Andrea Gibson: Facing Mortality and Being Adored and Cherished by the Universe

Great poets expand our view—of ourselves, of each other, and of the entire universe. Andrea Gibson was named Colorado’s 2023–25 Poet Laureate for their celebrated verses on love, LGBTQ issues, spirituality, mental health, social justice, and more. In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with Andrea about their approach to work and how their journey through cancer radically changed that approach.

Listen now to this poignant conversation featuring Andrea’s reading of their poem, “Acceptance Speech After Setting the World Record in Goosebumps” and exploring spiritual surrender, finding joy in every instant, facing challenges, moving through grief, the life force of the universe within us, self-love and loving the whole world, trying softer (not harder), the power of relaxation, identifying the keys that open your heart, staying with our fear, activism and loosening our attachment to desired outcomes, being yourself fully, the gift of mortality, giving the present moment the cold shoulder, why authenticity is the most important thing when it comes to writing, the pull of creativity, 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.

Andrea Gibson: Facing Mortality and Being Adored and C...

Andrea Gibson — October 17, 2023

Moshe Gersht: Standing in Certainty During an Uncertai...

Moshe Gersht — November 21, 2023

Responding to an undeniable inner impulse for deeper understanding and purpose, Moshe Gersht left behind a successful career as a musician to study the Torah in Jerusalem. Today, he writes and teaches about the connections between Judaism, mystical wisdom, the mind, and our collective human struggles. In this compelling conversation with Sounds True founder Tami Simon, Moshe discusses his new book, The Three Conditions: How Intention, Joy, and Certainty Will Supercharge Your Life.

Give a listen to this inspiring podcast exploring: trusting that things will get better; holding space for peace and joy amidst chaotic situations; the underlying current of the oneness of infinity; being with our pain instead of fighting it; the search for success versus the search for meaning; finding language for our inner experience through the Torah and Jewish mysticism; the opportunity to connect with God in every moment; the analogy of the seed bursting with potential; the movement of life, of which we are all a part; stepping into “the infinite patience”; the qualities of a supercharged life; choosing the level on which you will experience life; the psychological and spiritual shifts we initiate through the three conditions of intention, joy, and certainty; why “what you focus on, you feel”; building momentum on the path to healing; the fallacy of “finished”; realigning with our essential purpose and our inherent goodness; the anatomy of transition and having faith in yourself; being a spiritual antenna; the two directions challenges can take us; and more.

Lama Rod Owens: The Path of the New Saint

Lama Rod Owens — November 14, 2023

To be a New Saint is to move into a direct relationship with suffering—our own and that of the world—and make a commitment to disrupt that suffering in any way we can, for as long as it takes. In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with Lama Rod Owens about his trailblazing new book, The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors.

Give a listen to this inspiring conversation on how each one of us can become effective agents of social and spiritual liberation. Tami and Lama Rod discuss awakened care and bodhicitta; partnering with ancestral forces and the unseen world; brokenheartedness and our collective emotional labor; disrupting reactivity; the radical act of choosing joy; experiencing our true home; two traits of a prophet: embodying clarity and telling the truth; the New Saint as an ordinary human being; the practice of receiving love; spiritual warriorship and what it means to “fight within love”; prayers of protection; the commitment to get free from suffering; consenting to the work of being a New Saint; and more.

Mpho Andrea Tutu van Furth: I’m Here For Love

“If we as a world ever got even a hint of the incredible love with which God loves us, we would be living in such a different world than we do now.” These are the wise words of Mpho Andrea Tutu van Furth, Tami Simon’s guest in this deeply moving podcast. Give a listen to this inspiring conversation with the daughter of the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu and coauthor of the online course Unstoppable Joy.

Tami and Mpho explore deep faith and finding one’s path to God; the human tendency to act in ways that are counter to love; shifting from unworthiness to unconditional love; having a faith journey and “forging your own way up the mountain”; carrying forth the legacy of Desmond Tutu for a more just and inclusive world; the transformative teaching, “When in doubt, choose love”; real courage; accessing the source of unstoppable joy; disagreeing without being disagreeable; the practice of “disappearing into prayer”; and more.