Grace, spirit and timing: the mysterious nature of making big changes - David Richo

This week's show is with David Richo, Ph.D. David Richo, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist, a writer, and a popular workshop leader on personal and spiritual growth.

He shares his time between Santa Barbara and San Francisco, California. He combines psychological and spiritual perspectives in his work. His recent books are “Ready: How to Know when to Go and when to Stay” (Shambhala, 2022) and “To Thine Own Self Be True: Shakespeare as Therapist and Spiritual Guide” (Paulist Press, 2023).

He received his BA in psychology from Saint John's Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts in 1962, his MA in counseling psychology from Fairfield University in 1969, and his PhD in clinical psychology from Sierra University in 1984. Since 1976, Richo has been a licensed marriage, family, and child counselor in California. He teaches courses at Santa Barbara City College and the University of California Berkeley at Berkeley and has taught at the Esalen Institute, Pacifica Graduate Institute, and Santa Barbara Graduate Institute. He is a clinical supervisor for the Community Counseling Center in Santa Barbara, California.

Richo is known for incorporating Buddhism, poetry, and Jungian perspectives in his work. He authored the books "How to Be an Adult in Relationships: The Five Keys to Mindful Loving," "The Five Things We Cannot Change: And the Happiness We Find in Embracing Them," "When the Past Is Present: Healing the Emotional Wounds that Sabotage our Relationships," "Shadow Dance: Liberating the Power and Creativity of Your Dark Side," "The Power of Coincidence: How Life Shows Us What We Need to Know," and "Being True to Life: Poetic Paths to Personal Growth."

In this conversation, David and I explored knowing when we or our clients are ready to choose to make big changes, the mysterious nature of the right timing, and the role of grace.

We’d love to know what YOU think about this week's show. Let’s carry on the conversation… please leave a comment below or share in our fb group.

• There’s a point at which we know when we’re ready to make a change, this isn’t something that is logical or external - learning to honour that as both individuals and change workers is vital

• When we attempt to apply broad brush strokes, cultural norms or formulas to ourselves or our clients, we miss the unique nature of each person and the timing that is right

• I love how David spoke about the role of grace providing synchronicities and insights… there’s something greater at play than our ego when it comes to change, and actually life as a whole - we are not in control

• The presence of Grace

David Richo and Lian with their respective statues of Our Lady of Guadlupe, mentioned in the show

• For David’s books, talks, and events visit his website: https://davericho.com/

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Thank you! Lian and Jonathan