On this episode, host Laura Chandler is joined by therapist, teacher, and author John Tsilimparis for a powerful conversation about his latest book, The Magic in the Tragic: Rewriting the Script on Grief and Discovering Happiness in Our Darkest Days . Together, we explore the complexities of grief and how it can become a transformative path to healing and resilience. John shares insights on emotional vulnerability as a strength, how anxiety can be harnessed as a tool for growth, and the role of ...
Jul 24, 2025•36 min
Welcome to the Sacred Stream Radio Podcast. I’m your host, Laura Chandler, and on today’s episode, I speak with Tibetan Buddhist nun, Venerable Ani Choyang. Ani is part of a distinguished group of Tibetan nuns on the path to earning the highest degree in Buddhist Philosophy—an honor that, until recently, was reserved exclusively for men. Her academic achievements extend beyond traditional studies into the realm of Western science. In this conversation, Ani shares the powerful story of her escape...
Jun 26, 2025•1 hr 1 min
On this episode, Laura is joined by author, counselor, and renowned teacher, Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D., to discuss her new book, Depth Hypnosis: A Path to Healing, Power, and Transformation . Isa is the creator of Depth Hypnosis, a pioneering psycho-spiritual healing modality that has empowered thousands to lead happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives. Depth Hypnosis is a unique, integrative approach that weaves together ancient wisdom and contemporary psychological insight. Drawing from tradit...
May 30, 2025•48 min
In this edition, we welcome renowned Buddhist scholar and teacher, Thupten Jinpa, Ph.D., as he answers audience questions following a recent talk at the Sacred Stream. An excerpt from this compelling conversation can be heard in Episode 125: Thupten Jinpa: Part 1: Making Friends with our Minds . In this thoughtful Q&A session, Jinpa shares deep insights on parenting, cultivating compassion amidst adversity, navigating difficult emotions, and facing death with clarity and courage. Drawing on ...
May 01, 2025•37 min
On this episode, we are sharing an excerpt from a recent talk at the Sacred Stream by esteemed author, former Tibetan Buddhist monk, and renowned Buddhist teacher, Thupten Jinpa, Ph.D. Jinpa has been the principal English translator for the Dalai Lama since 1985 and has translated and edited more than ten of his books, along with writing several of his own. He serves as the Board Chair of the Mind & Life Institute, is the founder and president of the Compassion Institute, and is a visiting r...
Apr 10, 2025•26 min
On this episode of the Sacred Stream Radio podcast, Laura speaks with couples therapist and author of Fire It Up: Four Secrets to Reigniting Intimacy and Joy in Your Relationship , Carolyn Sharp . Carolyn leads relationships retreats throughout the country and has over twenty-five years of experience helping people build vital, vibrant, and secure functioning relationships. Early in her career she was a social worker in the foster care system and later became the Clinical Director of the YMCA’s ...
Mar 08, 2025•39 min
On this episode of the Sacred Stream Radio podcast, Laura speaks with Dr. Simon Ruffell. Simon is a psychiatrist and the founder and CEO of Onaya Science, an organization that conducts research into the effects of psychedelic plant medicine ceremonies on body, mind, and spirit. Onaya also offers a Psychedelic Mentorship Training program. Simon follows a collaborative approach to research that combines tradition with science, emphasizing the importance of listening to indigenous healers and inclu...
Feb 07, 2025•40 min
On this episode, Laura reflects on some of the highlights from interviews over the past year. Featured guests include Maria Guidice, best-selling author and founder/former CEO of Hot Studio; Fritz Clay, founder of Fostering Connections; Lauren Markham, journalist and best-selling author of A Map of Future Ruins ; and Henry Shukman, Zen master and author of Original Love . Thank you for listening, liking, reviewing, and subscribing! For more information about these guests, you can visit their web...
Jan 13, 2025•32 min
On this episode of the Sacred Stream Radio podcast, Laura is joined by poet, author, and Zen master, Henry Shukman. Henry is the author of two recent books, Original Love: The Four Inns on the Path of Awakening , and the memoir, One Blade of Grass . He is also co-founder of the single-path meditation app The Way , founder of the Original Love meditation program, and spiritual director emeritus at Mountain Cloud Zen Center . Original Love is a new approach to the ancient path of meditation. It is...
Dec 10, 2024•45 min
This episode is taken from a recent live stream event with Isa and Laura. Isa is an author and the Founding Director of the Sacred Stream. Today they are talking about finding your spiritual path. We are all spiritual beings, but in our everyday lives, it’s easy to forget that we have a spirit that needs to be recognized, listened to, and nourished. Laura and Isa discuss the importance of prioritizing our spirits and finding a spiritual path that supports us. Whether it’s a religious practice, s...
Nov 01, 2024•38 min
Lauren Markham, journalist and author of A Map of Future Ruins: On Borders and Belonging , is the guest on this episode. Lauren’s latest book draws on her career reporting on migration and the issues asylum seekers face in the US and abroad. It centers around the story of the fire that burned down the largest refugee camp in Europe on the island of Lesvos, Greece, and the six young Afghan refugees accused of arson in spite of scant evidence. It takes us deep into causes of migration and offers t...
Oct 03, 2024•52 min
On this episode, Laura talks with Sacred Stream founding director, Isa Gucciardi, about the power of optimism. They cover topics that include staying positive in the face of difficulty and how to embody healthy optimism while avoiding false positivity, magical thinking, and spiritual by-pass. They dive deep on how you can change your life by changing your perspective! Isa and Laura are teachers, counselors, and have co-written several books including Coming to Peace and the soon to be released, ...
Sep 07, 2024•42 min
On this episode of the Sacred Stream Radio Podcast, Laura is joined by Neo-Vedic Astrologer and author of The Candid Guide to Neo-Vedic Astrology , Hogarth Brown. Hogarth is also the host of the popular YouTube channel, Hogarth’s Global Astrology . Hogarth is back on the show to talk about his new book, offer his astrological perspective on the upcoming U.S. election, what the stars reveal about the players involved and what twists and turns we should expect. Hogarth also talks about the spiritu...
Aug 10, 2024•1 hr 2 min
On today’s episode, Laura Chandler and Isa Gucciardi, co-founders of the Sacred Stream, talk about Keeping Cool in Heated Times. Many of us are seeking balance in a world that seems to have lost its cool. Whether it’s political rhetoric, emotional volatility, or hotter than ever planet temperatures, remaining calm and cultivating peace can be challenging. On this episode, Laura and Isa take questions from the chat and offer their thoughts on ways to navigate the current climate. If you would lik...
Jul 25, 2024•41 min
On this episode, Laura Chandler talks with Rick Korn, director of the new documentary, A Father’s Promise , about musician and gun violence prevention advocate, Mark Barden. Mark lost his son, Daniel, in the Sandy Hook School Shooting. Rick is a film and TV producer, writer, and director that works with entertainment companies on creating socially conscious documentaries. He has worked on many award-winning productions, including the Peabody Award winning documentary, Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dre...
Jun 13, 2024•46 min
On this episode, Laura Chandler talks with the co-founders of Empowered Endings, Bob and Elizabeth Uslander. Bob is a medical doctor who worked in emergency medicine for over twenty years and Elizabeth is a social worker and spiritual counselor who spent many years working in hospice. Recognizing the limitations in the current healthcare model for people dealing with end of life, Empowered Endings provides an eco-system of support from medical assistance to counseling and other resources for peo...
May 23, 2024•44 min
On this episode, Laura continues her interview with stylist and co-founder of the non-profit Fostering Connections, Fritz Clay. Fritz is a world-renowned stylist, owner of Hair Play Salon, and creator of the hair care product, “SET.” He grew up in foster care in the SF Bay Area, which he attributes to giving him a profound experience of love and family and he created Fostering Connections to give back to the foster care community. On the last episode, Fritz described how he was abandoned as a ne...
Apr 25, 2024•36 min
On this episode, Laura is joined by the co-founder of the non-profit Fostering Connections, Fritz Clay. Fritz is a world-renowned stylist, owner of Hair Play Salon, and creator of the hair care product, “SET.” Growing up as a foster child inspired Fritz to create Fostering Connections to support the foster care community with hair-care education and workshops. Recognizing that hair is an important part of a person’s identity, he hopes to help bridge the often overlooked gap of understanding abou...
Apr 11, 2024•33 min
On this episode of the podcast, Laura Chandler sits down with Executive Leadership Coach, Depth Hypnosis Practitioner, and the founder of Hot Studio, Maria Giudice. Maria is the co-author of Changemakers: How Leaders Can Design Change in an Insanely Complex World and Rise of the DEO: Leadership by Design . Maria talks with Laura about Maria’s rise from budding art student to running one of the most successful design firms of its time. She shares her vision of future leaders and the necessary qua...
Mar 14, 2024•55 min
On this episode, Laura talks with Joanna Adler, Psy.D and Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D. Joanna is a Depth Hypnosis Practitioner and licensed Clinical Psychologist. Isa is the Founding Director of the Foundation of the Sacred Stream, creator of the groundbreaking therapeutic model Depth Hypnosis, and author of several books, including Coming to Peace: Resolving Conflict within Ourselves and Others . This book reached number one in religion and spirituality on Amazon. Coming to Peace is a highly effective ...
Feb 09, 2024•46 min
Our first Sacred Stream Radio Podcast episode of the year is a look back at some of the highlights from interviews over the past year. Laura talks with guests about a range of topics that include sexism and homophobia, body image and spiritual practice, making our schools and communities safer, the climate crisis, and a Vedic view of the future of the United States. Today’s episode features Grammy nominee and author of Saved by a Song , Mary Gauthier; author of From Bonham to Buddha and Back , C...
Jan 09, 2024•33 min
On this episode, Laura is joined by Mary Gauthier, award-winning singer-songwriter and author of the book, Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting . Described as a “must read book” by Rolling Stone , fellow songwriter Brandi Carlisle says, “Mary’s songwriting speaks to the tender aspects of our humanness. We need her voice in times like these more than we ever have.” Mary has won numerous awards and her songs have been recorded by dozens of artists, including Jimmy Buffett, Dol...
Dec 13, 2023•47 min
On this episode, Julie Lewis returns to talk with Laura more about her book, Still Positive: A Memoir , and her experience as a 39-yr HIV survivor. Julie is a mom, advocate, and co-founder of the 30/30 project, which she created with the encouragement of her son, multi-grammy winner Ryan Lewis, of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. Julie was infected with HIV in 1984 but not diagnosed until the early 1990s when she was given three to five years to live. After years of silence about her disease, she fo...
Nov 30, 2023•44 min
On this episode, Laura talks with Julie Lewis, author of the new book, Still Positive: A Memoir . Julie is a 30-year HIV survivor, and the book tells her fascinating and inspiring story. She is also the mother of multi-grammy winner, Ryan Lewis, of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and with his encouragement, she founded the 30/30 Project, a non-profit whose mission is to bring access to quality, affordable healthcare to those who need it most. Laura and Julie talk about her diagnosis of HIV early in...
Oct 26, 2023•37 min
On this episode, Laura Chandler speaks with Mark Barden, co-founder and CEO of Sandy Hook Promise, an organization formed by several families who lost loved ones in the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012. Since the death of his son, Daniel, in this tragedy, Mark has dedicated himself to creating a platform that advances gun safety, youth mental health, and violence prevention. Sandy Hook Promise has been key in helping pass nonpartisan legislation at the state and federal level through inclusive...
Sep 26, 2023•45 min
This episode is taken from a live event with Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D. and Laura Chandler discussing the concepts of soul mates, past lives, and reincarnation. Have you ever wondered if you have lived before? Have you ever met someone that you felt an instant connection with and wondered if that connection might have originated in a past life? Or are you skeptical about the idea of past lives and reincarnation? Isa has been a Buddhist practitioner and teacher for many decades and Laura has extensive ...
Aug 30, 2023•57 min
On this episode, Laura Chandler speaks with the President of the Mind and Life Institute, Susan Bauer-Wu, about her new book, A Future We Can Love: How We Can Reverse the Climate Crisis with the Power of Our Hearts and Minds . This book was inspired by a conversation on the climate crisis between Greta Thunberg and H.H. Dalai Lama presented by the Mind and Life Institute in 2021. A Future We Can Love is an informative, highly readable, and important contribution to the conversation on the climat...
Jul 25, 2023•45 min
On this episode, Laura Chandler talks with Dr. Charryse Johnson, clinical psychologist, mindfulness practitioner, and author of the book, Expired Mindsets: Releasing Patterns That No Longer Serve You Well . Charryse has a special ability to break down complex concepts into understandable actionable items. In this conversation, Laura and Charryse explore those mindsets that keep us stuck in ways of being that no longer serve us and how to change them. Her message is one of hope, based in the scie...
Jun 24, 2023•43 min
On this episode, Laura Chandler talks with Joseph Selbie, author of Break Through the Limits of the Brain . In this fascinating conversation, they explore the intersection of the Divine and Neuroscience. Specifically, they look at how we are wired to perceive through our five senses and how we can rewire the brain to better perceive and engage with subtle states of being. Joseph helps explain the pitfalls of scientific materialism’s limited perspective on reality and explains the reasoning behin...
Jun 03, 2023•1 hr 3 min
Welcome to the 100th episode of the Sacred Stream Radio Podcast! On this episode, Laura Chandler is joined by Sacred Stream Founding Director, Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D., to talk about the Sacred Stream and its 20th Anniversary. In 2003, Laura and Isa founded the Foundation of the Sacred Stream, a school for consciousness studies, to provide space for their workshops, and to provide a place for other teachers, artists, and thought leaders to share their vision and experience. In 2009, they opened the ...
May 15, 2023•33 min
