600 Podcasts and Counting...
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Most Recent
Ep 3: We Begin with Gratitude
When things are at their darkest, what is it that “allows you to see promise and allows you to see beauty?” Joanna begins her exploration of some of the most difficult emotions and circumstances we face in a surprising place: with gratitude. This episode introduces the concept of the spiral, the basic structure of the Work That Reconnects.
In this episode:
- Why it’s necessary to speak our darkest thoughts out loud
- How to follow our fear and pain into a state of profound gratitude
- The spiral of the Work That Reconnects: gratitude, honoring our pain, seeing with new eyes, and going forth
- Bonus Exercise: “Gratitude Meditation”—the first stage on the spiral
We recommend starting a podcast club with friends or family to do these practices together. Links and assets to help prompt reflection and build community can be found with every episode on WeAreTheGreatTurning.com.
William Ury: Being a Possibilist
A healthy relationship—whether that’s between two people or two nations—is not one in which everyone agrees; it’s one where it’s safe for differences, and we have the skills to honor all of our needs. In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with renowned mediator and bestselling author, William Ury, about his new book, Possible and the insights he has gleaned through more than four decades of conflict-resolution across the globe.
If you only listen to one podcast this year, may it be this one! Tami and William discuss: Meeting animosity with curiosity; shifting perspective and the metaphor of the balcony; self-observation; how more silence leads to more cooperation; the 3A trap: avoid, accommodate, or attack; the link between creativity and conflict; why negotiation is more about listening than speaking; reaching “second order agreement”; creating a “golden bridge” across our divides; universal needs and the question, what do you really want?; humble audacity; the notion of bringing in the third side; the importance of reconciliation; and more.
Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.
Ep 2 Bonus: Envisioning the Great Turning
This bonus episode will support you to take the main insights from Episode 2, “The Three Stories of Our Time,” deeper into your life.
In Episode 2, we talked about the three stories of our time: Business as Usual, the Great Unraveling, and the Great Turning. All three stories are true, and we can choose to give ourselves to the Great Turning—to building a more just and life-sustaining society.
We need inspiring visions for the kind of world we want to live in that can motivate us, move us to action, and so that we know what it looks like to succeed. So, in this bonus episode, we’re going to envision, in detail, what the world might be like if the Great Turning really were the predominant story of our time.
All you need is a quiet place where you can sit and close your eyes. We hope you’ll do this exercise with someone else, so that you can talk together about your experience after you finish. It might also help to have something to write with and on.
We recommend starting a podcast club with friends or family to do these practices together. Links and assets to help prompt reflection and build community can be found with every episode on WeAreTheGreatTurning.com.
Customer Favorites
David Whyte: Being at the Frontier of Your Identity
Tami Simon speaks with David Whyte, a passionate speaker, poet, and author of four Sounds True audio programs, including Clear Mind, Wild Heart and What to Remember When Waking: The Disciplines of an Everyday Life. In this rebroadcast of one of the most popular Insights at the Edge interviews, Tami speaks with David about how each of our lives unfolds as a great conversation with reality, which is the source of originality. David also shares some of his poetry, and explores how our innate sense of exile is actually a core human competency, how vulnerability enhances our perception, and what it might mean to tap into the invisible support that is always available to us. (61 minutes)
Stan Tatkin: I Vow to Take You On as My Burden
Stan Tatkin is a clinical psychologist, couples and family therapist, and the author of Wired for Love. With Sounds True, he has published a new book titled We Do: Saying Yes to a Relationship of Depth, True Connection, and Enduring Love. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Stan about his unique methodology, the Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy (PACT). Stan explains his definition of a couple as a “biological survival unit” and some of the common occurrences that threaten the long-term cohesion of that unit. Tami and Stan discuss the ways attachment styles affect our ability to be in relationship and how we have to accept partners along with their burdens. Finally, Stan details what it means to have “secure functioning” in a relationship and the key lessons for creating a healthy, loving long-term partnership. (69 minutes)
Tami’s Takeaway: “Everyone is a pain in the ass,” teaches Stan, “and so are you.” Listening to Stan, I developed an even deeper appreciation of my beloved wife of 17 years, how she puts up with me . . . and how I put up with her. It also illuminated how the combination can lead to what Stan calls “a secure functioning relationship” where we see each other realistically, not idealistically, and are committed to collaborating as a successful “survival unit” consisting of two perfectly imperfect human beings.
Loch Kelly: The Way of Effortless Mindfulness
Loch Kelly is a meditation teacher, psychotherapist, and the founder of the Open-Hearted Awareness Institute. With Sounds True, he has released the new book The Way of Effortless Mindfulness: A Revolutionary Guide for Living an Awakened Life. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Loch about “effortless mindfulness”—what it is, how it’s realized, and what it means for the next stages of human development. Loch guides listeners in practices for “unhooking” from the stream of thought and dropping into the flow state of effortless awareness. Tami and Loch also discuss the traditional roots of effortless awareness and the many pitfalls that can divert us away from it. Finally, Loch explains that living from effortless awareness is not emotionless and automatic, but is filled with immense compassion and the joy of being in harmony with the present moment. (77 minutes)
