This episode features a conversation with Marieke Van Vugt, who discusses her interests in meditation, dance, and cognitive science. They explore topics such as computer modeling of mind and meditation, distraction and mind wandering, trauma through the lens of predictive models, collaborating with Tibetan monastics, the roots of thinking in the body, and advice for young scholars.

Gastroenterologist Emeran Mayer explores the mind-body connection, microbiome research, gut-brain interactions, and the concept of the 'second brain.' He discusses the impact of stress and diet on gut permeability, the importance of microbial diversity, and the role of antibiotics. Additionally, he delves into the development of the microbiome in pregnancy and infancy, the implications for our concept of self, and the need for a feminine perspective in our world.

To begin our seventh season, Wendy speaks with contemplative educator and developmental psychologist Rob Roeser. Rob has been working to re-envision the educational system for decades, and has been at the forefront of understanding how we can best integrate mindfulness and compassion into school settings. This conversation covers many topics, including: his initial exposure to integrative school systems; educating for life, instead of just participation in the global economy; focus on the body, nature, and our inherent "earthiness"; studying schools in India that integrate meditation; integrating science and viewing contemplative practice as building skills; applying a developmental lens to contemplative education; the key role of educating adults alongside children; changing culture and norms; how social processes drive the development of attention in children; our innate tendencies towards both compassion and othering; attention training as a relational practice; the relevance of a secure base; leveraging developmental "windows of opportunity"; practices that highlight our shared humanity; systems thinking in education; and re-enchanting the gift of learning. Full show notes and resources

In this episode, Wendy speaks with lawyer, activist, and restorative justice expert sujatha baliga. sujatha’s work reimagines our current legal and justice system in the United States, and emphasizes the full humanity of both those who experience harm and those who cause it. This conversation covers many topics, including: growing up with sexual abuse, and the impacts it had; meeting with the Dalai Lama, and his transformational advice; the power of lovingkindness; her choice to be a public defender; responsibility & causes and conditions; holding two competing ideas simultaneously; problems with the traditional legal system; the paradigm shift of restorative justice; integrating contemplative practice into the process of restorative justice; the role of the self in the experience of harm; how we need to shift our language around labeling people; reflections on forgiveness and justice; and next steps for the movement. Full show notes and resources

Neuroscientist and pain researcher Fadel Zeidan discusses mindfulness and its effects on physical pain relief. He explores topics such as bringing mindfulness to special education, understanding the brain during pain, using 'fake meditation' in research, the role of our natural opiate system, studying psychedelics for pain, and compassion meditation. He also delves into the opioid crisis and the role of contemplation in society.

In this episode, Wendy speaks with Buddhist scholar and contemplative educator and researcher Brendan Ozawa-de Silva. Brendan has been studying and teaching mindfulness and compassion for over a decade, and has lately been focusing on integrating trauma-informed and embodied practices into his work. This conversation covers many topics, including: his interest in contemplation (and an introduction to the Japanese practice of Naikan); adapting contemplative training to a variety of settings; the capacity of young people for compassion, mindfulness, and conceptual frames; what's missing in contemplative research; empathy/compassion as something that arises between people; the embeddedness of researchers in the systems they study; the SEE Learning program; trauma in the body & nervous system regulation; understanding different forms of trauma; healing and forgiveness; barriers to compassion, misunderstandings about the meaning of compassion; how the world is built on compassion; and new teaching endeavors with experiential learning. Full show notes and resources

In this episode, Wendy speaks with University of Washington vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, Ed Taylor. Ed has made major contributions in the areas of contemplative education and leadership, with a focus on moral and integrative education and social justice. This conversation covers many topics, including: growing up embedded in community and giant sequoias; learning to be still with the mind; teaching meditation amidst anger dysregulation; embodying contemplative skills in the classroom; the gap between our mind's story and our body in the moment; the relevance of contemplation to wise and effective leadership; moving from ego-system to ecosystem awareness (systems thinking); implementing systems change in university settings; normalizing failure and modeling vulnerability; letting students lead in defining the community they want; imagining the world you want to live in when things are not OK (reflections on the days after George Floyd was killed); understanding critical race theory in education; and the central role of community in healing. Full show notes and resources  

In this episode, Wendy speaks with social psychologist and contemplative researcher David Creswell. David has been studying the effects of meditation on stress and resilience for over a decade, and has conducted some of the most rigorous studies to date investigating which aspects of mindfulness interventions bring benefit. This conversation covers many topics, including: integrating psychology and Buddhism since high school; understanding stress and resilience; acceptance and equanimity in mindfulness; bringing scientific rigor to the study of mindfulness through dismantling trials; effects of equanimity on the stress response and positive emotions; how contemplative skills spill over from the cushion into daily life; how practice changes the brain and why those changes matter; a risky study with a president's daughter; the promise of apps to deliver mindfulness; how acceptance differs from passive resignation; and viewing biology and psychology as two sides of the same coin. Full show notes and resources

In this episode, Wendy speaks with biological anthropologist and contemplative researcher Jenny Mascaro. Jenny's work weaves together meditation, compassion, psychology, and healthcare, and moves us toward a deeper understanding of interconnectedness. This conversation covers many topics, including: her interest in social cognition in animals - and humans; what compassion is, and how it's different from empathy; biological basis of compassion, and the role of oxytocin; how social factors and context shape compassion; training compassion and the skills underlying it; understanding self-compassion; the under-appreciated role of hospital chaplains; compassion training for chaplains; preparing for interpersonal interactions; how compassion shows up in language; how compassionate care can help anxiety and depression; responding to healthcare provider stress; how meditation has changed her; and building awareness of interdependence. Full show notes and resources

In this episode, Wendy speaks with contemplative health psychologist and stress researcher Elissa Epel. Elissa studies how mindfulness, meditation retreats, and breathing techniques can help buffer stress processes, biological aging, and promote both physical and mental health. This conversation covers many topics, including: her early roots of interest in the mind-body connection; bringing contemplation into health and stress psychology research; two key aspects of stress; learning to deal with uncertainty; uncertainty in the body; acute vs. chronic stress response; why we might want to intentionally induce acute stress to boost our health; cell aging systems (telomeres); contemplative practices as a way to reduce stress; how our minds influence our cells; the concept of cellular safety; rest, retreat, and vacation; how contemplative benefits can transfer to the next generation; what it means to have a sensitive nervous system; and the importance of focusing on joy and gratitude. Full show notes and resources