Sarah Anne Shockley is an award-winning filmmaker and a Neurolinguistic Programming Practitioner. She has studied with shamans from various cultures around the world and has lived with the debilitating Thoracic Outlet Syndrome for more than 10 years. She has been a columnist for Pain News Network and is a regular contributor to The Mighty, a 1.5 million-member online community for those living with chronic illness. Because her condition was unresponsive to existing traditional or alternative therapies, she developed a unique method of pain management and pain reduction not reliant on pharmaceuticals or medical intervention. She is the author of: The Pain Companion: Everyday Wisdom for Living with and Moving Beyond Chronic Pain (New World Library 2018)Tags: Sarah Anne Shockley, TOS, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, chronic pain, acute pain, acute debilitation, grief, emotional pain, telling the story of your pain, the timetable of pain, treating pain as enemy, writing letter to pain, Health & Healing, writing, psychology 

Jonathan Robinson, a seasoned psychotherapist and celebrated author, shares his insights on improving communication in relationships. He discusses the common pitfalls of blame and highlights the power of empathy and understanding. Practical techniques to enhance intimacy and connection, such as asking deeper questions, are introduced. Robinson also critiques the limitations of modern technology, emphasizing the need for direct emotional expression. He advocates for appreciation and gratitude as keys to fostering more loving and supportive relationships.

Jacob Israel Liberman is a pioneer in the fields of light, vision, and consciousness. He has developed numerous light and vision therapy instruments, including the first FDA-cleared medical device to significantly improve visual performance. He earned a doctorate in the field of optometry and a Ph.D. in Vision Science. He is the Past President of the College of Syntonic Optometry and the International Society for the Study of Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine (ISSSEEM). He is the author of Light: Medicine of The Future: How We Can Use It to Heal Ourselves NOW (Bear & Company 1990). Take Off Your Glasses and See: A Mind/Body Approach to Expanding Your Eyesight and Insight (Harmony Books 1995). Luminous Life: How the Science of Light Unlocks the Art of Living (New World Library 2018)Tags: Jacob Liberman, Bible, information, wisdom, NDE, spiritual guidance, tsunami, Talmud, light, Science, Spirituality 

Ellen Tadd is an internationally known clairvoyant counselor and educator who has been teaching for more than forty years. She is widely respected for the integrity of her work, the accuracy of her perceptions and guidance, and the clarity and usefulness of her teaching. Her work has been supported by the Edgar Cayce Foundation, the Marion Institute, Deepak Chopra, and the Institute of Noetic Sciences. She’s lectured and taught at colleges, universities, hospitals, and community groups. She is author of: The Infinite View: A Guidebook for Life on Earth (TarcherPerigee 2017).Tags: Ellen Tadd, consciousness, clairvoyance, staring, afirmations, inspiration, Personal Transformation, meditation, Intuition, Psychic, 

Cynthia Jurs is a Dharmacharya in the Order of Interbeing of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. In 2018, she was made an Honorary Lama in recognition of her dedication in the practice of Earth Treasure Vases and her commitment in relationship with elders, activists, and diverse communities to ceremonially bury the clay vases all around the planet in service to Gaia. Jurs offers monthly full moon meditations, retreats, and pilgrimages through the Gaia Mandala Global Healing Community. She is the author of: Summoned by the Earth: Becoming a Holy Vessel for Healing Our World (Prospecta Press 2024)Interview Date: 5/24/2024     Tags: Cynthia Jurs, Earth Treasure Vases, Evon Peter, Charles Eisenstein, Avebury England, crop circles, feminine and masculine, Gaia, Mother Earth, global mandala, full moon meditations, ancestors, Kogi people, Mother Earth, Tewa people, elders, Tibetan clay vases, Personal Transformation, Ecology/Nature/Environment, Community, Indigenous Wisdom, Buddhism. Global Culture

Benjamin Mertz is a bi-racial man who is the Director of Diversity & Inclusion for the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute (BECI). He serves on the board of directors of the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity and is the founder and director of the Joyful Noise! Gospel Singers. He’s a composer, performer, and song leader who specializes in the music of the Black Spiritual tradition and is a human rights and racial justice activist. When not performing music he writes and speaks on issues of racial justice, economic justice and Black History, and he works on creating interfaith and interracial alliances. He can often be found leading songs at benefit concerts, vigils, protest actions, sacred services, and workshops. His albums include: Climbing Up the Mountain (Benjamin Mertz 2019) and I Dream: Joyful Noise! Gospel Singers (Joyful Noise! Gospel Singers 2020)Interview Date: 5/13/2024   Tags: Benjamin Mertz, Civil Rights music, oral tradition, protest events, San Quentin prison, musical benefits, Alabama freedom singers, Sister Mamie Brown, Pete Seeger, Malvina Reynolds, Music, Social Change/Politics

Mark Nepo is a poet, philosopher, and a most eloquent spiritual teacher. In 2015, he was given a Life-Achievement Award by AgeNation and in 2016 was named by Watkins: Mind Body Spirit as one of the Most Spiritually Influential Living People. He was part of Oprah Winfrey’s The Life You Want Tour in 2014 and has appeared several times with Oprah on her Super Soul Sunday program on OWN TV. As a cancer survivor, Mark devotes his writing and teaching to the journey of inner transformation and the life of relationship. He is the author of many audio learning projects and over 20 books including: Reduced To Joy (Cleis Press 2013), Seven Thousand Ways to Listen: Staying Close To What Is Sacred (Free Press 2012), The One Life We’re Given: Finding the Wisdom That Waits in Your heart (Atria Books 2016), More Together Than Alone: Discovering the Power and Spirit of Community in Our Lives and in the World (Atria Books 2018), Falling Down and Getting Up: Discovering Your Inner Resilience and Strength (St. Martin’s Essentials 2023), You Don't Have To Do It Alone: The Power Of Friendship (St. Martin’s Essentials 2024)Interview Date: 4/19/2024   Tags: Mark Nepo, Thomas Merton, apprenticeship into compassion, grace, isolation, friendship of dogs, Personal Transformation, Psychology, Philosophy, Relationship

Peter Coyote is a master of many crafts, including being an award-winning actor, improv teacher, author, director, screenwriter, and narrator who has worked with some of the world's most distinguished filmmakers, including Ken Burns. He's won several Emmys for his narration and was ordained as a Zen priest in 2011. In 2015, he received transmission from his teacher making him an independent Zen teacher. His books includeThe Rainman’s Third Cure: An Irregular Education (Counterpoint 1998/2015), Sleeping Where I Fall: A Chronicle (Counterpoint 2015), Tongue of a Crow: A Book of Poetry (Four Way Books 2021), The Lone Ranger and Tonto Meet Buddha: Masks, Meditation & Improvised Play to Induce Liberated States (Inner Traditions 2021), Zen in the Vernacular: Things As It Is (Inner Traditions 2024)Interview Date: 5/3/2024   Tags: Peter Coyote, self-awareness, gun laws, fear, delusional thinking, Doug Boyd, work with what is close, Suzuki Roshi, being of service, interdependent nature of things, oxygen, Buddhism, Meditation, Personal Transformation, Social Change/Politics

Rick Hanson, Ph.D. is a psychologist with a deep interest in neuroscience and mindfulness. He is a senior fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California Berkeley and creator of the year-long course The Foundations of Well-Being. He is the author of many books including: Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom (New Harbinger 2009) , Just One Thing: Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time (New Harbinger 2011), Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence (Harmony Books 2013), Meditations to Change Your Brain - CD Set (Sounds True 2009), Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength and Happiness (Harmony Books 2018) and NeuroDharma: New Science, Ancient Wisdom, and Seven Practices of the Highest Happiness (Harmony Books 2020)Interview Date: 2/24/2020     Tags: Rick Hanson, media, despair, compassion, courage, common humanity, take heart, the fruits of practice, changing the structure of brain, neuroscience, neuroplasticity, inner peace, neural circuitry, letting go of results, 7 practices for happiness, empathic imagination, reacting amygdala, less reactive, somatic learning, somatic markers, steady presence of mind, not being attached to outcome, attachment, tenacity, Fern Hill poem by Dylan Thomas, Social Change/Politics, Meditation, Personal Transformation, Science

Claudia L’Amoreaux works at the intersection of new technologies in education. She helps parents and young people nurture the skills needed to make wider, needed to make wise choices about technology that will lead to greater well-being and she’s the founder of Mindful Digital Life. You may subscribe to her blogs on her website. Tags: Claudia L’Amoreaux, digital distractions, choiceful attention, attention, deluge of information, digital world, digital landscape, stress, Sherry Turkle, humans are indoor species, benefits of being in nature, children, young people, Education, Technology, Parenting, Personal Transformation, Self Help, Meditation