Last year we brought you a real Esalen check-in (episode one). Some months later, a follow up episode dropped. This practice of the check-in is rooted in the Gestalt therapy that evolved at Esalen over the years. It's an authentic cornerstone of the Esalen experience, often described as a catalyst for self-awareness, connection, and personal growth. Today's episode is the logical continuation - Episode 3, feat. Rossano Shepherd, Peggy Horan, Jess Siller, Sawyer Lavelle, Shira Levine, and Sam Ste...
Jul 12, 2025•37 min
In this lively episode, psychiatrist Dr. Jacob Towery invites us into the heart of his upcoming Esalen workshop on overcoming shyness, releasing shame, and embracing authentic connection. A Stanford-trained psychiatrist, Dr. Towery works with adolescents and adults in private practice. His approach blends evidence-based therapy with playfulness, skillful vulnerability, and social courage. Here, he guides live shame-blocking and flirtation exercises with two brave Esalen staff members, Liz Lea an...
Jun 30, 2025•55 min
Jacoby Ballard is a trans yoga teacher, social justice educator, and author of A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditations for Liberation. In this episode of Voices of Esalen, Ballard shares reflections on how contemplative and wellness spaces can deeply support queer and trans communities, especially in a time of heightened visibility, vulnerability, and political resistance. The conversation moves through themes of embodiment, parenthood, and liberation. Ballard offers insights into the experience of...
Jun 13, 2025•44 min
Anaïs Nin was a literary pioneer who wrote boldly about the inner lives of women long before it was culturally accepted. Her work, including Delta of Venus, Little Birds, The House of Incest, and her 16-volume diary, continues to influence generations of writers. Nin’s life was as unconventional as her prose. She trained in psychoanalysis with Otto Rank, conducted passionate affairs with both Henry Miller and his wife June, and for a time maintained two simultaneous marriages on opposite coasts....
May 31, 2025•55 min
In this episode of Voices of Esalen, host Sam Stern sits down with two members of the Esalen community, Sarah Lavelle (also known as Sawyer) and Abigail Barnes (also known as Bo), for a heartfelt conversation about non-binary identity, self-expression, and the journey of living beyond the binary. Topics include personal stories, pronouns, the evolving language of gender, and the beauty and difficulty of being one’s authentic self in a world still learning how to understand. Sawyer is a longtime ...
May 14, 2025•51 min
Ari Kuschnir is a filmmaker, creative strategist, and the founder of the production company m ss ng p eces. His work is driven by themes of empathy, consciousness, and transformation. In this episode, Ari joins Sam for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of storytelling, particularly in the arena of AI filmmaking. They explore the ethical and emotional landscape of generative AI, and his new Esalen-inspired short video, a surreal time-traveling narrative conjured through text-to-video tool...
Apr 30, 2025•47 min
We sit down with Dr. Elizabeth Philipose to trace the roots of modern patriarchy back to the “1492 paradigm” of Euro-colonialism and its enduring assault on femininity, the body, and the earth. Elizabeth unpacks how ideas of weakness, passivity, and scarcity were written into our social, political, and economic institutions, and how those same systems still drive homophobia, environmental destruction, and today’s surge of authoritarian fear. Dr. Philipose also lays out the foundations of decolon...
Apr 23, 2025•31 min
Ramzi Fawaz is an award-winning queer cultural critic, public speaker, and educator. He is the author of two books, including "The New Mutants: Superheroes and the Radical Imagination of American Comics" (2016), and "Queer Forms." (2022). In 2019-2020, Fawaz was a Stanford Humanities Center fellow. He is currently a Romnes Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Please be warned: this conversation is a firehose of brilliance. We cover a frankly outrageous number of topics, ...
Apr 09, 2025•48 min
Today, we're opening the vaults to share a rare and remarkable recording from Esalen’s rich historical archive: a 1967 lecture and live demonstration by none other than Dr. Ida Rolf, the pioneering founder of Structural Integration—more commonly known today as Rolfing. But what is Rolfing? Often described as intense (and sometimes even painful), Rolfing is a powerful form of bodywork that focuses on the manipulation and realignment of connective tissue—fascia—to promote structural balance and ph...
Mar 31, 2025•1 hr 21 min
Today we’re sharing a conversation that took place in October 2022, between members of the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County and the Esalen Institute. Representing the Esselen tribe are Jana Nason and Stephen Vicente Arevalo. Jana Nason is an Esselen and Rumsen descendant, and an enrolled tribal member of the ETMC. She is the nonprofit secretary, and serves on the Tribal Council as Tribal Administrator and Secretary, Publications Chair, and Cultural Resource Committee member. She also manages the...
Mar 24, 2025•58 min
Once again, we’re diving deep into the Esalen archives to share a fascinating historical recording - this one featuring electronic music pioneer Doug McKechnie. In the late 1960s and early '70s, Doug McKechnie was at the cutting edge of musical innovation, harnessing the revolutionary Moog synthesizer to create mesmerizing sounds. McKechnie was a contemporary of iconic figures like Wendy Carlos, known for the 1968 record "Switched-on Bach," a collection of pieces by Bach that were performed by C...
Mar 17, 2025•59 min
Richard Horan first arrived at Esalen in the mid 1960s, traveling from Los Angeles to Big Sur at the height of a cultural renaissance. He was an early member of the Esalen massage crew and played a pivotal role in founding the Esalen Garden, a space that continues to nourish the land and community today. He was also deeply involved in the psychedelic inquiry of the time. Over the years, his connections to Esalen deepened: with Gabrielle Roth he had a son, Jonathan Horan. Later, he married Peggy ...
Mar 10, 2025•26 min
A few months ago we brought you a real Esalen check-in (episode one). This practice, rooted in the Gestalt therapy that evolved at Esalen over the years is an authentic cornerstone of the Esalen experience. It's often described as a catalyst for self-awareness, connection, and personal growth. Today's episode is a continuation - Episode 2. Our check-in features Alex Shepherd, Peggy Horan, Jess Siller, Faith Blakeney, Shira Levine, and Sam Stern. What you'll hear is real. It is authentic and unsc...
Feb 24, 2025•30 min
Today we're opening up the vault to share an extraordinary archival recording from one of the most influential figures in Esalen's history, Frederic Spiegelberg — and while that name might not be as immediately recognizable as some of the luminaries who graced Esalen's grounds, like Joseph Campbell, Alan Watts, or Gabrielle Roth, understanding Frederic Spiegelberg and his place in Esalen mythology might be key to understanding Esalen itself . . . because in truth, without Frederic Spiegelberg, t...
Feb 11, 2025•1 hr 3 min
For the past several years, I’ve been lucky enough to work closely with the famed and slightly disorganized Esalen archives, diving deep into the history of this extraordinary place. I’ve fashioned several multimedia talks out of the material that I’ve uncovered, one on the history of altered states at Esalen, another on the 1970s and 80s. And recently, I had one of those rare, thrilling moments that every archive enthusiast—every crate digger, like me—dreams of. A while back, I made a trip out ...
Feb 02, 2025•58 min
Shannon Algeo is a psychotherapist, author, and teacher. He is also a Soul Coach, Yoga Nidra teacher, and the founder of Soulumination Meditation. Shannon works with clients to heal patterns of trauma so they can show up in the world with presence, purpose, and peace. His work has been featured in Rolling Stone, ABC news, and Yoga Journal. Shannon came to Esalen in December of 2024 to lead a workshop on smartphone addiction. Together we spoke about attachment theory and how it figures into techn...
Jan 17, 2025•1 hr
Deborah Eden Tull is a leading Buddhist and EcoDharma teacher whose wisdom has touched countless lives. Recently, Eden and her husband, Mark, faced a life-altering tragedy when Hurricane Helene swept through Western North Carolina, destroying their home as well as all their belongings, and very nearly claiming their lives. Eden has long been a powerful voice urging humanity to face the climate crisis with clarity and courage, and her teachings feel especially poignant in light of this personal l...
Dec 19, 2024•45 min
Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda is a globally recognized scholar, disability rights advocate, social impact entrepreneur, and international consultant on accessibility and inclusion. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Dr. Pineda was diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy as a child, a challenge that inspired his lifelong commitment to advancing the rights and dignity of people with disabilities. He became the youngest delegate involved in drafting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons ...
Dec 11, 2024•26 min
Josef London has been a cornerstone of the Esalen community for more than 30 years. In our conversation Josef shares about the leap of faith that brought him to Esalen from Rio de Janeiro in search of healing, transformation, and a place to call home. Today, guests know him from the Gate; he is one of the first people they meet upon arriving at Esalen. He has a delightful smile, but what they may not know is that Josef is steeped in the philosophy of Gestalt, and that he is decidedly not conflic...
Nov 19, 2024•38 min
Chandra Easton is a senior Dharma teacher, author, and translator of Tibetan Buddhist texts. She is well renowned for her efforts to elevate the empowered feminine in Buddhism. Chandra has a deep lineage of study under the guidance of prominent Tibetan and Western Buddhist teachers, beginning her journey in Buddhist practice at the age of four. She’s spent decades bridging traditional Tibetan teachings with a modern approach, making profound wisdom practices accessible and relevant for today’s w...
Nov 04, 2024•58 min
John Marks is the founder of Search for Common Ground, an international NGO whose purpose is to end violent conflict around the world. In 2018, Search was nominated for a Nobel Peace prize. Over the years some of their notable work has included helping to avert genocide in Burundi, supporting free elections in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and creating training in the Democratic Republic of Congo to curb sexual assault. Marks is the author of the new book From Vision to Action, Remaking the world th...
Oct 22, 2024•46 min
Justin Michael Williams is an author, activist, meditation teacher and musician. His book Stay Woke established him as a pioneering millennial voice for diversity and inclusion in wellness. His work has been featured by The Wall Street Journal, Grammy.com, Yoga Journal, Billboard, Wanderlust, and South by Southwest. Justin was the artist in residence at Esalen during the month of July. He shared his thoughts with us on racism, healing, virtue signaling, men's eating disorders, Eckhart Tolle, the...
Oct 14, 2024•51 min
Adam Bramlage is Founder and /CEO of Flow State Micro, a functional mushroom company and microdosing education platform. Adam has helped hundreds of people, from professional athletes to people suffering from addiction and depression, achieve results through microdosing in his private practice. This interview gives the basics of microdosing; it's a great primer for anyone just at the beginning of their journey. Adam will be hosting a webinar with psychedelic pioneer and the father of modern micr...
Oct 14, 2024•33 min
Louie Schwartzberg is the filmmaker behind "Fantastic Fungi" - he's back now with a follow up film: "Gratitude Revealed." Louie has created and worked on a score of films in his life, including his own features like Mysteries of the Unseen World and Wings of Life, as well as the Netflix series Moving Art. Over the process of his career, it's fair to say that he’s revolutionized the field of time-lapse photography. Louie has also been a contributing cinematographer or visual effects artist to man...
Oct 14, 2024•38 min
Chef Elle Simone is a well-known American chef, culinary producer, test cook, and food stylist. In 2013, after realizing that women and persons of color were underrepresented among chefs, she founded SheChef, a mentoring and networking organization for women of color in the culinary field. She can be seen on PBS on America’s Test Kitchen and is the first African American woman to appear as a regular host on that show. Chef Elle is also a survivor of ovarian cancer and shows up as an activist and...
Oct 14, 2024•33 min
Today we’re sharing a conversation that took place in October, 2022, between members of the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County and the Esalen Institute. Representing the Esselen tribe are Jana Nason and Stephen Vicente Arevalo. Jana Nason is an Esselen and Rumsen descendant, and an enrolled tribal member of the ETMC. She is the nonprofit secretary, and serves on the Tribal Council as Tribal Administrator and Secretary, Publications Chair, and Cultural Resource Committee member. She also manages th...
Oct 14, 2024•58 min
Today our episode is an encore presentation of Michael Pollan’s keynote presentation at the 2019 Psychedelic Integration Conference at the Esalen Institute. Pollan is the author of six New York Times bestsellers, including 2018’s “How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence.” This tome has become a four-part Netflix show, also entitled “How to Change Your Mind.” Pollan gives a great speech here, tou...
Oct 14, 2024•1 hr 3 min
✧༺mirrored fatality is the nonbinary Kapampangan-Pilipinx and Pakistani-Muslim performance art duo of Mango and Samar, artists in residence at Esalen during the summer of 2021. Together we discuss the difference between non-binary and trans, how they share their rituals, altars, and medicine through DIT (Do It Together) experimental and healing noise punk, why punk as a genre is their musical choice, how fashion can be weaponized, why farming is a huge part of their lives and creative practice, ...
Oct 14, 2024•1 hr 12 min
Dr. Brian Pace is a lecturer who teaches Psychedelic Studies at The Ohio State University. He is trained as an evolutionary ecologist, specializing in phytochemistry, ethnobotany, and ecophysiology. He believes in grassroots drug decriminalization efforts and hopes to find alternative policies to the imperial drug war. For more than a decade, Brian has worked on agroecology and climate change. Dr. Nese Devenot is a Postdoctoral Associate at the Institute for Research in Sensing (or IRiS) at the ...
Oct 14, 2024•52 min
Akuyoe Graham is founder of the Spirit Awakening Foundation, an arts based non-profit dedicated to helping underserved youth in the juvenile justice system. Since its inception in 1995, SAF has been a pioneer in developing and offering restorative, trauma-informed, prevention and intervention programs to underserved, incarcerated and systems-involved youth in Los Angeles County. Akuyoe speaks about how difficult and broken the juvenile justice system is, what tools she gives the participants in ...
Oct 14, 2024•1 hr 10 min
