
The Spiritual Perspective
Ever wonder what the spiritual perspective is on genocide? On cheating? On getting back with your ex? On toxic people?If so, this is your channel.You identify as spiritual — but you’ve still got questions about how to show up in life’s messiest, most nuanced situations. And you don’t have time for fluffy, feel-good answers that don’t hold up in the real world.This is where you’ll find a grounded spiritual take on life’s hardest questions.I’m Light Watkins — keynote speaker, author, and longtime meditation teacher — and every week, I share short, no-BS videos that help you zoom out, tune in, and reframe what you’re going through.If you’re tired of surface-level advice and ready to go deeper, join me every Monday and Thursday for new episodes of The Spiritual Perspective. Your next breakthrough might be one perspective shift away.
Latest episodes

Nov 16, 2022 • 1h 51min
130: Dr. Robynne Chutkan on How to Become Anti-Viral By Living Dirty and Eating Clean
The topic of gut health and the importance of our gut microbiome have been gaining more and more traction in the last decade or so. Before that, there was very little attention paid to the way in which our diet and healthy bacteria impacted all the others parts of our body and mind. This is the area that Dr. Robynne Chutkan has dedicated herself to exploring and illuminating, something she has done through her patient practice, as well as in a number of books that she has published. In today's chat with the gastroenterological expert, we get to go deep into the human digestive system, with Dr. Chutkan talking about pooping, bloat, sleep, sickness, immune systems, and much more. She also explains why certain products and medications should be avoided when possible, and how small changes to our eating habits can make a huge difference. The passion and energy that Dr. Chutkan possesses for this subject is truly inspiring, and so desperately needed if we are to really make progress in the important area of human health. Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!

Nov 9, 2022 • 1h 18min
129: Danielle LaPorte on How To Be Loving, Forgiving, and Other Hard Things
Today on the show, we welcome the wonderfully inspiring and honest Danielle LaPorte, whose journey has seen many seasons and contrasting terrains. In our chat, we get to hear all about Danielle's prioritization of healing and how this relates to love and living a good life. We also get to discuss some principles from a few of her books, including her most recent work, How to Be Loving. Danielle opens up on the important yet sometimes misunderstood concepts of gentleness, awareness, goals, and success and even shares some great practical advice for dealing with breakups! So if you want to hear it all from this spiritual sister to this podcast, make sure to tune in now.Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!

Nov 2, 2022 • 1h 32min
128: Pam Grout Uses E-Squared to Prove that Our Thoughts Create Our Reality (Replay)
Today I am re-airing one of my earlier episodes with someone who has changed the way that I see the world. Her name is Pam Grout, and for those of you who don't know, Pam is a New York Times bestselling author, a travel blogger who has visited every continent except for Antarctica, and a student of A Course in Miracles.In this episode, Pam talks candidly about the loss of her daughter, the little rituals they shared, and how she coped with the grief of her daughter’s passing. She shares the wisdom that she's gleaned from her adventures and from the rocky parts of her journey as well, because, even for those who know full well that we co-create our reality, life is still going to test us.Pam also describes her writing journey, the process of writing her bestseller, E-Squared, and her advice for those looking to write spiritual guidance books. Pam’s definition of success, after everything she has been through and after writing 20 books, is to see the face of God in every person she meets, and her whole story is incredibly inspiring, so make sure to tune in today!Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!

Oct 26, 2022 • 1h 18min
127: Christopher Rivas on Being Brown Enough and How to Tell a Story that Inspires and Connects
Growing up as a Dominican-Colombian in Queens, Christopher Rivas didn’t feel the weight of his difference in the world until he was introduced to the real James Bond. Learning about Porfirio Rubirosa, the Dominican diplomat on whom the famously white character was based, changed everything for him and informed the culture-centered trajectory of his career. Christopher is a professional storyteller, podcaster, actor, and author. In this episode, we learn about the most pivotal moments of his childhood, his path to becoming an actor, and the serendipitous tale of how he landed on the art of storytelling. We discuss the importance of representation, the value of meditation, and the profound difference between stories you’ve been made to believe and those you’ve chosen to believe. Tune in to discover the anatomy of an impactful story, the script-shifting theme of Christopher’s book, Brown Enough, the art of code-switching, and so much more.Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!

Oct 19, 2022 • 49min
126: Light Watkins Solo Episode: Why Living A More Minimalist Lifestyle Can Help You Become More Present, And More Self-Sufficient
Today I am doing another solo episode, which as you may know, I do on occasion. And in today's solo episode, I'm talking about minimalism, one of my favorite topics, and how minimalism helps you to become more present and more liberated, and more self-sufficient in your day-to-day life. I'm also describing an experiment that you can run starting today that will give you a taste of the liberation that you feel when living the minimalist lifestyle. And the best part is you don't have to get rid of anything in order to have the experience of minimalism. I also will show those of you who are watching this on YouTube, the actual backpack that I've been living from for the past few years, as well as my one pair of shoes and my shirts that I hand wash each night after wearing them. I also will go through the detailed instructions of how I hand wash my clothes in case you're in a situation where I don't know, you're flying, and your airline use loses your luggage, and for whatever reason, you have to make do. The clothes on your back for a day or two.And I also talk about some of the other interesting aspects of my minimalist lifestyle and how it's evolved over the last four years because the way it started is not the way it is right now. And of course, I've written extensively about minimalism in my upcoming book, which is called Travel Light.That's coming out in April of 2023. So there's a lot more to say in that book. But for now, I wanna just give you a peek into the minimalist lifestyle, cuz I think you'll get a lot from it, even if you have no desire to become a minimalist yourself.Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!

Oct 12, 2022 • 1h 30min
125: Chip Conley on Becoming a Modern Elder and Why You're Never Too Old To Evolve
Today’s guest, Chip Conley, has been a serial disruptor of the hospitality industry for many decades, and since acquiring his first hotel in his 20s, has blazed a trail of innovative and successful businesses catering to a variety of different client bases. Chip was also instrumental in the rise of Airbnb in the contemporary landscape, and has most recently founded the amazing Modern Elder Academy, which is aimed at mentoring individuals through the later stages of human development. In our chat, we get to hear from Chip about the lessons he learned from his father, why he has always pursued creativity over profit, and the vital part that mentor relationships have continually played in his life. Our guest shares some great book recommendations and some insightful thoughts on living with purpose, before we close off with some thoughts on courage, self-belief, and his continued commitment to his calling of social alchemy. Join us to hear it all!Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!

Oct 5, 2022 • 1h 6min
124: Desi Bartlett on Becoming a Mom Into Living Fit and How To Be Total Body Beautiful
Who we are as individuals are shaped as much by the good experiences in our lives, as the bad ones. And it’s important to acknowledge the full spectrum of events that shape us, even if it’s challenging or uncomfortable. Our guest today, Desi Bartlett, is no stranger to this truth. Through her practice of meditation and movement, she has studied how to take powerful lessons from both the positive and negative aspects of her life and apply them as an author, fitness professional, woman, and mother. In our conversation, Desi shares some of the details about her unstable upbringing, how she left home as a teenager, and why so much of what she does is in honor of her mother and her limitations as a parent. We delve into Desi’s journey with fitness, the transformative power of movement, and how her career has evolved since she first began to pursue fitness as a profession. We also discussed Desi’s work as an author, the release of her latest book Total Body Beautiful, and her passion for empowering women through movement, yoga, meditation, and nutrition. For a wonderful conversation that will surprise and delight you with its thought-provoking insights and joyful advice, make sure you tune in today!Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!

Sep 28, 2022 • 1h 30min
123: Adam Roa on When Preparation Meets Opportunity and How to Heal From Rejection
Adam Roa knows how it feels to be living a life that doesn’t speak the language of your soul, and he also knows the power that comes with choosing to follow your heart, no matter what expectations the world has of you. Although it didn’t make logical sense to give up a promising career in advertising to pursue a risky one in acting, or to rent out an apartment without knowing where the rent money was going to come from, these decisions were led by the heart, and as you will hear in today’s episode, they paid off! Today, Adam is a spoken word poet whose words have gone viral across the globe and have had such an impact on some people that they have had them tattooed on their bodies. Moreover, Adam is a lifestyle and business coach who has built communities and created courses that have had transformative effects on many lives. Listen to this episode to hear about the journey that led to Adam’s spiritual awakening, the evolution of his understanding of relationships, and how to truly love yourself!Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!

Sep 21, 2022 • 1h 32min
122: Greg Scheinman on How To Maximize Your Life After 40, 50, 60 and Beyond Using The 6 Fs
The approach of middle age tends to inspire dread. For too long, we have been told that our “best years” are behind us once we reach midlif and that all we have to look forward to is the slow decline of our bodies and minds. But, for many of us, it’s actually the first time that we begin to make sense of life. This realization led performance coach, Greg Scheinman, to create a community where men who have been around long enough to own their mistakes and celebrate their successes could gather to maximize the second half of their lives. He calls it the Midlife Male Movement, devoted to the proposition that the middle is the sweet spot, not the end! In this episode, Greg shares his story with humor and vulnerability, offering us some insight into the life decisions that led him to where he is today. Listening in, you’ll learn how Greg is taking all of the experiences that he’s had and everything he has learned along the way and applying it to the next phase of his life. You’ll also hear some practical tips for how to stop seeing midlife as a crisis and start seeing it as an opportunity. Tune in today for a no-BS guide to living a longer, happier, healthier, and wealthier life (and having more fun) in your 40s, 50s, and beyond!Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!

Sep 14, 2022 • 1h 48min
121: LaRayia Gaston on How Staying on Skid Row Taught Her About the Power of Giving and Loving Without Reason (Replay)
LaRayia Gaston might be the definition of inspiring. She is the heart behind Lunch on Me and LaRayia's Bodega, as well as the author of Love Without Reason. In today's episode, we are rerunning an amazing conversation with LaRayia from one of the earliest and most powerful episodes of the podcast! Tuning in, listeners will hear about all the most critical steps in LaRayia's journey, from her challenging childhood to her burgeoning and diverse career, and how she took her gifts and decided to dedicate her life to giving back to those less fortunate than herself. It was during her time in LA, around the age of 20, that LaRayia found the place to pour her desire to help the community. Always a hard worker and a generous giver, LaRayia began finding ways to provide food for the unhoused on Skid Row, and it was out of these efforts that Lunch on Me was born. Our guest talks about the influence that different family members had on her, how she funded this work at various points, and what has kept her going. We also get some insight into why LaRayia spent 43 days on Skid Row herself, her meditation practice, and her spiritual beliefs, so make sure to listen in to hear it all.Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!