2018)

Tags: David Ulrich, silos of opinions, empathy, Kent State shooting, presence, Afghan woman’s photograph in National Geographic Magazine, Dorothea Lange, Migrant Mother, getting permission to take a photograph, Tiananmen Square photograph, Art & Creativity, spirituality