Chris Grosso The Indie Spiritualist

Loch Kelly, M.Div., LCSW is the author of, Shift into Freedom: The Science and Practice of Open-Hearted Awareness. He is an educator, licensed psychotherapist and recognized leader in the field of nondual meditation who was asked to teach Sutra Mahamudra by Mingyur Rinpoche and nondual meditation by Adyashanti. Loch has worked in community mental health, established homeless shelters and counseled family members of 9/11. He is the founder of the non-profit Open-Hearted Awareness Institute. Loch collaborates with neuroscientists at Yale, UPenn and NYU to study how awareness training can enhance compassion and wellbeing. Visit lochkelly.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As a person in long term recovery from depression, trauma, self harm and substance abuse, compassionate and effective treatment of adolescent health is mission critical to Jamison Monroe. He is the Founder and CEO of Newport Academy, a series of healing centers for teens and families struggling with mental and behavioral health issues. With locations in California, Connecticut and New York City, Newport Academy encompasses four state of the art residential treatment programs, two comprehensive outpatient programs, and three nationally recognized therapeutic high schools designed specifically for teens in recovery. 
An Executive Producer of a truly game changing documentary about the prescription drug abuse epidemic among our nation's youth called Behind The Orange Curtain, Monroe, is a regular national news contributor on the topic of adolescent mental health to CNN, HLN, CBS and other major news outlets. Monroe has testified in front of the Parliament of the United Kingdom on the subject of teen prescription drug abuse. As a cofounder of drugsoverdinner.org, Monroe is a big part of our nation having over 10,000 dinner conversations about the impact of drugs on our society and making a push to end the stigma associated with addictive behaviors. Monroe’s global impact has been recognized by a host of international dignitaries and his tireless efforts have earned him several accolades including the illustrious Mona Mansell Award, which was presented to Jamison in 2014 by the Freedom Institute for his indelible mark on the addiction community and his passion for positive change. Monroe currently resides in New York City and serves on the board of directors for several non-profits and some of the world’s most progressive creative thinking projects such as the Inspiration Foundation and the Global Adolescent Project. Jamison Monroe continues to raise the bar wherever his passion and commitment take him.   See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dana Sawyer is a full-time Professor of Religion and Philosophy at the Maine College of Art, and an adjunct professor of Asian Religions at the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine. He is the author of two critically acclaimed spiritual biographies, of Aldous Huxley (2002) and Huston Smith (2014), and has written on a wide range of topics related to consciousness expansion, Tibetan Buddhism, Hindu mysticism, psychedelic experience, and alternative philosophies. Besides teaching at the academic level, Prof. Sawyer is a popular speaker on the lecture circuit, having taught workshops at the Esalen Institute, the Kripalu Institute, and other such centers of psychological, spiritual and philosophical inquiry. His work has appeared in Tricycle, the Buddhist Review, Parabola magazine, Yoga Journal and other such publications. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jonas Elrod is a southern writer and director, grew up in GA with a deep appreciation for story as a means for change. He fell in love with stories told on porches late at night of fallen heroes, misfit love, and spiritual redemption. His appreciation for personal truth and deeper meaning has been a compass for his fiction and non-fiction work. His first documentary feature is Wake Up, which premiered at South by Southwest Film Festival. Wake Up found a wide audience in theaters across the country and was the premier episode on the Emmy award winning Super Soul Sunday on the Oprah Winfrey Network. The film was partnered with an interview by Oprah Winfrey. Jonas' latest project is directing and hosting a series for the Oprah Winfrey Network titled, In Deep Shift with Jonas Elrod, which is an unflinching look at what walking a spiritual path looks like. The series tracks Jonas as he travels across the country in search for people whose lives are forever changed by breakdown and breakthrough experiences. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

JP Sears is an emotional healing coach, international teacher, world traveler, and curious student of life. His work empowers people to live more meaningful lives. JP presents classes, workshops, online seminars, and leads retreats at numerous locations around the world on inner healing and growth. He is also very active on his YouTube channel, AwakenWithJP, where he encourages healing and growth through his entertainingly informative and inspiring videos. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Liam is a world-renowned musician, a not-so-famous writer, rookie father, and avid psychonaut; most well known for his long-term tenure playing bass with the Dillinger Escape Plan. His other interests include traveling, yoga, meditation and most topics that fall under the umbrella of “mindfulness.” Liam lives in Philadelphia. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tommy Rosen is a yoga teacher, writer, and addiction recovery expert who has spent the last two decades immersed in yoga, recovery and wellness. Tommy has certifications in both Hatha and Kundalini Yoga and Meditation. He is one of the pioneers in the burgeoning field of Yoga and Recovery and has over twenty years of experience assisting others to holistically transcend addictions of all kinds. Tommy is the founder of Recovery 2.0: Beyond Addiction Conference and also leads the Recovery 2.0 #MoveBeyond Coaching Program. He presents workshops annually at Esalen, and Kripalu. Tommy’s first book, Recovery 2.0: Move Beyond Addiction and Upgrade Your Life was published by Hay House in 2014. Tommy and his wife, noted yoga teacher, Kia Miller, live and teach in Venice, CA. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Keli is an ex-punkrocker, mother of three amazing kids. She joined the Hare Krishna’s when she was 19, but she remembers loving Krishna way before then. She and her husband Saci own Equal Vision Records. Keli also teaches yoga, chant kirtan and loves dark chocolate with peanut butter. • Hare Krishna – Keli discusses her childhood in upstate New York and how at 7 years old, while visiting a nearby ashram, she saw a picture of the universal form of Krishna, which led to an immediate heart and soul experience for her. She also discusses the influence that the Mahabharata Comic Books and movie Gandhi had on her at an early age. • Rebellious Spirit –Keli and I take a stroll down punk/hardcore memory lane as we discuss our introductions to it during our teenage years. From Keli seeing Black Flag in 1986 to our parents supporting our involvement in the punk/hardcore scene and much more, we cover a lot of old school ground. • Krishna-Core – Keli discusses playing guitar with the legendary hardcore band 108 while living at a Vivekananda ashram. She also recounts other Krishna bands and members such as Shelter, Prema, Ray Cappo (Ragunath), John Porcelly and more. She also shares about the time she tried to describe 108 to Krishna Das and his response. 13:38 • Equal Vision – Keli shares talks about her and her husband Saci’s record label Equal Vision, which has been a staple in the punk/hardcore music movement since the 90’s and how it continues to be today. • Mantrology – From Equal Vision to Mantrology, Keli talks about her and Saci’s bhakti record label which has became a seva for them as all of their profits go to supporting foundations such as Food for Life Vrindavan, a school for very poor children in Northern India: Share Your Care, a mobile eye clinic for rural villagers in India, which is under the direction of Radhanath Swami, Off the Mat Into the World, through the students of Seane Corne. Mantralogy also partners with The Call and Response Foundation, an organization that brings Sacred Music to at risk youth, and into prisons. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.