Zenju Earthlyn Manuel is an author and an ordained Zen Buddhist priest whose work and teachings focus upon lived experience in the context of race, sexuality, and gender. Her most recent book, The Way of Tenderness: Awakening through Race, Sexuality, and Gender, discusses how spiritual wisdom divorced from everyday reality is insufficient to heal the wounds of those who have been marginalized. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Zenju speak about her experience of racism with...
Dec 01, 2015•1 hr 19 min
Joan Ranquet is an animal communicator and energy healer who teaches workshops nationwide. With Sounds True, she has published Energy Healing for Animals: A Hands-On Guide for Enhancing the Health, Longevity, and Happiness of Your Pets. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Joan and Tami Simon speak on the baseline concepts of animal communication—its history, evidence, and various applications. They also talk about the use of energy healing with animals, including the similarities between th...
Nov 24, 2015•1 hr 11 min
James Finley is a clinical psychologist and the author of books such as Christian Meditation and The Contemplative Heart. With Sounds True, James has created several audio learning programs including Meister Eckhart’s Living Wisdom and Transforming Trauma (with Caroline Myss). In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and James discuss the concept, history, and direct experience of “the dark night of the soul.” They also speak on the possibility of healing trauma through spiritual prac...
Nov 17, 2015•54 min
Richard Miller is one of the world’s leading authorities on the practice of Yoga Nidra—a deep form of yogic meditation and relaxation. With Sounds True, Richard has published iRest Meditation: Restorative Practices for Health, Resiliency, and Well-Being, a comprehensive audio toolkit for the contemporary use of Yoga Nidra practices. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Richard talk about the use of Yoga Nidra to treat trauma—especially among returning military personnel. They ...
Nov 10, 2015•1 hr 8 min
Tosha Silver is a veteran spiritual teacher and the author of Change Me Prayers: The Hidden Power of Spiritual Surrender. She runs the online Living “Outrageous Openness” school, which guides participants in discovering their own “inner love.” In this inspiring episode of Insights at the Edge, Tosha and Tami Simon speak on offering ourselves and our situation to the divine—especially during tough or troubling times. They also talk about the importance of knowing how to receive, and why so many f...
Nov 01, 2015•1 hr 5 min
Susan Piver is a Buddhist teacher and the New York Times bestselling author of books such as How Not to be Afraid of Your Own Life. Susan is one of the contributors to the Sounds True anthology Darkness Before Dawn: Redefining the Journey Through Depression. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Susan and Tami Simon discuss depression as a catalyst for unexpected change, and how this “strange friend” can help us to become more compassionate. They talk about meditation as a path to opening the...
Oct 27, 2015•1 hr 3 min
Caroline Myss is an internationally renowned speaker, medical intuitive, mystic, and pioneer in the field of energy medicine. She is the author of five New York Times bestsellers, as well as the Sounds True audio learning programs Energy Anatomy, Sacred Contracts, and Your Creative Soul. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Caroline discuss what it means to “heal beyond reason.” They speak on near-death experiences and the nature of the soul. Finally, Tami and Caroline talk ab...
Oct 21, 2015•56 min
Loch Kelly is an author, psychotherapist, meditation teacher, and founder of the Open-Hearted Awareness Institute. With Sounds True, he has released the book and companion audio program Shift into Freedom: The Science and Practice of Open-Hearted Awareness. In this episode of Insights at the Edge—which comprises the second part of the conversation that began on August 18 of this year—Loch leads Tami and the audience through three “doorways” toward unhooking from the flow of thought and entering ...
Oct 14, 2015•1 hr 9 min
Robert Thurman is a prolific author and professor at Columbia University, where he holds the first endowed chair in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies. A close friend of the Dalai Lama, Robert is a cofounder of Tibet House in New York City, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the fragmented culture of Tibet. In this rollicking installment of Insights at the Edge, Robert and Tami Simon discuss how bliss is a fundamental component of our being, as well as how we can tap into that bliss in ...
Oct 06, 2015•1 hr 30 min
don Oscar Miro-Quesada is a shamanic healer, teacher, and the originator of the Pachakuti Mesa tradition of cross-cultural shamanism. With Sounds True, don Oscar Miro-Quesada has created a new audio program called Healing Light: An Apprenticeship in Peruvian Shamanism. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, don Oscar and Tami Simon speak on the practice of Peruvian curanderismo in the modern world. They discuss the importance of creating a personalized altar space and how doing so creates the ...
Sep 30, 2015•1 hr 20 min
Chris Grosso is a public speaker, writer, spiritual director, and recovering addict who leads groups in detoxes, yoga studios, youth centers, hospitals, and festivals worldwide. With Sounds True, Chris Grosso has released a new book called Everything Mind: What I’ve Learned About Hard Knocks, Spiritual Awakening, and the Mind-Blowing Truth of It All. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Chris and Tami Simon discuss the deep connection between spiritual awakening and recovery. They also consi...
Sep 22, 2015•1 hr 15 min
Reggie Ray is a lineage holder of the great Tibetan Buddhist meditation teacher Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, a faculty member of Naropa University, and spiritual director of the Dharma Ocean Foundation based in Crestone, Colorado. He is the author of several books, including Touching Enlightenment and Secret of the Vajra World. With Sounds True, Reggie has released audio learning programs such as Meditating with the Body and Meditation in Seven Steps. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami S...
Sep 16, 2015•52 min
Dominique Christina is a writer, performer, educator, and activist. She holds four national poetry slam titles, including the 2011 National Poetry Slam Champion. With Sounds True, Dominique has released a new book called This Is Woman’s Work: Calling Forth Your Inner Council of Wise, Brave, Crazy, Rebellious, Luminous, Loving Selves. In this episode of Insights at the Edge Tami Simon and Dominique discuss a deliberate use of language and how that use can help women to better author their own liv...
Sep 10, 2015•1 hr 3 min
Bradford Keeney is an internationally renowned scholar, therapist, speaker, and teacher. In addition to being the author of several classics in the field of psychotherapy, including Aesthetics of Change and Shaking Medicine, Brad has a deep connection to elders of numerous indigenous cultures and is a recognized spokesperson for the old ways of ecstatic shaking. He is the author of the Sounds True audio learning course Shaking, and coauthor of the book Shamans of the World. In this episode of In...
Sep 01, 2015•56 min
Dr. Diane Poole Heller is an expert in the fields of adult attachment theory, trauma resolution, and integrative healing. In partnership with Sounds True, she will be hosting the Psychology 2.0 online summit—a 14-day series of presentations from some of the most innovative and engaging figures in contemporary psychotherapy. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Diane and Tami Simon talk about attachment theory and how psychotherapists can work to create a secure holding environment for the he...
Aug 25, 2015•1 hr 4 min
Loch Kelly is a meditation teacher, author, and founder of the Open-Hearted Awareness Institute. With Sounds True, Loch has just published the book and a companion audio series Shift into Freedom: The Science and Practice of Open-Hearted Awareness. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Loch and Tami Simon speak on the discovery of “awake awareness” and how to get in touch with a state that is already present in all of us. They also talk about the difference between effortful and effortless mi...
Aug 18, 2015•1 hr 4 min
David Tresemer is an associate professor of psychology at Rudolf Steiner College. Lila Sophia Tresemer is an author, ceremonialist, and trans-denominational minister. Together with Sounds True, the Tresemers have released The Conscious Wedding Handbook: How to Create Authentic Ceremonies That Express Your Love. In this episode of Insights at the Edge the Tresemers join Tami Simon for a lively discussion about the building blocks necessary for a conscious wedding ceremony. They talk about the “sa...
Aug 11, 2015•59 min
Father Richard Rohr is a Franciscan priest and prolific author. With Sounds True, he has released the six-part audio learning program, The Art of Letting Go: Living the Wisdom of Saint Francis, in which Richard explores the life and teachings of this beloved figure, and offers ways we can incorporate his wisdom into our lives. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Father Rohr and Tami Simon discuss the relevance of Saint Francis in today’s world, what he calls the "spirituality of subtraction...
Aug 04, 2015•52 min
Barbara Brown Taylor is a New York Times bestselling author, professor, and Episcopal priest. She has served on the faculty of Piedmont College as the Butman Professor of Religion and Philosophy since 1998, and has released such widely praised books as Leaving Church and Learning to Walk in the Dark. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Barbara and Tami Simon speak about appreciating the power of divine absence as well as divine presence. They talk about the value of becoming familiar with d...
Jul 28, 2015•53 min
Deepak Chopra is a world-renowned figure in mind-body medicine who has authored more than 80 books. Marilyn Schlitz is a social anthropologist and public speaker who’s been a leader in the field of consciousness studies for more than three decades. With Sounds True, Marilyn Schlitz has written a new book called Death Makes Life Possible: Revolutionary Insights on Living, Dying, and the Continuation of Consciousness, for which Deepak wrote an insightful foreword. In this special edition of Insigh...
Jul 21, 2015•57 min
Malidoma Somé is a West African elder and teacher from the Dagara tribe in Burkina Faso, West Africa. A beloved speaker and workshop facilitator, Malidoma is the author of several books including Ritual: Power, Healing, and Community. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Malidoma and Tami Simon discuss the methods and rituals required to contact one’s ancestors—as well as the nature of the parallel world that they inhabit. They also talk about what we can do to resolve interpersonal issues w...
Jul 14, 2015•1 hr 8 min
Tami Simon speaks with Terry Tempest Williams, a writer, naturalist, environmental activist, and author of several books including Finding Beauty in a Broken World and an original audio adaptation of the book, published by Sounds True. In this interview, Terry discusses her creative process as a writer and how she has been able to find beauty in a broken world. (47 minutes)
Jul 07, 2015•47 min
Ekabhumi Charles Ellik is an artist, poet, and teacher of classical Hatha yoga. With Sounds True, he has created The Shakti Coloring Book—which is not only a beautifully illustrated coloring book for adults, but also a comprehensive guide to dozens of goddesses and their associated yantras. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Ekabhumi speak on how he understands various goddesses and their energetic presence in the world. They also talk about the relationship between the godd...
Jun 30, 2015•1 hr 8 min
Bruce Tift has been in private practice as a psychotherapist in Boulder, Colorado since 1979. He has taught at Naropa University for 25 years, and was a student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. With Sounds True, he has published the book Already Free: Buddhism Meets Psychotherapy on the Path of Liberation. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Bruce and Tami Simon compare and contrast two different approaches to personal transformation: the “developmental” approach of psychotherapy and the “fruit...
Jun 23, 2015•1 hr 10 min
Kevin Griffin is one of the leading lights of the mindful recovery movement, which applies Buddhist concepts of compassion and mindfulness to the journey out of addiction. A longtime meditator, teacher, and Twelve-Step participant, Kevin is the cofounder of the Buddhist Recovery Network. With Sounds True, Kevin has published the book Recovering Joy: A Mindful Life After Addiction, and the audio programs Recovery One Breath at a Time and One Breath, Twelve Steps: A Buddhist Path to Recovery from ...
Jun 16, 2015•1 hr 4 min
Parker J. Palmer is a writer, speaker, and activist who is world-renowned for his many insightful books, including Let Your Life Speak and Healing the Heart of Democracy. With Sounds True, he has most recently contributed to the anthology Darkness Before Dawn: Redefining the Journey Through Depression. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Parker discuss his own passages through clinical depression and the meaning he derived from them. They also speak on the modern cultural tab...
Jun 09, 2015•1 hr 26 min
Vidyamala Burch has lived with chronic back pain as a result of a car accident, multiple surgeries, and congenital spine weakness for more than 30 years. Searching for a way to cope with her situation, she started practicing mindfulness meditation to help accept and move beyond the pain. She is cofounder of the Breathworks organization in the United Kingdom, where she teaches mindfulness-based approaches to living with physical pain and illness. She is also author of the Sounds True book Living ...
Jun 02, 2015•56 min
Agapi Stassinopoulos is an author, blogger, and motivational speaker who conducts seminars worldwide on embracing one’s natural gifts. With Sounds True, she has released the audio version of her book Unbinding the Heart: A Dose of Greek Wisdom, Generosity, and Unconditional Love, enhanced with new guided meditations. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Agapi and Tami Simon speak on how disappointment can be an important teacher and how each of us needs to define success for ourselves. They ...
May 26, 2015•1 hr 3 min
Lionel Corbett is a professor of depth psychology at the Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, California. Drawing from the works of C.G. Jung, Lionel focuses on the integration of psychology and spirituality into a seamless whole. With Sounds True, Lionel has published the audio series Spirituality Beyond Religion: The Direct Experience of the Sacred. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Lionel and Tami Simon talk about numinous experiences and what they say about humanity’s innate ...
May 19, 2015•53 min
Karla McLaren is an award-winning author, social science researcher, and educator whose empathic approach to emotions informs her studies of sociology, anthropology, neurology, and cognitive psychology. With Sounds True, Karla has most recently contributed to the anthology Darkness Before Dawn: Redefining the Journey Through Depression. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Karla and Tami Simon discuss depression as an essential human emotion—one that may carry important messages about what’s...
May 12, 2015•58 min
