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The soul’s liberation of realizing “I am” was amongst my first learnings from Zainab Salbi. A world renowned humanitarian, Zainab founded Women for Women International when she was 23 and dedicated decades to offering both human connection and $146 million of aid to over 400,000 women survivors of war and conflict. Her inner journey is equally inspiring and I was most excited to hear her answer to that ultimate question: Who am I? This experience of ‘descending all of her knowledge to her heart’ revealed that our hearts have a language—One she can only learn through emptiness. “There's no value of emptiness. Yet, it is only when I go to emptiness that I can feel the divine,” she says. “It may not be spiritual for everyone. Though, for me, that is the path of my joy and freedom because I go to the place where all the space is. It’s joy for no reason and all reasons. Love for all, no matter who. It is only when I arrive at emptiness that I can go to that vastness of emotions.” Zainab graciously explores her path of self-discovery—From the freedom of sharing the truth that imprisoned her from childhood to her evolving spiritual path and learning that “life regenerates itself like Earth,” which she’s honoring with Daughters for Earth: A non-profit she co-founded to fund women and girls securing the health of our planet. While our conversation is woven with wide-ranging insights, she threads it with a single invitation: To honor the life we’ve been given.

“Be sincere; be brief; be seated”  These six words by Franklin D. Roosevelt, which I stumbled upon during my early days as a 22-year-old sales manager, have profoundly shaped my communication philosophy. I’ve always believed that one’s ability to effectively communicate isn’t just a skill to be honed, it’s often the key that unlocks hidden potential; particularly in business and leadership.  Whether you’re an entrepreneur working to advance an idea, a leader inspiring your team, or someone in pursuit of a higher purpose - how you speak can be the diving line between capturing or missing opportunities. Nearly a decade ago, I met Matt Abrahams, and he challenged me to embrace style and structure in my communication.  And while I’m not naturally a process-oriented individual, I’ve come to appreciate the profound value of forging meaningful connections as a result.  I am thrilled that Matt’s latest book - Think Faster Talk Smarter - explores the topic of spontaneous communication; which each of us deals with on a regular basis.  The moments when you're stumped by an unanticipated question, or asked to comment during an unpleasant interaction - sure, it's easy to understand the importance of thinking on your feet; however, applying it effectively requires immense preparation.  In this episode, Matt and I discuss the various methods and frameworks that have shaped his work with entrepreneurs, leaders, and high achieving individuals.  Here’s a glimpse of the situations we discuss: The mindsets that ignite impactful communication An approach to crafting meaningful messages Why mediocrity is the catalyst to achieving greatness A method to communicate uncommon or complex ideas Why the first and last minute of a presentation are critical & how to approach them A framework for quick presenting or pitching What Martial arts can teach you about effective communication How to craft a sales presentation that doesn’t suck

“It is a high-stakes engagement to not miss the beauty of life.” This is the invitation and guidance Jon Kabat-Zinn gifts us in today’s episode. A mindfulness pioneer, Jon has played a foundational role in bringing meditation to the forefront of our culture; Admirably dedicating six decades to teaching, creating Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and authoring over 15 books. I’m always inspired when Jon asks — What if life was the meditation? — and was honored to learn the various entry points we can practice it, all of which lead to “the room of the human heart when it knows itself.” We share a wide-ranging conversation exploring everything from cultivating equanimity to letting go of the stories we tell ourselves and discovering our shared wholeness. His practices are invaluable tools to be full participants in that high-stakes engagement.

“If the soul is not in the body, where is the soul?” I’ve always been intrigued by this question from Walt Whitman. So, it caught my attention when I heard Lauren Roxburgh say that our “fascia is transmitting our soul in our bodies.” Lauren is a pioneer in body alignment, holistic health, and fascia (the connective tissue that wraps under our skin and around our organs like a spider web). Everything clicked when she explained that when there is tension in our fascia—which can manifest as knots and tightness—our life force energy is blocked. She describes fascia as a “living matrix—holding and remembering everything that we experience in our lives.” When we feel overwhelmed by an experience, it gets stored in our fascia. In our conversation, we explore how her healing modality of movement medicine helps us move our emotions and experiences outside of our body, without even talking. Then, with a newfound sense of freedom, shift from trying to control life to becoming more open, receptive, and trusting. Resources: The Aligned Life Studio, where you can experience Lauren’s practices with a free 7-day trial Lauren’s Book: The Power Source: The Hidden Key to Ignite Your Core, Empower Your Body, Release Stress, and Realign Your Life

“What choices will lead me to greater integration and wholeness?” renowned author, meditation pioneer, and teacher Sharon Salzberg asks in her latest book, Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom. "We’re told so many stories about who we are and what we are capable of that are given to us. They’re not born of our own clear seeing,” she says. “Being able to step back from our conditioning and really question…When can I breathe? When do I feel like I can’t breathe? One of the things we discover is that it's not through a certain feeling arising, like fear. It's through being enveloped in and overcome by it. So, we don't have to put ourselves down or be ashamed of what we feel. We can see that the way that we relate to our thoughts, feelings, and sensations is going to make a big difference.” In our conversation, we explore invaluable tools to reframe that relationship, and in so doing, discover the expansiveness that is always available to us.

What if you could design your own, custom playbook to guide the pursuit of greatness in every aspect of your life?     Not long ago, the notion of rewiring one’s biology was more sci-fi than reality; still a decade ago, Drs. Leeroy Hood and Nathan Price had the foresight to envision a future where modern science would harness real-time data to make optimal well+being both predictable and accessible to a wider population. Today, their book - The Age of Scientific Wellness: Why the Future of Medicine Is Personalized, Predictive, Data-Rich, and in your Hands - provides a visionary roadmap to equip each of us with the tools to take charge of our well+being.  In it, they demonstrate why our biology is not a fixed entity but a dynamic system influenced by a multitude of factors, including genetics, lifestyle choices, and environmental exposures. Drawing upon their extensive expertise in systems biology and personalized medicine, Hood and Price will convince you that yesterday’s care model is not only antiquated; it’s actually a strong lever that continues to reward fighting disease as opposed to preventing it.  Here’s a glimpse of what we discuss: What is Scientific Wellness & why does it matter now? What did they see a decade ago that’s true today, not true, and most surprising? What’s the essence of optimal well+being, and what role does one’s genome play in it? What does excellence in gut health look like and how does one measure that? What are the key environmental factors that have the most influence on our well+being? What does one’s genome tell us about our cognition and brain health? How does one determine and influence his/her biological age?

When I read the first few pages of Tiny Beautiful Things — a compilation of letters from Cheryl Strayed’s advice column, Dear Sugar — I immediately knew it was going to be healing. This wasn’t a surprise. Everyone who reads Cheryl’s writing knows she’s poetic. Still, Tiny Beautiful Things is different. As I read the letters sharing people’s deepest yearnings and sorrows, the book’s lesson quickly became clear: Being human is messy. Our job is to find the beauty in it. Whereas I’ve long resisted that complexity, Cheryl’s compassionate responses encouraged me to accept it. Still, relinquishing control left me with even bigger questions… How do we live with our grief and suffering? What makes love last? How do we rise up as our better selves? Fortunately, we explored them in today’s episode. Her wisdom on self-forgiveness reflects the invitation of our conversation… “To see ourselves with a sense of that wholeness, to sit by the river and let go of the bad things we did, allows us to see others for their wholeness too, and forgive them as well.” In illuminating the freedom of “allowing what’s true to be true,” Cheryl guides us to that river. I hope her words are as healing for you as they’ve been for me.

Kevin Kelly is a renowned author, futurist, and technologist who has spent the past few decades exploring the intersection between technology, culture, and society. He is perhaps best known for his work as the founding executive editor of Wired magazine, which helped to shape the conversation around the internet and digital technology in the 1990s and 2000s. Over the years, Kelly has authored several books, including "Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems, and the Economic World" and "The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future." He has also been a prolific writer and speaker on topics such as artificial intelligence, the future of work, and the impact of technology on society. Our most recent conversation focused on Kevin's latest book, "Excellent Advice for Living," which is a collection of 450 wisdom tweets that offer practical guidance on how to live a fulfilling life. Each tweet represents a nugget of wisdom that he has gleaned over his many years of experience as a writer, thinker, and futurist. We also explored his journey from founding Wired magazine to his present work, and how his thinking about technology and society has evolved over the years. He explained why he has become increasingly interested in the idea of "protopia," and why this state of constant improvement and progress is the gateway to greatness. Kevin's unwavering optimism is singular and has the power to make you question your deepest assumptions - particularly about the future you envision for yourself. Our conversation touched upon a variety of topics including the following questions: How his optimism was tested during the Covid-19 Pandemic and the lessons that emerged? How does the current state of work resemble the future of work he imagined in 2000? The most important thing he's been wrong about/right about during the past few years? Where his best ideas come from? The traits that define the most accomplished Asian entrepreneurs, and what we can gain from them? His recipe for greatness? His most defining characteristic?

Few have a pulse on the science and genetics of aging as Dr. Nir Barzilai. As the director of the Institute of Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, he was the first to discover the “longevity gene” in humans; and in so doing began to hypothesize and demonstrate why centenarians with protective genes live longer, healthier lives and experience far fewer age-related disease. In our conversation, we focus on understanding the correlation between genes, lifestyle, and the resilience of predictable longevity™. Modern science and technology has made it far easier for each of us to take charge of our health; still it requires a major shift in perspective - away from preventing sickness and more towards optimizing well+being. Here are a few of the topics we explore: The barriers to predictable longevity™. The misconceptions of aging. Why anti-aging is its own disease. The genetic code of centenarians. The lifestyle habits that delay aging.

“From wonder to wonder, existence begins.” Lao Tzu’s wisdom is the first invitation we receive in Dacher Keltner’s new book: Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How it Can Transform Your Life. It foreshadows the journey and revelation he offers in it: Awe is a compass towards meaning. “If you listen to the feeling of awe, you’re pointed towards the truth of your existence.” Dacher has been a pioneer studying awe, meaning, and compassion, as a professor at UC Berkeley and the Faculty Director of The Greater Good Science Center. I was first drawn to the book when I heard him share that while we often associate awe with nature, the most common source of awe is human connection. Our conversation is an exploration of how we experience awe across the eight wonders of life, from music to moral beauty, art to the divine. By “claiming openness,” as he shares, we discover it’s closer than we think.