“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 Dire...
Jan 23, 2023•39 min
The moment I read the title of Pico Iyer’s new book — The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise — I was hooked. Yet, the more I read about people’s pursuits, the more I began to question the notion of paradise. “The struggle of your life is your paradise.” — Eido Roshi Pico’s life offers him an intimate understanding of the nature of human longing; Both as a lifelong traveler and a writer who lives in a small town in Japan and often stays at a monastery. So, I was curious… What are our souls lo...
Jan 12, 2023•1 hr
The first lesson I learned in The Greater Good Science Center’s Science of Happiness course is that I had the wrong definition of happiness. Happiness isn’t solely our positive states, we learn from Science Director Dr.Emiliana Simon-Thomas . It’s feeling content within our whole human experience, which of course, includes emotions like grief and sadness. What’s the most enduring way to cultivate it? Her research continually leads to the same destination: Connection. ‘We often measure life satis...
Dec 08, 2022•59 min
When Tembi Locke was in her twenties she left a letter in a drawer at a coffee shop that read: "I want to live a life of love and companionship." Her heart-expanding memoir and Netflix series, From Scratch , encapsulates its manifestation across three love stories: With her late husband Saro, daughter Zoela, and mother-in-law, Nonna. From Scratch begins with Tembi landing in Italy for a semester abroad, where she’d soon run into Saro on the streets of Florence. The more I reflected on the book, ...
Oct 27, 2022•47 min
“Where you stand, be the soul of that place.” This Rumi quote always reminds me of Manish Chandra . He’s not only the soul of every place he’s in. He illuminates the soul of every person he meets, as a father, friend, and the founder of Poshmark . Manish is an incredible teacher who I’m honored to call my friend. I was thankful to explore the spirit he embodies in today’s episode — One of love and connection, gratitude and perspective. I’ve returned to his words on adaptability over the last few...
Oct 13, 2022•30 min
“My faith lies in the belief that when I help people I live a happier life.” Rebecca Minkoff became an emblem of these words early in our friendship. The more I watched her create change, the more I admired her. I’d soon learn that her optimism isn’t just a mindset. It’s an active commitment to be a force for good. Our conversation is a collection of stories that illustrate this; From being one of the first designers to feature a model breastfeeding at Fashion Week to advancing thousands of wome...
Oct 06, 2022•24 min
When Justine Lucas was 22 she got Love & Rage tattooed on her forearm. It symbolizes the way her late friend, Eric, signed his letters. What began as a way to honor him went on to shape her perspective in an enduring way. “I often glance at it and reflect on the evolution of its meaning,” she says. “I give myself permission to let in and give out all of the love. But, I also recognize that there is a time and place for rage. My love for humanity is what drives me, but also my rage at injusti...
Sep 29, 2022•24 min
The morning I watched Pati Jinich’s documentary on the US-Mexico border coincided with a jarring decision being made in our country. It’s the reason that I remained hopeful amidst the news. La Frontera is a manifestation of Pati’s mission to share the souls of people and places and the food that brings us together. That morning, it was also a lesson on the hope we inspire when we focus on the best in who we are. As a revered chef, cookbook author , and TV host, Pati illustrates how each of our j...
Sep 22, 2022•34 min
How can I make this person feel seen, heard, and valued in the most authentic way possible? Girls Who Code CEO Dr. Tarika Barrett asks this question before every conversation. Her exuberance sharing it became an anchoring insight in our Inspiring Hope series… “These are vital acts — Be it with your children, colleagues, family, or friends…We don’t give joy its due; By being agents of joy, we can enact change. We think about every problem around us, as opposed to recognizing that these small and ...
Sep 15, 2022•39 min
“The word health originates in a word for wholeness,” says renowned physician, author, and speaker Dr. Gabor Maté . “Whether one looks at it from a medical or spiritual point of view: To be healthy is to be whole. As I pondered what I saw with my patients and in my own journey, I realized that the fundamental issue is not: How do we become whole? But, how do we lose the wholeness that is our birthright and our nature? Then, how do we come back to it?” Our conversation about his urgent new book, ...
Sep 13, 2022•54 min
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” — Mother Teresa Today, we’re beginning a new mini-series, Inspiring Hope: A collection of five conversations with admired chefs, activists, and leaders about how they design lives of meaning and impact. Each episode will explore a question that helps us do so. Through answering them, our guests awaken us to the hope that thrives within and between us. Here’s who we're fortunate to hear from... Dr. Tarika Barrett...
Sep 07, 2022•12 min
“If there is one thing that has made a difference in my life, it is the courage to turn and face what wants to change within me.” Elizabeth Lesser ’s gift is putting words to the feelings and longings that shape our human experience. She’s helped over a million people realize them through her life’s work co-founding the Omega Institute . Still, what I admire most about her is her courage opening to the whole human experience. As you’ll find in our conversation, Elizabeth is at once deeply wise a...
Aug 25, 2022•1 hr 8 min
“We’ve really become something quite special. I think at the time of my death, I will remember you.” My eyes filled with tears when The Dalai Lama said this to Archbishop Desmond Tutu during their last conversations captured in Mission: Joy. They center on the concept of Ubuntu that the Archbishop describes — “We can only be human together.” — and awaken us to our belonging to the human family. Ubuntu not only reflects how we contribute to each other’s vitality. It illuminates how caring for eac...
Aug 18, 2022•35 min
“Have you ever had that sense of: ‘I’ve got to go back!’? If you ever hear ‘Turn around’ inside, do it! That’s the universe telling you: You missed something good back there.” Acclaimed illustrator Wendy MacNaughton heeded that call when she passed a boot making workshop on a road trip. In sharing the unforgettable friendship that transpired, she invites us to pause and truly see each other.
Aug 10, 2022•6 min
“Letting go gives us freedom and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If in our heart we still cling to anything — anger, anxiety, or possessions — we cannot be free.” — Thich Nhat Hanh This week, we’re looking at letting go through the lens of forgiveness. In sharing her courageous journey forgiving her father, Dr.Michele Harper illuminates that forgiveness not only offers us peace in the present. It becomes a compass to live in pursuit of it.
Aug 04, 2022•4 min
“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique…It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.” — Revered Choreographer Martha Graham This week, Bob Roth shares how we can keep the channel open. Renowned Transcendental Meditation teacher and CEO of The David Lynch Foundation, he’s learned that creativity isn’t as mysterious a...
Jul 27, 2022•7 min
In this episode snippet, pilates and wellbeing leader Erika Bloom illuminates our body's quest for equilibrium and invites us to approach the balance question from a new lens. What is one signal your body is giving you this week? How might you slow down and listen to it?
Jul 20, 2022•8 min
“In the moment of pause, there is something sacred.” This week, we’re excited to share an invitation to pause and appreciate the beauty around us from Reverend Jen Bailey, Founder of Faith Matters Network and Co-founder of The People’s Supper. What feels sacred to you? How might you pause to honor it this week?
Jul 13, 2022•4 min
“Your past shapes your present. It doesn’t have to define your present.” In this episode snippet, psychotherapist and Frame Co-founder Sage Grazer illuminates the impact of the stories we tell ourselves and how to rewrite them to serve our wellbeing.
Jul 06, 2022•5 min
In this episode snippet, author and renowned life coach Martha Beck illuminates how we can awaken to our inner freedom and live in integrity to sustain it.
Jun 29, 2022•10 min
We often hear that awareness is the greatest agent for change. Our guests teach me it’s also a gift of understanding. Insight around how dopamine influences our behavior is one I carry with me from Dr. Anna Lembke, Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford and Chief of their Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. Her description of dopamine deficit states offers a moment of clarity when I find myself engaged in a habit I know doesn't serve me. Habits can be a source of stress or sustenance. In this...
Jun 22, 2022•12 min
When Maggie Doyne was 18 she saw a young girl breaking stones to sell in a dried riverbed in Nepal. She was taking a gap year until Hima stopped her in her tracks. All she could think was: “What am I supposed to do? In this moment, in this life? What are we, as a human family, supposed to do and be?” Maggie’s initial calling to send Hima to school was the seed of a mission that soon became the BlinkNow Foundation , which now encompasses a thriving children's home, school, women's center, and mor...
Jun 16, 2022•34 min
This week, we’re illuminating life’s most beautiful moments with an exercise from Dr. BJ Miller, Mettle Health Co-founder and hospice and palliative medicine physician… “Close your eyes and think about this last week. Where — even for a millisecond — did you get the feeling that everything was okay, even if it's falling apart? Oftentimes, it's an aesthetic moment — a sunset, a meal, laughing with a grandkid — some connection to the world where time melts away. There's no need for a past or futur...
Jun 08, 2022•10 min
In leadership, as in life - there’s no greater currency than Trust. Without it, no relationship, let alone team or organization can endure. Reflect for a moment on the last time someone in your inner circle betrayed your trust - How did it make you feel? Likely not great - and regardless of the emotion, it’s a feeling that won’t easily be forgotten. On the flip side, think about a relationship where trust is unequivocal - and the influence that has on your sense of self and the relationship with...
Jun 04, 2022•57 min
“There’s deep interdependence that is a biological reality…When we cultivate healthy habits of mind, it actually changes our brain and our bodies. So, when we show up with another person and we’re kind, it’s not only affecting our biology. It’s going to affect the biology of the person with whom we’re interacting.” Dr.Richard J. Davidson studies human flourishing as the Founder of the Center for Healthy Minds and Healthy Minds Innovations as well as a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Mad...
Jun 01, 2022•14 min
Growing up, Kathryn Schulz and her sister’s favorite nights were the ones their dad narrated his own stories about the adventures of Yana and Egbert from Rotterdam; A town he chose because he knew it'd make them laugh. The intentionality behind Isaac’s stories are representative of the abundance of love he aspired to share with his daughters — The love Kathryn now shares with her own. This is where Kathryn’s memoir, Lost & Found , begins and ends. In chronicling her experience losing her fat...
May 26, 2022•32 min
“If we really used good intentions behind everything we did, we would make the world a better place. But, that world can't be a better place and we can't have completely good intentions if we don't know who we are.” Shantell Martin invites us to embark on this journey. Acclaimed visual artist, philosopher, and facilitator, Shantell’s art utilizes questions to inspire self-discovery and the freedom to grow individually and together. We explore how having a pure intention enables our art to come t...
May 19, 2022•35 min
Having worked with admired leaders and well-established organizations for 33+ years, one thing I’ve learned {about individual & organizational excellence} is that there’s a fundamental difference between what it takes to be a good company and what it takes to be a great company. And, an even greater disparity between what it takes to be a great company and one considered amongst the world’s best. The latter prioritize people and design the type of workplace environments where greatness can f...
May 18, 2022•46 min
“If you are going to live a full life after loss, you have to find your way back to joy,” writes Marisa Renee Lee . In Grief Is Love , she unveils love as the compass to get there. Marisa shares insight on navigating our healing journeys, from giving ourselves permission to grieve to naming our feelings and creating a healing circle of family and friends. Her definition of grief — as “the repeated experience of learning to live in the midst of a significant loss” — helps us cultivate the accepta...
May 12, 2022•42 min
“What the Earth wants and what our bodies and our spirits want is to be connected, in this case reconnected, to where we all come from.” In this episode snippet, Edible Gardens LA Founder Lauri Kranz illuminates our path back to nature and the lessons it offers us. How might you find your center in nature this week? What might you let go of when you do? Editor’s Note: This conversation was recorded via phone in 2019 meaning that the audio isn’t as clear as usual. Lauri’s wisdom is so resonant. I...
May 04, 2022•9 min
