Wisdom and Practice

What if unity isn’t a lofty ideal, but a daily practice rooted in how we speak, act and build together?

This week, Simran is joined by writer, podcaster, and spiritual thinker, Nava Kavelin, for a conversation that grounds the Baha’i teachings of oneness and justice in real, everyday action.

Together, they reflect on the collective exhaustion so many are feeling and how spiritual frameworks can help us move from fragmentation to belonging. Nava invites us to imagine a world shaped by human education, universal language, and shared values.

Through stories, questions, and personal reflections, Simran and Nava explore how consultation, community-building, and consistent alignment between values and actions can transform all of us

This conversation reminds us that small, sincere acts of connection matter. That unity isn’t something we wait for - it’s something that we practice together.

Resources:

• Check out Simran’s work on his website at simranjeetsingh.org.

Wisdom & Practice is produced in partnership with PRX and the Aspen Institute, with support from the John Templeton Foundation. 

Music by Raj Kanwal Singh.

This episode was produced by associate producer, Serena Chow, producer, Rithu Jagannath and senior producer, Morgan Flannery. Our project manager is Edwin Ochoa, our show is mixed by Tommy Bazarian and the executive producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales.

What happens when a poet, a rabbi and an imam walk into a room - not to debate, but to listen?

In this special live episode of Wisdom and Practice, Simran moderates an honest, soul-stretching panel at NYU’s Fritzi Weitzmann Owens Memorial Lecture with Kaitlyn B. Curtice, Dr. Shaykh Faiyaz Jaffer, and Rabbi Joshua Stanton.

Together, they wrestle with the tensions and truths of interfaith work - its’ beauty, its’ burdens and its’ urgent relevance today.

They dive into the power of empathy, the gift of doubt, and what it means to scale compassion in divided times.

With wisdom from diverse traditions and lived experience, this conversation reimagines faith not as a fixed doctrine, but as a living, evolving practice of showing up for ourselves and each other.

Special thanks to NYU, for the use of this audio. 

This panel was hosted by: Melissa Carter, EdD - Global Spiritual Life Senior Director and Head of Mindfulness Education and Programming at NYU 

Coordinated by: Chelsea Garbell - Associate Director, Global Spiritual Life, Robert Taylor, Jr Assistant Director Global Spiritual Life at NYU 

And it was recorded and edited by:

NYU-TV

Resources:

• Check out Simran’s work on his website at simranjeetsingh.org.

Wisdom & Practice is produced in partnership with PRX and the Aspen Institute, with support from the John Templeton Foundation. 

Music by Raj Kanwal Singh.

This episode was produced by associate producer, Serena Chow, producer, Rithu Jagannath and senior producer, Morgan Flannery. Our project manager is Edwin Ochoa, our show is mixed by Tommy Bazarian and the executive producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales.

What if family isn’t just who you’re born to, but who you choose to grow with?

This week on Wisdom and Practice, we’re joined by community organizer and thought leaderAnurima Bhargava. In this episode, we explore how presence, faith, and mutual care can reshape the way we build and belong. She invites us to see each other not as weeds to be managed, but as seeds to be nurtured - reminding us that healing communities start with how we show up for one another.

Together, Simran and Anurima unpack what it means to build intentional relationships rooted in dignity, agency, and shared values. Through story, food, and faith, this conversation offers a powerful reimagining of community, - not as something we inherit, but something we co-create.

In a world often marked by disconnection and division, they offer a grounded vision of belonging - one where everyone has a place, and every seed has room to grow.

Resources:

• Check out Simran’s work on his website at simranjeetsingh.org.

Wisdom & Practice is produced in partnership with PRX and the Aspen Institute, with support from the John Templeton Foundation. 

Music by Raj Kanwal Singh.

This episode was produced by associate producer, Serena Chow, producer, Rithu Jagannath and senior producer, Morgan Flannery. Our project manager is Edwin Ochoa, our show is mixed by Tommy Bazarian and the executive producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales.

What if good and evil aren’t as clear-cut as we think?

This week, Simran sits down with Laurie Santos, a Yale professor and the mind behind the Science of Wellbeing course, to unpack the messy, complicated nature of human behavior. 

Together, they talk about small but powerful tools like ritual objects and cognitive reappraisal that help us manage our emotions and reshape our habits, rooting us more firmly in what truly matters. They explore how these visible, everyday practices create space for our values to live and breathe, both individually and in community.

In a world that pushes us to constantly hustle, Simran and Laurie offer a refreshing invitation to slow down, rewire our habits, and choose connection and wellbeing over productivity. 

Resources:

Wisdom & Practice is produced in partnership with PRX and the Aspen Institute, with support from the John Templeton Foundation. 

Music by Raj Kanwal Singh.

This episode was produced by associate producer, Serena Chow, producer, Rithu Jagannath and senior producer, Morgan Flannery. Our project manager is Edwin Ochoa, our show is mixed by Tommy Bazarian and the executive producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales.

Where do we turn for hope when the world doesn’t make sense?

This week, Simran welcomes comedian, storyteller, and How to Be a Better Human host Chris Duffy for a conversation that begins with laughter but opens into something far more tender.

Simran and Chris explore how humor can be an offering, a bridge between pain and connection. They speak about the sacredness of listening, the beauty in imperfection, and the way small, everyday acts like making someone laugh or holding space in silence can become deeply spiritual practices.

With grace and honesty, they remind listeners that meaning often emerges in the simple moments and that choosing to show up with care, again and again, is its own kind of wisdom and practice.

Resources:

Wisdom & Practice is produced in partnership with PRX and the Aspen Institute, with support from the John Templeton Foundation. 

Music by Raj Kanwal Singh.

This episode was produced by associate producer, Serena Chow, producer, Rithu Jagannath and senior producer, Morgan Flannery. Our project manager is Edwin Ochoa, our show is mixed by Tommy Bazarian and the executive producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales.

How do we teach our children to be kind in a fractured world?

Simran sits down with author and workplace expert Amy Gallo to explore how spiritual and emotional intelligence can begin at home and ripple outward.

Reflecting on the lifelong impact of raising children with an inner compass rooted in faith, empathy, and self-awareness, Simran and Amy unpack how embracing imperfection can be a powerful gateway to conflict resolution and deeper connection.

They explore the art of humanizing difficult interactions, cultivating resilience through compassion, and practicing empathy not just as a feeling, but as a daily skill. With warmth and honesty, they invite us to consider how forgiveness, generosity, and emotional regulation can be woven into everyday moments especially in parenting and relationships.

Resources:

Wisdom & Practice is produced in partnership with PRX and the Aspen Institute, with support from the John Templeton Foundation. 

Music by Raj Kanwal Singh.

This episode was produced by associate producer, Serena Chow, producer, Rithu Jagannath and senior producer, Morgan Flannery. Our project manager is Edwin Ochoa, our show is mixed by Tommy Bazarian and the executive producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales.

What does it mean to experience the divine from within?

This week, Simran invites us into a rich conversation with Satpal Singh, founder of the nonprofit Nanak Naam, to explore a spirituality that focuses less on dogma and more on direct experience. Together, they reflect on a radical reimagining of God—not as an external figure, but as an inner current of oneness available to all.

Through stories of spiritual awakening and emotional resilience, they discuss the impact of Western paradigms like capitalism on the soul, the challenges of staying grounded amidst chaos, and the daily discipline of meditation as a path to compassion, justice, and gratitude. 

With grounded clarity, Satpal reminds us that true transformation begins within—and that peace, practiced daily, becomes a way of being.

Resources:

Wisdom & Practice is produced in partnership with PRX and the Aspen Institute, with support from the John Templeton Foundation. 

Music by Raj Kanwal Singh.

This episode was produced by associate producer, Serena Chow, producer, Rithu Jagannath and senior producer, Morgan Flannery. Our project manager is Edwin Ochoa, our show is mixed by Tommy Bazarian and the executive producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales.

How can radical welcoming transform the way we build spiritual community?

This week, Simran sits down with Rabbi Shira Statman for a moving conversation about belonging, identity, and the evolving face of faith. Raised in a predominantly Christian town, Rabbi Shira shares how her early experiences shaped her understanding of what it means to hold space for difference—and why radical hospitality is central to her Jewish practice.

Together, they explore the meaning behind prayers across spiritual traditions, the friction of political division within congregations, and the sacred responsibility of making room for those on the margins. Rabbi Shira speaks candidly about the challenges and beauty of integrating people from all walks of life into Jewish community life, without compromising core values.

In a time when many spiritual spaces are grappling with inclusivity, this conversation calls us to reimagine what true welcome looks like: not just opening the door, but creating a home.

With gentle wisdom, Rabbi Shira reminds us that happiness in Judaism isn’t about fleeting joy—it’s rooted in meaningful action, collective care, and the deep fulfillment that arises when we show up fully for ourselves and each other.

Resources:

Wisdom & Practice is produced in partnership with PRX and the Aspen Institute, with support from the John Templeton Foundation. 

Music by Raj Kanwal Singh.

This episode was produced by associate producer, Serena Chow, producer, Rithu Jagannath and senior producer, Morgan Flannery. Our project manager is Edwin Ochoa, our show is mixed by Tommy Bazarian and the executive producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales.

How might facing our mortality help us cherish the beauty in each moment?

This week, Simran sits down with death doula Adrianna Prosser for a heartfelt exploration of life’s most universal—and often avoided—truth: death. Adrianna opens up about her deeply personal journey into death care, shaped by the trauma of her brother’s suicide. These moments became the catalyst for her calling: to hold space for others at the end of life, and for those left behind in mourning.

Now working as a death doula, Adrianna offers emotional and spiritual support to individuals and families moving through the dying process. She shares how grief shows up in many forms—and why acknowledging it is an essential part of healing.

In a culture that often turns away from death, we’re invited to lean in: to honor the messiness of grief, to accept death’s inevitability, and to meet each other with compassion in life’s most vulnerable moments.

This conversation is a gentle reminder that death, far from being the opposite of life, can be a powerful teacher—one that calls us to presence, to love, and to truly live.

Resources:

Wisdom & Practice is produced in partnership with PRX and the Aspen Institute, with support from the John Templeton Foundation. 

Music by Raj Kanwal Singh.

This episode was produced by associate producer, Serena Chow, producer, Rithu Jagannath and senior producer, Morgan Flannery. Our project manager is Edwin Ochoa, our show is mixed by Tommy Bazarian and the executive producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales.

What can silence teach us about presence, purpose, and connection? How might traveling inward be as transformative as journeying across the globe?

This week, Simran journeys into stillness and simplicity with celebrated writer Pico Iyer. Together, they explore the quiet truths discovered through travel, solitude, and spiritual seeking.

Pico reflects on his life between worlds—from the stillness of a Japanese suburb to the vibrant chaos of New York, and the contemplative silence of monasteries. He shares how his multicultural upbringing and diverse spiritual influences have shaped his understanding of identity, belonging, and meaning.

In a world brimming with noise and distraction, Pico advocates for a return to presence: putting down the phone, embracing minimalist living, and listening deeply—to ourselves, to others, and to the moment.

This conversation is an invitation to slow down, to cultivate gratitude, and to rediscover the richness of a life not measured by possessions, but by presence.

Resources:

Wisdom & Practice is produced in partnership with PRX and the Aspen Institute, with support from the John Templeton Foundation. 

Music by Raj Kanwal Singh.

This episode was produced by associate producer, Serena Chow, producer, Rithu Jagannath and senior producer, Morgan Flannery. Our project manager is Edwin Ochoa, our show is mixed by Tommy Bazarian and the executive producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales.