
Banyen Books ~ Branches of Wisdom
Intimate interviews with the world's most influential authors, wisdom teachers, wellness experts, psychologists, philosophers, creatives, cultural innovators, and activists. Banyen Books is Canada's leading bookstore in spirituality and healing for 50 years. www.banyen.com
Latest episodes

Oct 27, 2023 • 1h 3min
Episode 153: Mark Nepo - Falling Down and Getting Up
#1 New York Times bestselling author Mark Nepo is joined in conversation with Joel Fotinos on his new book, Falling Down and Getting Up.
Mark Nepo is a poet and philosopher who has taught in the fields of poetry and spirituality for over 50 years. A New York Times #1 bestselling author, he has published over 25 books, including The Book of Awakening, Surviving Storms, and Finding Inner Courage, and has recorded more than a dozen audio projects. Mark has been interviewed several times by Oprah Winfrey as part of her Super Soul Sunday TV show, and was interviewed by Robin Roberts on Good Morning America. As a cancer survivor, Mark devotes his writing and teaching to the journey of inner transformation and the life of relationship. His work has been translated into more than 20 languages.
Joel Fotinos is the Founder, Vice-President, and Editorial Director of St. Martin’s Essentials, the successful new body/mind/spirit imprint of the St. Martin’s Publishing Group. Prior to that, Joel was a Vice-President and Publisher of the TarcherPerigee imprint at Penguin Random House, and a Marketing Manager at the San Francisco office of HarperCollins. He is the author of several books, including The Prosperity Principles, which have been published in more than 14 languages. He is a recipient of Science of Mind magazine’s “Spiritual Hero of the Year” award.

Oct 27, 2023 • 1h 2min
Episode 144: Radhule Weininger & Michael Kearney - Heart Medicine
Join Radhule Weininger, PhD, MD, and Michael Kearney, MD, as they share teachings from Radhule's new book, 'Heart Medicine: How to Stop Painful Patterns and Find Peace and Freedom–at Last'.
Radhule Weininger, MD, PHD, is a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, and meditation teacher. She leads weekly and monthly meditation groups in Santa Barbara and leads retreats in both the United States and internationally at La Casa de Maria Retreat Center, Spirit Rock, Insight LA, the Esalen Institute, the Garrison Institute, and she is the author of Heartwork: The Path of Self-Compassion.
Michael Kearney is a physician specializing in Hospice and Palliative Medicine, with over 35 years experience. He lived in Ireland, England, France, and Canada before moving to the United States in 2001. He currently lives in Santa Barbara, California, where he is a founding partner of Palliative Care Consultants of Santa Barbara. Michael Kearney is married to psychologist, meditation teacher, and author Radhule Weininger, PhD. They teach and write together and share six adult children between them.

Oct 27, 2023 • 1h 1min
Episode 152: David Richo, PhD - To Thine Own Self Be True
David Richo, bestselling author of How to Be an Adult in Relationships, joins Banyen for a conversation on his book To Thine Own Self Be True: Shakespeare as Therapist and Spiritual Guide.
David Richo, PhD, is a psychotherapist, teacher, writer, and workshop leader whose work emphasizes the benefits of mindfulness and loving-kindness in personal growth and emotional well-being. He combines Jungian, poetic, and mythic perspectives in his work with the intention of integrating the psychological and the spiritual. He is the author of numerous bestselling books including How to Be an Adult in Relationships and The Five Things We Cannot Change.

Oct 27, 2023 • 1h 2min
Episode 151: Joan Halifax - In a Moment, in a Breath
Renowned Zen teacher Roshi Joan Halifax joins Banyen for a discussion of In a Moment, in a Breath.
Joan Halifax, PhD, is a Buddhist teacher, anthropologist, and writer. Her books include The Human Encounter with Death (with Stanislav Grof), Being with Dying, and Standing at the Edge. She is a Founding Teacher in the Zen Peacemaker Order of Roshi Bernie Glassman and the late Sensei Jishu Holmes, and is a Soto priest and teacher. She founded The Ojai Foundation, an educational center, in 1979, and Upaya (a Buddhist study center) in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1990. She has been on the faculties of Columbia University, the University of Miami School of Medicine, the New School for Social Research, The Naropa Institute, and the California Institute for Integral Studies. Halifax is a distinguished invited scholar of the U.S. Library of Congress, and the only woman and Buddhist on the Tony Blair Foundation’s Advisory Council. Joan Halifax has worked with dying people since 1970. In 1994, she created the Project on Being with Dying as a way to train healthcare professionals in contemplative care of the dying.

Jun 29, 2023 • 1h 2min
Episode 150: Jeff Brown - Humanifestations
Jeff Brown, author of Soulshaping, discusses his new book Humanifestations: On Trauma, Truth, and Transformation.
Jeff Brown is the author of 8 popular books: Soulshaping, Ascending with Both Feet on the Ground, Love It Forward, An Uncommon Bond, Spiritual Graffiti, Grounded Spirituality, Hearticulations, and Humanifestations. He is the producer of the award-winning spiritual documentary Karmageddon, which features Ram Dass, Seane Corn, Deva Premal and Miten. Jeff’s short writings have touched millions of souls worldwide and have been shared on social media by the likes of LeAnn Rimes, Alanis Morrissette, Fergie, Chrissy Metz, Jason Silva, and Amanda De Cadenet. Jeff is the founder of Soulshaping Institute and Enrealment Press. He lives in Canada with his wife, poet Susan Frybort.

Jun 29, 2023 • 1h 9min
Episode 149: Amit Goswami & Valentina Onisor - Quantum Integrative Medicine
Amit Goswami, PhD, and Valentina Onisor, MD, join Banyen for a conversation on Quantum Integrative Medicine: A New Paradigm for Health, Disease Prevention and Healing.
Dr. Amit Goswami, celebrated Theoretical Quantum Physicist, is a revolutionary amongst a growing body of scientists who have ventured into the domain of the spiritual in an attempt both to interpret the seemingly inexplicable findings of curious experiments and to validate intuitions about the existence of a spiritual dimension of life. A prolific writer, teacher, and visionary, Dr. Goswami has appeared in the movies What the Bleep do we know!?, Dalai Lama Renaissance, and the award winning documentary, The Quantum Activist. He is the author of several bestselling books, including The Quantum Doctor and The Self-Aware Universe.
Valentina Onisor, MD, is a practicing physician specializing in family medicine, who integrates various systems of alternative medicine (acupuncture, Ayurveda, naturopathy, and aromatherapy) into her medical practice. She is a co-author (along with Dr. Amit Goswami) of the recently released books, Quantum Spirituality and The Quantum Brain as well as of the upcoming books, The Awakening of Intelligence, Quantum Integrative Medicine, and The Quantum Science of Love and Relationships.

Jun 22, 2023 • 1h 17min
Episode 148: Thomas Moore ~ The Eloquence of Silence
Thomas Moore, bestselling author of Care of the Soul, joins Banyen for a conversation with Q&A on his book The Eloquence of Silence.
Thomas Moore, PhD, is the author of over 30 books, including the number one bestseller Care of the Soul. He holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Syracuse University and degrees in music composition. Thomas Moore is a teacher and sought after international lecturer. He has been a psychotherapist for over 40 years. His work brings together spirituality, mythology, depth psychology, and the arts, emphasizing the importance of images and imagination.

May 26, 2023 • 1h 11min
Episode 147: Lon Milo DuQuette - The Magick of Aleister Crowley
Lon Milo DuQuette joins Banyen for an engaging conversation on his book, The Magick of Aleister Crowley.
Lon Milo DuQuette is a bestselling author and lecturer whose books on Magick, Tarot, and the Western Mystery Traditions have been translated into ten languages. He is currently the US Deputy Grand Master of Ordo Templi Orientis and is on the faculty of the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, and the Maybe Logic Academy. Among his many books are My Life with the Spirits, Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot, and Tarot of Ceremonial Magick. He lives in Sacramento, California, with his wife Constance.

May 26, 2023 • 1h 2min
Episode 146: Kahlil Gibran - with Paul-Gordon Chandler
Paul-Gordon Chandler discusses his book, In Search of a Prophet: A Spiritual Journey with Kahlil Gibran.
Paul-Gordon Chandler is the Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Wyoming. He grew up in Senegal, West Africa, and has lived and worked extensively around the world. An author, art curator, social entrepreneur and an authority on the Middle East and Africa, he is passionate about using the arts to further our global quest for a more harmonious future, both with each other and with the earth. He is the author of several books including the acclaimed book on Muslim-Christian relations titled Pilgrims of Christ on the Muslim Road.

May 26, 2023 • 57min
Episode 145: Kabir Helminski - Rumi's Mysterion
Kabir Helminski, renowned Sufi teacher and one of the foremost Rumi translators of our time, joins Banyen for an illuminating conversation on The Mysterion: Rumi and the Secret of Becoming Fully Human.
Kabir Helminski is the author of the classic book Living Presence and a renowned translator of Rumi and other Sufi literature. Shaikh Kabir Helminski was the first westerner recognized as a Shaikh, or elder in the Mevlevi Order of Sufism, which dates back to the Thirteenth Century, and is based on the works of the great poet and philosopher, Rumi. He is the co-director of the Threshold Society, a nonprofit Sufi organization, and was the publisher of Threshold Books for twenty years. He is also a producer and writer of Sufi music.