Pulling The Thread with Elise Loehnen

Guest Sarah Bessey, an author, shares her journey of evolving faith practices and deconstructing religious beliefs. The podcast discusses transitioning from peacekeeping to peacemaking, the importance of community in spirituality, embracing growth, and exploring the interpretation of scripture.

Dr. Niobe Way discusses the crucial need for deep connections in childhood development, challenging traditional gender roles and emphasizing the impact of nurturing relationships. The podcast explores boy culture, gender stereotypes, the importance of good sleep, and conversations on class identity and societal biases. It also touches on the complexities of urban views transplanted onto rural cultures, men's relationship with vulnerable emotions, and the significance of balance and equity in relationships.

Relationship expert Stan Tatkin discusses the bond between hate and love in relationships, exploring childhood injustices and attachment theory. He emphasizes the importance of balance and cooperation in maintaining healthy partnerships, while also delving into topics like prenuptial agreements, hiring challenges, and the significance of shared principles in relationships.

Carol Gilligan, a pioneer in gender development, joins host Elise for a special series on growing up. They discuss childhood, social programming, and personal development, focusing on re-parenting and understanding influences from different perspectives.

Prune Harris delves into the intricacies of energy fields, auras, and the impact of lifestyle choices on vitality. She discusses healing patterns, exploring femininity and masculinity in self-expression, and understanding energy systems within the human body. The conversation also touches on the selection of health products, experiences with ritual supplements, and the effects of repeated psychedelic experiences on the energy system.

Neuroscientist Karl Deisseroth discusses how optogenetics helps understand brain functions and develop targeted treatments. He explores various mental disorders, genetics, and challenges in medication-based treatments. The podcast also delves into the ethical implications of brain manipulation through optogenetics for behavior control.

Philosopher Ken Wilber discusses human development stages, religious beliefs, cultural evolution, and equality values. The conversation explores the integration of different perspectives, pay gaps based on gender and race, levels of consciousness, psychedelic experiences, trauma healing, and multiple intelligences.

Nicole Avant is a philanthropist, filmmaker, and former diplomat. In her recent memoir, Think You’ll Be Happy, Nicole describes attending to the grief and shock of her mother’s unthinkable murder—she was shot in the back by a home intruder in 2021—by creating a living legacy in her honor. Her mom, Jacqueline Avant, had turned her Los Angeles home into a refuge for artists, politicians, and world-changers as the partner to Nicole’s father, entertainment mogul Clarence Avant, who is the subject of Nicole’s beautiful documentary,The Black Godfather. Nicole grew up sitting at the feet of extraordinary artists like Bill Withers, Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones, Sidney Poitier watching as her parents navigated the world to make it better for future generations. In today’s conversation, we talk about that legacy—as well as Nicole’s relationship to the divine. Like her parents, she is a master connector—putting people together to see what unfolds.MORE FROM NICOLE AVANT:Think You’ll Be Happy: Moving Through Grief with Grit, Grace, and GratitudeThe Black Godfather, on NetflixFollow Nicole on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“I think we need each other. I say this all the time, there are some things that are too big to feel in one body. You need a collective body to move them through. And I think that's what we need. We need to come together in spaces to heal, not just to consume together or to watch a movie together, but to feel together and to have human emotion in real life, in public and act from the place of a feeling body, to choose action from a feeling body and not just a reactive or a numb body, but a body that feels, a body that can connect. What kind of actions do you take in the world from that kind of body? I think it's different.”So says Prentis Hemphill, therapist, embodiment facilitator, and author of the just-released, What it Takes to Heal: How Transforming Ourselves Can Change the World. In today’s conversation—the final in a four-part series—we explore a path to putting ourselves, and the collective, back together, and how this begins with a visioning…but a visioning born from getting back in touch with how we actually feel. I loved their book—just by reading along with Prentis’s own path to re-embodiment, I found myself finding similar sensations in my chest, back and heart. In today’s conversation, we talk about somatics, yes, but also about conflict—and what it looks like to become more adept with our emotions in hard times. This is one of my favorite conversations I’ve had to date on Pulling the Thread—I hope you enjoy it too.MORE FROM PRENTIS HEMPHILL:What it Takes to Heal: How Transforming Ourselves Can Change the WorldPrentis’s WebsiteThe Embodiment InstituteFollow Prentis on InstagramRELATED EPISODES:PART 1: James Gordon, M.D., “A Toolkit for Working with Trauma”PART 2: Peter Levine, Ph.D, “Where Trauma Lives in the Body”PART 3: Resmaa Menakem, “Finding Fear in the Body (TRAUMA)”Thomas Hubl: “Feeling into the Collective Presence”Gabor Maté, M.D.: “When Stress Becomes Illness”Galit Atlas, PhD: “Understanding Emotional Inheritance”Thomas Hubl: “Processing Our Collective Past”Richard Schwartz, PhD: “Recovering Every Part of Ourselves” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Soraya Chemaly challenges the notion of resilience, advocating for collective care over individual triumph. The discussion explores gender dynamics, trauma, societal expectations, and redefining strength and resilience. Embracing body changes, challenging stereotypes, and engaging men in conversations about women's experiences are also highlighted.