We begin today's episode with a short guided meditation focused on being present, fully here with nothing to accomplish. I give a short talk on embracing the mind of the poet and the mind of the business person, exploring these distinctions and lack of distinctions and how we can live and work and play with more meaning and connection. Today's Zen Puzzler comes from a traditional koan about a buffalo jumping through a window. The aim of this puzzler is about letting go of our predicting minds an...
Nov 30, 2023•28 min•Ep. 45
Kristin is founder and CEO at Nia Impact Capital. She is a pioneer in the field of impact investing. She is devoted to re-envisioning capitalism, to changing the face of finance, and to promoting inclusion and diversity in leadership. In our conversation we talk about the importance of understanding money, finance, and investing and the life-changing force that money has. We speak about creating healthy cultures and how Kristin is on the front lines of gender lens investing, both through leading...
Nov 16, 2023•31 min•Ep. 44
Today's podcast features The Power of Priming. We begin with a short meditation. Then Marc talks about how the world tends to prime us for anxiety and speed. As an antidote and practice, we can prime ourselves to be present, open, curious, and creative. Meditation practice is a form of priming. We can utilize priming in all parts of our days, from waking up to starting meetings. Today's Zen puzzler is based on a quote about staring and impermanence.
Nov 02, 2023•28 min•Ep. 43
Henry Shukman is a poet, writer and Zen teacher. He has written a best selling Zen memoir called One Blade of Grass. He is a guiding teacher of the Mountain Cloud Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In this episode we talk about grace: the grace of acknowledging and living from the perspective that everything is gift. We address the tension of practicing with money, success and failure and working skillfully with our many motivations - all in the context of grace.
Oct 19, 2023•37 min•Ep. 42
What is my offering is today's episode. We begin with a short guided meditation on warmhearted curiosity. Then Marc talks about the difference between helping, fixing, and serving - with an emphasis on practices for discovering your own offering. Today's Zen puzzler is using this phrase, What is my offering, as a Zen koan, or a support for going deeper into this realm of discovery.
Oct 05, 2023•29 min•Ep. 41
I'm doing what I can is today's episode. We begin with a short guided meditation. Then I give a short talk about pessimism, optimism, grief, and joy, and address ways of cutting through the dualities of our modern life and doing what we can, with spaciousness and possibility. Today's Zen puzzler is Pai Chang's fox, a traditional Zen koan, about not avoiding cause and effect, or finding our freedom while being fully immersed in the world.
Sep 21, 2023•27 min•Ep. 40
This episode is More Acceptance and Less Unnecessary Effort. We begin with a short guided meditation, followed by a talk on the practice of saying yes - opening and accepting whatever comes our way. It means noticing and saying yes to the pains and possibilities, our resistance and our joy. Today's Zen puzzler is based on a traditional Zen dialogue. What is the Way? Everyday mind is the way.
Sep 07, 2023•25 min•Ep. 39
In this episode, Say Yes to Everything, we begin with a short guided meditation, followed by a talk on the practice of saying yes - opening and accepting whatever comes our way. It means noticing and saying yes to the pains and possibilities, our resistance and our joy. Today's Zen puzzler is based on a traditional Zen dialogue. What is the Way? Everyday mind is the way.
Aug 24, 2023•23 min•Ep. 38
In this practice episode Marc talks about working with change, uncertainty, and transition. He unpacks the teachings of Zen teacher Dongshan who describes 3 strategies for working more skillfully with change: the bird path, the mysterious way, and the open hand. -- leaving no trace, appreciating the unknown, and living with an open hand instead of a closed fist. Today's Zen puzzler is about control, and letting go of control as a path to finding greater ease and freedom.
Aug 10, 2023•25 min•Ep. 37
Dacher Keltner is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and faculty director of the Greater Good Science Center. In this episode we unpack the power of awe - seeing the world fresh and new and how it can benefit our well being, our relationships, and help heal the rifts in our culture. Dacher tells heartfelt personal stories about his own life and the role of awe. We touch on the relationship of mindfulness and awe at work and leadership and in all parts of our liv...
Jul 27, 2023•23 min•Ep. 36
In this episode we do a short meditation on finding more spaciousness, as a way of being. Marc gives a short talk on integrating the ordinary world and the sacred world, including the practice of setting an intention, practicing spaciousness, accountability, and ongoing learning. Today's Zen puzzler is about seeing the world through the lens of non-duality.
Jul 17, 2023•24 min•Ep. 35
Lynne Twist has been a recognized global visionary committed to alleviating poverty, ending world hunger, and supporting social justice and sustainability for more than forty years. She is also the cofounder of the Pachamama Alliance and founder of the Soul of Money Institute. In today's episode Lynn and Marc explore the power of commitment - on many levels, personal, relationships, work, and most of all the power of living a committed life, working toward something larger than ourselves. Lynne ...
Jun 29, 2023•33 min•Ep. 34
Today's episode is called Thriving in Change and Uncertainty. It begins with a short guided meditation, and then a talk about three practices for navigating and shifting our relationship with change and uncertainty. Then, today's Zen puzzler comes from the words of Dongshan, a 9th century Chinese Zen teacher, that includes the phrase, everyone wants to leave the endless changes. It address the practice of becoming more comfortable with change and uncertainty.
Jun 15, 2023•25 min•Ep. 33
Marc sits down with New York Times bestselling author Thomas Moore for an exploration of the practice of emptiness and its impact on well-being and effectiveness. Tune in to discover how spaciousness can help reduce stress and anxiety while supporting your work, ambitions, and aspirations, and receive guidance on embracing emptiness as a tool for achieving daily goals as well as long-term dreams.
Jun 01, 2023•33 min•Ep. 32
This week's episode begins with a short guided meditation with an emphasis on appreciation followed by a talk about striving less, finding more, and giving thanks. This is the practice and power of more finding and less searching as a way of expressing and living with more gratitude and appreciation. And today's Zen puzzler comes from a classic Zen story or Zen koan called Wash your bowl; a classic lesson is less striving and more appreciation.
May 18, 2023•23 min•Ep. 31
This enlightening episode delves into the practical applications of self-compassion. Renowned researcher Kristen Neff shares her expertise on the power of "fierce self-compassion" and how it can benefit individuals, leaders, athletes, and healthcare workers alike. Contrary to misconceptions that self-compassion is a sign of weakness, she highlights how it can build inner strength and resilience, leading to improved well-being and exceptional performance. She cites a study on NCAA athletes who em...
May 11, 2023•36 min•Ep. 30
In this practice episode, Marc guides us through a series of exercises that encourage us to be more present in the moment. He leads a brief meditation focused on releasing our expectations, then shares some insights on the expression: "If you learn to enjoy waiting, you don't have to wait to enjoy." This lighthearted and practical approach can help us let go of frustrations and anxieties, allowing us to appreciate each moment of our lives. Marc also presents a Zen puzzler that delves into the me...
May 04, 2023•20 min•Ep. 29
Psychologist and New York Times best-selling author Rick Hanson joins Marc for a thought-provoking conversation about fostering radically healthy relationships as leaders. Whether it's in the workplace or in our personal lives, developing relationships that balance well-being, compassion, and accountability can be a challenge. Marc and Rick share insights on acceptance and discernment, and discuss the significance of being transparent about wants, needs, and expectations. They look at the effica...
Apr 27, 2023•43 min•Ep. 28
In today's episode Marc leads a short guided meditation with an emphasis on cultivating warmhearted curiosity. He then gives a short talk on shifting your approach from being a victim to being a player, or as Shunryu Suzuki says, being "the boss of everything." This is the practice of taking radical responsibility for your feelings, thoughts, and actions. Today's Zen puzzler is a simple yet profound expression: Whatever You Meet is The Path.
Apr 19, 2023•20 min•Ep. 27
Jon Kabat-Zinn is the father of modern mindfulness practice. As a professor of medicine, he founded the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts - which both popularized and added an important experiential and scientific element to the practice of mindfulness. In this episode, Jon and Marc explore ways to go beyond our thinking minds and our view of self, so that we may access the depth of who we actually are, and the power of love. He also shares some practic...
Apr 13, 2023•50 min•Ep. 26
In this Practice episode, Marc offers a short meditation on finding more spaciousness as a way of being. He also gives a short talk on ways to be less busy, and more open, engaged, and spacious through the practice of setting an intention, engaging in ongoing learning, and intentionally practicing spaciousness and accountability. Today's Zen puzzler is a story about spaciousness and "finding the one who is not busy."
Apr 06, 2023•23 min•Ep. 25
Elissa and Marc speak about health and well-being, and strategies we can embody to enhance and how we relate to challenges and stress, including embracing uncertainty, noticing what we can and can't control, and finding the positive, and even excitement, in the midst of life's challenges.
Mar 30, 2023•35 min•Ep. 24
In this Practice episode, Marc leads a short guided meditation followed by a talk on Change and the 3 Stages of Transition: 1) Pausing, 2) Letting Go, and 3) Re-emerging. He also shares a poem from Naomi Shihab Nye. Today's Zen puzzler is from a formal Zen koan: "What is Zen or what does it mean to be human?" The answer involves an exploration of what we can learn about our lives from trees.
Mar 23, 2023•30 min•Ep. 23
Spencer Sherman joins Marc to talk about money, why so many people struggle with it, and why it's often the root of fear and anxiety, and a feeling that there is never enough, regardless of whether we make little or have great abundance. They discuss the power of "beginner's mind" or not knowing, and letting go of our fixed beliefs about money. Spencer leads us in a guided meditation on letting go of fear and cultivating a felt sense of "enoughness." Guest Disclaimer: All materials are for educa...
Mar 16, 2023•41 min•Ep. 22
In this Practice episode, Marc begins with a short guided meditation on ways to cultivate a sense of awe, wonder, and warmheartedness as the path of finding your authentic power. He then gives a short talk on power as an expression of the heart, of compassion, and as a way of being clear and effective, while also identifying ways that we give our personal power away. Today's Zen puzzler comes from a famous Zen question: "What is the teaching of a lifetime?"
Mar 09, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Norman and Marc talk about work as a spiritual practice, and as a Zen practice. They discuss how to shift from fear, anxiety, and burnout to approaching work as a means to make an offering, and to help and benefit others. They address the practice of confidence and humility, and the lack of distinction between benefitting others and our own wellbeing. And they touch on meditation as a way of not fooling yourself, at work and in all parts of your life.
Mar 02, 2023•33 min•Ep. 20
In this practice episode, Marc begins with a short guided meditation with the theme of impermanence and appreciation, followed by a short talk on the practice of cultivating appreciation. The Zen puzzler is based on a short dialogue from Dogen, the 13th century founder of Zen in Japan, in which Dogen refers to his years of study in China as a lesson in how to appreciate everything life has to offer.
Feb 23, 2023•26 min•Ep. 19
Joan Halifax is known as one of today's most important Zen teachers, especially through her activism or what she refers to as "engaged Buddhism" and from her work in prisons, her programs on grief, death and dying, and much more. Joan and Marc explore the way of the modern Bodhisattva, someone who maintains presence with compassion in the face of extraordinary challenges. Joan shares how her compassion for all beings is her secret for avoiding burnout, along with recognizing and shifting from th...
Feb 16, 2023•35 min•Ep. 18
There is no shortage of frustration in our daily lives. In this episode, we begin with a short meditation, followed by a short talk about effective ways to shift from frustration to acceptance and appreciation. Marc shares one of his favorite poems by Tony Hoagland. Today's Zen puzzler comes from the teachings of Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki. Marc helps the listener unpack various ways to consider and answer the question: What is the most important point for you right now?
Feb 09, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Joel Makower is a world leader in the field of sustainable business and its relation to climate change. Marc and Joel share a heartening conversation about how sustainability gives Joel hope, and how to shift from overwhelm and despair to committed and engaged activism. Joel invites young leaders and entrepreneurs to not settle for vague answers and to truly believe and work toward a better future. He highlights the power of community during these times and affirms how there are more of us who c...
Feb 02, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 16
