Meditation Without Borders – Being the Change Podcast

It's hard to imagine in the western world, but in Nigeria, girls as young as ten are married and four out of every ten girls are married before the age of eighteen, eight out of ten in the northern region. When a girl is forced into marriage, sometimes to a man old enough to be her grandfather, she often cannot continue her education unless her husband allows it, she is likely to live her life illiterate, and she faces a higher risk of death from childbirth due to being neither physically or emotionally ready.  In this episode, we speak with Habiba Mohammed and Maryam Albashir, the co-director and deputy director respectively of the Centre for Girls' Education in Nigeria. These women have dedicated their lives to helping girls through educational programs, safe spaces, Gender-based violence prevention, vocational and leadership training and other mentorship programs through the Centre which has helped thousands of girls since it opened in 2007.  Until this interview, we did not understand just how far reaching the issue of child marriage was in the Sahel region of Africa, and we were blown away by the incredible impact these women have had in improving the lives of so many girls.  We believe that if we want to see more peace in this world, it starts with empowering the girls and women and Habiba and Maryam are showing all of us how. You can learn more about or make a donation to the Centre for Girls Education HERE.2.08: Marital Age in Northern Nigeria7.23 Education of Habiba Mohammed8.17 “My mother, she always tells me that the schooling is not for anybody but for me. So I should understand that I am not doing anybody a favor by going to school. I am doing myself. So I need to know that I want to change my life, I will be who I want to be, if I go to school. It can influence the husband that I marry, it can influence the friends that I have, and it will influence the way I want to live my life.” Habiba Mohammed9.24 Maryam Albashir´s Story12.20 A Mother to All13.00 Arranged and non arranged marriages15.00 Going to the communities 16.31 “At the safe spaces we encourage the girls to go back home and discuss what they are learning in the safe spaces to their mothers and their aunties and their other siblings. So this helped us to get very acceptance in the communities.”  Habiba Mohammed16.57 Number of girls they have helped educate20.00 Things the girls learn at the safe spaces20.30 “What we do at the safe spaces is also to empower her, for her to know her self worth, for her to be able to identify what she wants to become in life. Some of these girls, depending on the category of project that we enroll them into, we empower them with vocational skills. So along the line, if they start earning an income it gives them an upperhand in their homes, it gives them a voice to say who they want to be or what they want to become in life.”  Maryam Albashir23.00 1st story of success, story of Sakina27.30 Favorite part of their job29.50 Their message to the world “Every girl, wherever she is, needs an education. And she needs to be empowered and she needs to be who she wants to be in life. So if we are educated and we are given that opportunity the sky is not our limit, the sky will be our starting point.” Habiba Mohammed

With all eyes on the conflict in Isreal, Lebanon and Gaza, it can be easy to sink into despair witnessing the endless stream of news stories of violence and devastation. However, there are some who are like lights in the darkness, spreading peace and love at the center of the strife.    We are so honored to have one of those people on our podcast, Nechama Shaina, an expressive arts therapist originally from the Chabad community in the Bay Area of California who currently resides in Israel with her two teenage children. She has a background in clinical psychology and uses dance, drama and visual arts in her therapy. She has been playing an active role in healing those who have been so horribly affected by the current conflict there including giving hands-on treatments for the Kibbutz Be'eri survivors of the October 7th attack where Hamas-led terrorists killed 101 people in that kibbutz alone. She also organizes healing retreats for the grieving Druze women who lost their children during the Hezbollah attack on the soccer field in Majdal Shams this past summer.  Speaking with Nechama, we were in tears listening to how she brings her life journey of creativity, her passion for the sacred feminine and her deep knowledge of the Jewish tradition to anyone who has need allowing those she treats the space to heal on the level of mind, body, heart and soul.  She is a true pioneer, and her diverse background puts her in the unique position to be of great service at this particular time in Israel's history. We feel like we got a glimpse into what it is really like to be there now at the center of the conflict, and surprisingly, miraculously, it was a glimpse of hope.  Meditation Without Borders is currently raising funds to go to Isreal in 2025 in collaboration with Nechama Shaina to teach Vedic meditation to the women and mothers in Isreal of various backgrounds who are most effected by the current conflict. If you would like to contribute to this effort, please consider donating HERE. Show Notes: .30 Intro to Nechama2.00 Nechama´s current work 3.19 Druze Community 6.18 “Once you connect to the people that have been at the edge of life and death there is something very sacred there.” Nechama 7.53 Nechama means comfort9.25 “He said I want to continue learning Arabic cause I want to learn how to speak to the Palestinian people and not fight with weapons.” Israeli Soldier14.00 Nechama´s story in her own words14.20 “My Mom and Dad raised me with one of the many many foundations of the belief system that we are being breathed into existence every moment by the divine. It's not the divine that created us and this universe and just took a walk. That we are being intended or dreamed into this planet.” Nechama 15.00 The Hasidic Community 16.30 The Role of Women in Judaism 18.28 Being a Scribe and the Ketubah22.00 Inspiration for Ketubah Piece 25.52 Collective Consciousness of Israel right now 29.30 Methods of Healing33.50 Priestess and Weavers 35.00 The Feminine in Judaism37.49 “Our words are so powerful right? Our words create reality. Our thoughts create reality. How much more so do our words create reality when we bring in the divine feminine in our prayers, in our words. So we are bringing her in reality, in our presence, in our consciousness.”  Nechama 38.38 The Feminine Rising as Controversial in Different Traditions40.46 Different therapies and Body work therapy for working with communities in Israel43.00 Breathing Techniques50.27 Pilgrimage Dream52.07 “I felt like this dream was about opening the gates of prayer for each other. Like we are opening those gates together and praying in different languages. And that's actually what I did back in the year 2000. There was a whole group of Christians, Muslims and Jews, Israelis that came together overlooking the temple mount and the mosque and the western wall. and right in between the Jewish and Muslim quarter in the old city and we would come together, pray in different languages, talk, sing.”  Nechama  52.27 “I've had this strange opportunity and it's weird to say it's an opportunity to be here in this country for really challenging times. And opportunities for a lot of growth and healing.” Nechama 

Recorded October 2024 While it seems like the patriarchy is at its peak and brutality is rampant around the world, it can feel like we're all tumbling towards darkness. However, when we take a wider view, we see that there is a larger movement at play, and there is hope of a phoenix rising from the destruction–the rising of the Feminine.   In this episode, Isabel and Kristen discuss the nature of the Feminine as infinite organizing power and how to spot its promising emergence on the world stage and in our own lives. We hope our conversation can help ease some of the anxiety around what is going on in the collective and inspire mobilization for positive change. Show notes: 2.00 The Safe space between Women4.20 Tide Shift of the Feminine no longer receding7.00 The New Role8.00 Kali Yuga9.00 The Receding of the Feminine12.00 The Women in Rwanda13.00 “The feminine has in it this quality in which it sees everybody as equal.If you imagine a mother, all her children are equal to her. And so there is something about that forgiveness and that seeing everyone as the same that is required when there is such extreme division in order to come out of it.” Kristen Vandivier.18.00 Honoring our bodies21.00 The Role of the Masculine Rising27.00 “How does the feminine fight? The feminine makes her enemies her devotees. Its an incorporation” Kristen Vandivier30.00 Feminine Empowered38.00 Setting Boundaries and Kali Mode 45.00 Betrayal49.00 Inclusivity53.00 Women Are Never Losers

You've seen them, people trying too hard, taking themselves too seriously, putting on a show, straining to appear of a higher status or consciousness state or social status than maybe they are. Perhaps you have caught yourself giving off an impression as opposed to just being your sweet but not-always-so-glamorous self.  You'd think in spiritual communities, we'd be beyond this type of behavior, but instead the environment seems to encourage it instead. So much so Maharishi Mahesh Yogi had a name for this behavior, he called it “mood making.”  In this episode, Isabel and Kristen talk about how enlightenment doesn't have to look a certain way. They delve into the reasons why we find ourselves occasionally engaging in this cringe-worthy behavior (while sharing some of their own self-deprecating moments) and discuss how to bring yourself back to your true “warts and all” authentic self, which ironically, is the most attractive way to be.  Originally recorded in March 2024Show Notes: .53 What is mood making?2.30 Mimicking what we think enlightenment looks like4.00 Taking ourselves too seriously4.30 Aspirational vs Relatable6.00 Different expressions of enlightenment7.30 “Embracing who we are, whoever that is, gets us past the mood making.” Kristen8.00 Self-doubt and insecurity “Realizing that whoever it is that I want to be is already me. It's just more me. It's me being totally comfortable with that me.” Kristen 17.30 Rice Krispies Guru 18.00 “We can't put that consciousness state in a box. A person who is in enlightenment or has a certain percentage of enlightenment is going to act in whatever way is relevant to inspire those around him or her.” Kristen18.30 Dualistic way of looking at things21.26 Authenticity“When we meditate twice a day we are going to the place that is the true us, that is the authentic `I´, it's the big `I´, it's that layer of being, the source of everything  that is our true self.” Kristen Vandivier22.00 Identity 23.57 “The important thing is this, to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.” Maharishi Mahesh Yogi25.00 Enlightenment – appreciation of creation 30.40 Our true self 31.00 Stardust33.00 Big Bang 36.30 Unique traits 38.00 Let go of the idea of enlightenment40.00 I guess this is us

Meditation is a solitary practice right? Not necessarily. Our latest guest on our podcast is not only creating community through this individual practice, he is also pioneering a study on the effect of deep meditation on the collective consciousness.                             We are delighted to have Barron Hanson on our podcast. Barron is a fellow Vedic Meditation teacher based in Australia, and has a long history of bringing people together, designing transformative experiences, creating films, and generally working to make the world a better place. His latest project, more like a family of projects, is centered on researching and documenting the “Maharishi Effect” which suggests that if 1% of a geographic population starts meditating, it can have a seismic effect on the collective. Barron wanted to see what would happen if 1% of his community in Nowra learned to meditate, and the study and documentary about the initiative is called “Be Here Nowra.”  As a compliment to “Be Here Nowra,” Barron also is spearheading a festival called “Here In Nowra” to invite meditators from all over the world to enjoy a month-long festival in October 2024 devoted to vedic philosophy, practices and teachings. It also will play a role in a study through the University of Wollongong to explore the effects of collective consciousness within the community.  And….Meditation Without Borders is going to be there as to host a talk, a teacher's workshop on outreach teaching, and a 5-day women's rounding retreat.  We couldn't wait to sit down with Barron to hear how all of this came about, and to learn more about the personal journey of birthing such an ambitious and inspiring project.  If you would like to learn more about the Here In Nowra Festival, here is the link: https://www.here-in.world/Notes:3.00 Arriving in NYC6.32 “I´ve always had lots of energy, the problem was channeling it.” Barron Hanson6.52 “I started to move into things that could be more relevant and helpful to share a state of consciousness and making the world a better place.” Barron Hanson7.10 Maharishi Effect11.00 Challenges11.16 “It's not the size of the group med, it's what you do with it.” 12.50 Importing meditators and studies on it15.00 Invitation to come to Nowra and studies 17.40 Be Here Nowra Festival 18.00 Lighthouses and Loneliness20.00 Individual flavors of different teachers23.00 Experiences of building a community for Isabel and Kristen30.00 Waves and consciousness34.00 Coming back home to Nowra 42.00 Geysers of Creativity and Consciousness“The story of Nowra is trying to express itself through me. I'm helping Nowra to express its own story. I'm not the driver of this, I'm the conduit.” Barron Hanson46.40 Meditation Without Borders in Nowra47.00 Be Here Nowra events48.00 Call to Action50.00 The feeling of service that comes with meditation51.00 The feminine becoming lively  Contact InfoHere-in.world

It is hard to imagine violence on the scale that occurred 30 years ago this spring in Rwanda. But for our guest, Odette Nyiramirimo, she doesn't have to imagine, she can remember.  We are so honored to have Odette on our podcast. She is not only a medical doctor who with her husband founded the first private maternity and pediatrics clinic in Rwanda as well as being a doctor for the Peace Corps, she also served as a senator and as Minister of State for Social Affairs under the government of Paul Kagame. Her account of the genocide is featured heavily in book “We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families” by Philip Gourevitch and is also depicted as a character in the film Hotel Rwanda. She now believes that wellness is the path to helping continue the reconstruction, so she founded the Rushel Kivu Lodge on Lake Kivu, where we had our meditation retreat. Last month when we were in Rwanda, we got to sit down with Odette in person and listened to her life story of what it was like growing up in that country during the growing escalation and then the genocide that took so many including 16 of her 17 siblings and other family members. We also got to hear about how, through her work in both medicine and politics, she played a major role in the rising of Rwanda from the ashes.  We hope you appreciate hearing Odette's story as much as we do. By hearing her firsthand account, it made the atrocities that happened in Rwanda all those years ago seem very real for us and so much more than a historical event.  We wish to acknowledge with utmost respect the lives of all those who lost their homes, their families, their livelihood, their health, or their lives during the violence of the 1994 genocide and all the Rwandan conflicts the late 20th century.“From that time, I never sit. I work every day. I cry when I am telling those stories but the other time I say no crying. I need to make sure no more genocide happen in Rwanda. That my children, my grandchildren, my neighbor's children they need to have a countrywhere they feel safe. Not the country where I grew up.” - Odette NyiramirimoShow Notes:2.00 Odette´s Childhood6.30 1959 and the beginnings of the Genocide10.30 “If we have to die, we die together, but here.” Odette´s Father.13.00 First Private Clinic in Rwanda and the Peace Corps15.40 Surviving the Genocide23.40 “We think the war is finished. She didn´t understand it was the beginning.” Odette25.00 Hiding in the convent27.00 Military men34.00 Hiding in the swamp51.00 Interrogation with the police53.00 “After, he has been killed. And he was a hutu. Because he protected us, and heprotected his wife and some other people maybe.” Odette.56.00 Taken for dead59.00 Calling friends1.02 Hotel Rwanda1.04 Character in the movie1.07 “From that time, I never sit. I work every day. I cry when I am telling those stories butthe other time I say no crying. I need to make sure no more genocide happen in Rwanda.That my children, my grandchildren, my neighbor's children they need to have a countrywhere they feel safe. Not the country where I grew up.” Odette1.08 Peace Corps Medical Officer and Doctor at the American Embassy1.09 Orphans living with Odette1.11 Odette as a Minister of State1.21 Going back home1.25 A promise of light

Thirty years ago, the world stood by as over 800,000 people were brutally killed in Rwanda over a period of three and a half months. The aftermath seemed insurmountable, yet today, Rwanda stands as one of Africa's safest destinations, boasting a stable political environment. This remarkable transformation is indebted, in large part, to resilient individuals like Mary Kalikungeri.We are so honored to have Mary as this month's guest. She is the director of the Rwanda Women's Network, as well as a member of the UN Women VAW – Peace and Security Reference Team, who has been at the vanguard of rebuilding and restoring Rwanda since 1995.  Beyond her fascinating personal story, Mary illuminates how she and other trailblazers recognized that women, as givers of life, held the key to rejuvenating their homeland. She created safe spaces for women who endured violence and empowering them to turn inward and recognize their inherent value. Mary's vision was transformative, cultivating women as leaders and catalysts for change within their communities and the nation at large. The journey she and her counterparts undertook to turn their vision of a peaceful Rwanda into reality serves as a blueprint not only for regions entrenched in conflict worldwide but also as inspiration for individuals navigating their way out of profound darkness towards the light In a collaborative effort, our non-profit organization, Meditation Without Borders, and Mary's organization, the Rwanda Women's Network are joining forces to introduce Vedic Meditation to women in Rwanda. Together, we will host a four-day meditation retreat for women community leaders and changemakers, as well as going into the safe spaces to teach women who are victims of gender-based violence. For more information on this project or to contribute to this cause, please visit our page.Show Notes:2.18 Mary's background “Everything around us is about love. It´s about caring, it´s about welcoming people into the home. And it's about giving yourself to others. Growing up feeling that way, it has accompanied me all my life all the way through.”  Mary Balikungeri 6.30 All about family 9.00 Safe Spaces and the Journey of Women beyond the Genocide  “We came up with such an innovative idea of creating the safe spaces for women which allows the women to converge and eventually find each other; go through the process of healing. At the same time be able to rebuild the new communities, build the solidarity among themselves, and at the same time identify actual critical needs and beginning to plan their lives based on their priorities. And from that journey onwards we really have seen the lives of women transformed. Transformed in their own homes, taking leadership in their own communities. At the same time, also daring to take up leadership at the national level where we now see most of our women becoming women parliamentarians and even serving in the government.” Mary Balikungeri 11.50 Reconstructing the family – reconstructing the country “The first cohort group of women started coming to the safe space. There were women who were looking sad. And the journey we took them through helped them to look inwardly and be able to think through on how to live in a better and a new Rwanda we were all yearning for.” Mary Balikungeri 14.00 The vision and journey of the women“In putting the vision of what we are looking women to be for the future helped them also to accelerate and to get out of that bitterness, sadness; to really make them see themselves as women who are going to transform what has been impossible.” Mary Balikungeri 20.00 Emerging from the darkest darkness 26.00 Promoting gender equality through women empowerment“We make sure that the women understood the power in herself.” Mary Balikungeri  30.00 Victimhood as a state of consciousness  32.00 Replicating this project in other countries 40.00 Othering  45.00 How to help “We need to go through our self-healing. We do so much, and we forget ourselves.” Mary Balikungeri 52.00 Mary's personal challenges and being a mother “I think the whole in the line is to becoming a model mother that helps them also to see that your struggle was also for them. And I think the day I discovered that they saw that I felt I was at peace.” Mary Balikungeri  56.00 Generational Challenges  58.00 Meditation Without Borders in Rwanda and how to help

The world has been a witness to one of the deadliest conflicts in recent memory this fall with the Isreali/Palestinian conflict, and so many of us are feeling an urgency to help with no clear direction as to how.  In this episode, we interview our colleagues, David Lahav and Emily McCarthy, two Vedic Meditation teachers based in Colorado who have recently started an organization called Meditate For World Peace as a response to the current strife in Isreal and Gaza. Lahav, formerly an Isreali military officer, and McCarthy are looking to teach thousands of people in Isreal in the next couple of years Vedic Meditation as a way to cool the collective in the area.  We are very grateful to David and Emily for discussing this very sensitive topic with us as we discuss everything from the political minefield of the situation to how collective peace is established on the individual level of consciousness to the ripple healing effect of meditation.  If you are interested in supporting Meditate for World Peace, you learn more about their mission and donate to their cause via their website: https://www.meditateforworldpeace.org/Show Notes:Meditate for World Peace Notes  1.24 Mission: What is it that we can do to actually help the current situation, apart from being on social media and talking to people about it and wanting to do something.  “There is a big need to bring Vedic Meditation and teach many people in Israel to help individuals with the stress and grief that is happening. And also, me teaching many many people to create a collective effect that happens in the community, a coherence effect that's happening when a larger percent of the population begins meditating.” David  3.00 How does a big change in a region happen?4.00 Maharishi effect: 1% of the population meditating creates a change in a specific region.   5.30 Meditators feeling the effects of what is happening in the world  “When something is happening on the other side of the ocean, all the waves feel it.” Kristen 7.00 Meditation deexcites and organizes. 8.30 The land of Israel as a focal point of conscious awareness. 10.30 The world as a body – all the cells feel it. We want to go to the axe wound. “No one is going to be safe if a conflict of this level is left unchecked.” Kristen 14.20 Political minefield 17.00 Ripple effect: Meditating for world peace is starting in Israel but it is not just about Israel. “The mission is not about us. We have a technique that we know how to teach, that we know creates change and the first project is beginning in Israel.” Emily  19.10 We want the bad guy meditating (it doesn´t matter who it is). “No matter what you believe, even if you think of Israel as the aggressor, they´re the bad guy in this whole scenario, well you want the bad guy meditating. You want their consciousness pulled. Or if you think the Palestinian´s are the bad guys. First of all, there is no bad guy in the Vedic view. It doesn´t matter what your stance is, this is going to help.” Kristen 20.26 Mission is teaching 1% of the population of Israel. In 2024 teaching 10,000 people. 21.23 Every $100 USD donated to the cause sponsors a meditation course for someone in Israel.  22.40 “Even for students in Israel who are not ready to talk about peace because there is so much emotion and feeling and trauma around this, then even for someone that´s not ready for that, it´s about healing on the individual layer. And all of the trauma that has occurred from the day-to-day life that is happening there and just healing yourself. We don't even need to talk about peace and world peace if people aren't ready for that right now. And that's okay. Meditation is here to reduce anxiety and bring greater happiness.” Emily 23.30 Peace comes from the individual 24.00 Leaders represent their people 25.00 With meditation everyone becomes extended self 26.00 David in the military experiencing unity with the other side  “Our practice has the power to enact that, that experience of what is it like to be you. It really can be challenging to have experiences from the same level of consciousness from which we are creating the problem to begin with. And so, we introduce meditation, we begin to shift our state of consciousness and then the experience of what it is like to be another unfolds naturally and effortlessly. And if all of us were asking that question, more often, day to day, `what is it like to be you? ´ I feel like there would be a really powerful change in how we treat and view and see one another.” Emily   29.23 Masculine and Feminine energies 35.00 People living in flight or fight in Israel for decades 36.00 Life in Israel now 41.00 When we go off balance we crave things that take us further off balance43.00 Meditation is a virtuous cycle45.00 Stress and trauma 50.00 Meditation and community       

We're taught from when we are little to be ambitious in order to achieve what we want, but what if what we want is to strive for something that is already within us, enlightenment? In a teaching that expounds not looking to the future for happiness, where does something like ambition fit into such a philosophy? And is enlightenment envy a thing? In this episode, Kristen and Isabel get personal about their own experience with feeling ambition in the spiritual sphere and how they have found ways of not letting it get in the way of their paths. Show Notes: 1.30 Pitta dosha personality 5:00 Santosha 5.55 “Suffering is wanting a different experience than what you are having right now.” Kristen6.30 Enlightenment impatience7.00 Flower blooming process 7.41 “We want to have that destination in our mind while also realizing that there is a journey that's happening. And that we don't want to rush the journey. We want to have the full unfolding.” Kristen8.20 Enlightenment envy10.00 Vulnerability10.50 Nature is never always in bloom14.26 The trick is to feel sad without being sad14.46 “At your core you are always fine, but you are still allowing yourself to feel humanity. It's like being in the big ocean of self while simultaneously being in the wave of self. The wave of self, feeling sad and the ocean of self, the being, is always fine.” Kristen17.00 It's about the how19.50 Status – “True status is something you just experience.” Kristen24.20 Punya – Spiritual merit 27.15 Karma and Kriya33.40 “To what extent are you enjoying and experiencing whatever point in the storyline you are in right now. It's not the how it's the what.” Kristen37.00 The characters we play39.00 Big Self goals 43.54 “Spiritual ambition - Once you get there, it won't matter to you. The unfolding is happening with that. The river is moving, you don't have to push it. You just have to listen and do the practice and do those spontaneous actions and watch the whole thing.” Kristen

Two years ago, we spoke with Tracee Stanley, founder of the Empowered Life Circle, about her book "Radiant Rest," and it was one of the most memorable interviews we've hosted on this podcast. We are honored to have her on again to talk about her new book, "The Luminous Self," which comes out in October. Tracee's new book paints from a palette of her decades of study of the traditions of the Himalayan Masters and Sri Vidya Tantra as well as from personal stories that make the knowledge both practical and relatable. In this episode, we get the hear Tracee tell some of these stories firsthand as well as hear her describe some of the practices she outlines in her book for reconnecting to our deepest selves. We discuss all the ways in which thinking of life as a sacred ritual infuses life with intention and purpose. There are so many incredible gems of wisdom from Tracee in this episode. And for those who preorder her book at Shambhala.com before the launch date of October 9, you get 30% off with the code LUM30 as well as free entry into her book club with live group sessions, practices, Q&A and sacred community.  Show Notes: 1.15 Rituals2.15 “If we want to think about life as a sacred ritual, if we want to be able to weave our practices and our devotion throughout our days. Then we have to become more intentional with the things that we do and why we do them. Because a ritual is really meant to mark a moment in time when you take a pause, you do something intentionally to create an effect or an opening for something new to emerge.” Tracee7.45 Timeline practice11.00 How The Luminous Self came about 14.27 “I am deeply listening to what needs to come through.” Tracee 16.50 Opening up the humanity18.00 Sanskara : The moments we think hold us back propels us to our own growth “The crack is where the light comes through. This idea of discomfort is the portal to your healing. And it's sometimes the very thing we want to avoid. Whether it's because we don't have the support, or we don't have the practices or we don't have the trust or the faith that it's even possible. And so, I really wanted people to be able to see through my lens that it absolutely is possible.” Tracee 19.30 The Yoga Sutras25.00 Internal Practices “This idea of internal practice is a strengthening of the remembering. Because we have so much beautiful memory from our spiritual lineages, our ancestor lineages that live in our DNA. When we are in a place of deep rest and deep listening that that remembering rises to the surface as well”. Tracee 27.00 The elements and our connection to them  “When we think about this idea of returning to our true nature, our true nature is not separate from nature. The more we are separate from it, the more we are separated from ourselves. As above, so below. What is in the macrocosm is in the microcosm, there is a universe inside of us. There is a sun, there is a moon.” Tracee 31.00 “There is not a reciprocal relationship with nature. And once we are in that reciprocity with nature, that is when the healing starts to begin.” Tracee 31.30 The connected roots exercise  Ted Talk: Suzanne Simard 36.00 Yoga is not a feel-good practice – it's a face your truth practice “When I first started practicing yoga it was like -oh I want to feel better, I want to look better, I want to be stronger, I want to be more peaceful and then when I started reading that first translation of the yoga sutras, it was like oh there's a place in my that is beyond all sorrow. Then that means there is sorrow that I am not acknowledging, I am bypassing the sorrow so that I can be in the feel-good.” Tracee  37.00 Bhakti – Devotion39.00 Upgrades in consciousness “I needed that upgrade. It was excruciatingly painful until I realized what was happening. And then it was like -oh, let me be in the lila, and let me watch and let me experience. And it took on a completely different turn.” Tracee  Discount Code: 30% off the book if you preorder at Shambhala.com with the code LUM30 

You deserve the best.Never feel unworthy or     not justified in having the best.I tell you, this is your heritage;but, you have to accept it.You have to expect it; you have to claim it.To do so is not demanding too much. These powerful words come from Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, better known as Guru Deva, the master of our tradition from which Vedic Meditation comes. This is one of his most quoted phrases, but also, in the current climate of “manifest your dreams” gurus, it one of his most misunderstood. What does it mean to deserve the best? What is the best? Are some more worthy of the best than others? In this episode, Isabel and Kristen go line by line to unpack the hidden meaning behind the words. They unravel some of the misconceptions around the phrase “deserving power” or punya and reveal how the best is in reach of everyone.  Episode Notes:2.46 Deserving Power“Your deserving power is to what extent are you aware of your own true identity.” Kristen3.20 Punya 5.25 “What is the best? The best is a state of consciousness.” Kristen11.00 Expectations“We expect what we are used to. This is where meditation comes in. Because when we start meditating, and innocently let our awareness go to that layer, that consciousness state comes spontaneously from that, so we start living the best and then the expectation for the best comes from the fact that we already have it.” Kristen12.30 Support of Nature – the support of yourself16.00 Releasing attachments to specific outcomes and timings18.00 Self-doubt and suffering20.30 Who are you?“If your concept of self is little you you´re are going to struggle with this, but if you are the universe, if that is your status there is no hesitance with that at all.” Kristen25.35 Having the best and not feeling the best. 26.00 Projectors of our state of consciousness29.00 Millionaires and happiness33.00 Claiming the best“To me the claiming is easier when I think of myself as a servant (of the universe).” Kristen33.45 Heritage“Heritage implies this is what youve had before. This is your heritage because, at a certain layer, you are already here, you already have it, you are already living it.” Kristen34.55 Heritage – Inheritance – it´s coming your way. 36.00 Acceptance  “To the extent you perceive everything as a gift, you accept everything. There is no rejecting of what is, this is where suffering comes.” Kristen39.00 Suka Deva story43.00 Self-doubt in the feminine consciousness 45.00 Joy is the baseline 46.00 Moving to the best47.00 Pride in misery 53.00 Acting when there is a better deal54.00 “You get what you expect, and you get what you accept.” Kristen55.00 Hanuman 56.00 “Ask yourself to what degree does this feel frictionless inside.” Kristen58.00 Exploring what the best is for you 

As teachers of meditation, we're always talking about the journey inward. But what about the outer journey, is there a spiritual value in traveling the world? In this episode, we have a delightful conversation with fellow Vedic Meditation teacher and avid world traveler Théo Burkhardt about why we yearn to see far off lands and how the exploration of the globe is also an expansion for the soul. Theo brings his knowledge of Vedic Astrology (Jyotish) into the discussion as well as fascinating anecdotes of his many adventures to the remotest of places.If you'd like to travel with Théo (he leads retreats in Bali and expeditions in India) or if you'd like to learn meditation from him, you can reach him at theoburkhardt.com. You can also hear more of his relatable brand of sharing Vedic knowledge on his podcast Slouching Towards Enlightenment. Show Notes: 3.20 Traveling and teaching5.40 Nivar tatvam7.40 “The body wants to get in on the action of what it is experiencing inside.” Theo8.15 “You want to take this new consciousness around. You want to take the show on the road.” Theo9.50 The Comfort Zone “The safest place is being on the cusp of the unknown.” Kristen11.30 Jyotish and Travel16.00 Equanimity and traveling19.00 Adaptability20.00 Everywhere is home22.00 Homogenizing 26.00 Pilgrimage to India29.00 Finding unity in difference30.00 Varanasi31.50 Naga babas37.00 Breakthrough cosmic experiences while traveling42.00 The importance of a teacher45.00 No cultural appropriation46.00 The call to teach in the west47.00 Preservation of knowledge49.00 Giving the student what they need50.00 Dharma52.00 Surprises and people56.00 Knowing ourselves without our surroundings57.00 Plot vs Story58.00 The elixir

This is a very special episode where we honor the memory of Nicole LeVeck McCracken who dropped her body this past September after a long battle with cancer. Nicole was a Vedic meditator on her way to becoming a teacher of the practice she loved so dearly as well as an Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor who had passed the steps to hundreds of people looking for a path to recovery.In this conversation, Kristen shares her experience of being part of Nicole's support team in her final months and what it was like to witness someone in such a high state of awareness move towards her end-of-life transition. Isabel and Kristen discuss the Vedic perspective on death in between light-hearted memories. We hope you listen to this episode and feel a touch of the joy and upliftment Nicole brought to everyone she knew.Show notes: 3.40 A beautiful death – the relationship we have with death 6.00 The Purest Love – student/teacher relationship8.00 Cognition sand answers10.00 The Luckiest Person in the world – being grounded in being 11.30 “All of it is for evolution. And especially the hard times.” Kristen12.00 Nicole´s life 14.00 AA practice of surrendering 16.45 “She was so divine in one way and made you love her. And she was also so human.” Kristen19.20 People´s different reactions to a person dying 21.00 The role of getting her back into the big 22.40 How someone in high consciousness deals with death27.00 “That´s the thing about people in that state, they don´t even have to say anything. Just their being is enough to uplift everybody.” Kristen27.20 “As she got closer, her enlightenment was getting exponential. You could feel it just going higher and higher and higher.”Kristen28.00 Story of the parking lot in the hospital and teaching steps of AA30.40 Devotion31.18 “Devotion and I just put her picture under it. That is who to me embodies it. And devotion is that sacrificing, that honoring of something bigger than yourself. And she did it so effortlessly. It made it so easy to be devoted to her. She was devoted to anyone who had need.” Kristen34.00 The real pranayama and the real yoga – life 36.00 She was always a teacher36.30 A true influence – the upliftment 40.00 Thom Knoles and his goodbye to Nicole48.00 The circle on the other side waiting for ger48.40 It´s not an ending, it´s a continuum – another portal50.55 “It´s also a gift to get to love somebody that much.” Kristen51.00 The gift of grief      

It's no secret that our lack of awareness as a society is doing great harm to the planet as well as all of its creatures. In this episode, we are thrilled to speak with one of those who are holding back the tide of destruction, Rachel Hogan, director of Ape Action Africa. Rachel has devoted the last 20 years to primate conservation in Cameroon and is well known for her work in the rescue and rehabilitation of gorillas and chimpanzees, as well as fighting the illegal bush meat trade in West Africa.We are honored to hear first-hand about how Rachel started in this field (her three month trip turned into two decades!) and all about her work  to raise the awareness of the local people in order to protect these majestic residents of the African jungles. She is also a daily meditator, and shares about how her practice has helped her manage such a demanding role.  Listening to her story, and all about how intelligent and aware the primates are she works with, we are humbled by the beauty of these animals as well as the efforts made to save them. Click here if you would like to learn more about Ape Action Africa, donate to their cause or if you would like to "Adopt an Ape"Show Notes:5.30 Pushing back on low consciousness.7.36 Concentrating on the women of the community8.28 New Generations are the ones spreading the message14.07 “When I look back then, it really just feels it was all a learning process… When I lookback when I was 25, 26 and I would be dealing with these issues at the time it was like ´ohgosh, how do we get past these issues´, and it was the worst thing ever. And then lookingback now, and especially since I´ve started meditation as well, I can really see the reasonbehind those challenges and how that helped move the project forward. And how we alldeveloped.” Rachel17.30 Benefits of meditation for Rachel23.30 Rachel´s Journey26.39 “It really does feel like the path was already set. And it´s home now. It feels like I'mwhere I'm meant to be and where I want to be. And I make that choice every day, I makethat conscious choice. I am here today.” Rachel28.00 Consciousness of the apes themselves29.00 The peacemaker30.50 Awareness of others and themselves32.30 Gorillas are the big thinkers, big meditators33.00 Chimps wear their hearts in their sleeves34.21 “Even now, even after 21 years, they´ll do something that will completely blow mymind. And just when they look at you, you can just see, you can just feel it, it´s incredible itreally is. They´re like us, but with a lot more hair.” Rachel35.46 They are all different, with their own unique soul.36.00 Personalities and introductions40.00 “There are times when there will be a little bit of doubt, a little bit ofdiscouragement but it's just not enough to stop. It's not a phenomenon, it's not on the list.We are doing something here; we need to keep moving forward and that's what we do. It'sabout whether you want to be part of the solution or part of the problem. And I thinkthat's how we all feel in the Ape Action Africa team.” Rachel42.00 Working with the government44.40 Releasing apes back into the wild45.12 “One of the best feelings ever is when you see a chimp back with other chimps, or agorilla with other gorillas. And the family that they lost; they have a new family. It really isincredible. It shouldn´t be us looking after them. They should be with their own kind.”Rachel50.20 The future of Ape Action Africa –forest and wildlife protection.51.00 Deforestation and the effects52.15 How to help Ape Action Africa

Meditation is all about letting the light in. In this episode, we speak with Joh Jarvis, Vedic Meditation teacher and founder of the Light Inside, who is on a mission to let the light find its way into prisons and jails. Joh talks about what it was like teaching men in maximum security at Rikers Island Correctional Center in New York as well as women prisoners in Philidephia who were recently released. Beyond her story, we go into how prison is a metaphor for the binding effect of karma we all experience and how healing those behind bars can go a long way towards healing the collective at large.  We hope you are as inspired as we were to hear Joh so humbly describe her work of going straight into the heart of darkness to bring the light where it is most needed.   If you are interested in Joh's work, you can email her here:  joh@the-lightinside.comOr go sign up for her mailing list on her website: www.the-lightinside.com  (live but under construction) Show Notes: .40 Intro to Joh Jarvis2.40 making a mistake you have to pay for all your life with no rehabilitation8.00 Hiding our putting away our own mistakes is similar to what society does with people in prisons. Out of sight out of mind. Healing within, healing outside. 8.43 the prison system as a reflection of the consciousness of society9.06 The Light Inside Organization9.50 Correction officers are also affected by the system12.40 Teaching in Riker´s island 13.00 Prisons vs Jails14.40 Future plans to measure results17.30 Seeing prisoners beyond being just prisoners 19.30 Hold both states with prisoners –Gyana Kanda and also Karma Kanda 20.28 Not feeling in danger in a prison while teaching26.30 Closing eyes in meditation for prisoners30.40 Desire is where there is the need to teach 31.15 Prisons are metaphors of what we all experience – karma – binding effect.32.00 Outside bounds are nothing compared to the inside ones32.20 Prisons can fast-track you to evolution – not as many distractions 32.55 Nelson Mandela´s self-realization in prison33.00 “Let´s make as many of us available as possible to be available to those people who, once it's explained to them, experience what we teach.” Joh Jarvis33.30 Covid- opportunity to go inward 40.00 Trying to teach correction officers41.20 Raising the collective consciousness – finding victims, finding the ones helping the victims and then the ones causing the suffering (who are also victims). 42.30 Uplifting the farthest from society and from there uplift the whole thing43.36 The keys to the kingdom – the best meditation that you could learn44.20 “We are giving you the best, and in a way, I think they deserve it. I think anybody who gets in front of a meditation teacher and takes that opportunity inherently deserves it.” Joh Jarvis 44.46 “They very fact that I´ve got the desire, you got the desire, says “oh this should be done”. It's coming from the divine, this idea that people do this and therefore there is a reason for that and it's for the collective evolution. So yes, I think prisons for that reason are going to be a powerful impact on the wider collective, the teaching in prisons.” Joh Jarvis45.20 The point of enough47.00 Jarvis Jay Masters – inmate who does mindfulness in San Quentin State Prison48.59 The Dhamma Brothers in Alabama State Prison (there is a film about this) 

There is one constant in the human condition and that is the desire for growth. However, we all have these different issues, habits, or patterns that seem to hold us back and keep us from living life to the fullest. But what if it were those very traits that held the secret to our evolution?  In this episode, Isabel and Kristen explore this revolutionary perspective and how to look at your setbacks as footholds for expansion. They delve into their own personal challenges and how they enriched the storyline of their own lives and shed light on how to look at your life with a renewed sense of empowerment.  Show Notes:.25 “What we think in our lives what is holding us back is actually what is propelling us forward. Your weakness is in fact your superpower. They are one in the same.” Kristen3.48 We all have an Achilles heel that shapes us 5.30 Indoctrination of having to be perfect to live our “best” life6.30 “The things that we struggle with are the footholds for our growth.” Kristen7.40 We are looking for transformation8.20 Idiosyncrasies10.20 Setbacks are for our progress12.00 How the dots in our life connect15.30 Leaders with experience17.00 Spectrum of weaknesses in teachers22.00 Learn the lessons as they come – no repeats27.00 Binding of Karma happens within you – the viewpoint 28.00 “Big perspective makes everything okay. Suffering always come from a very narrow perspective. And narrow perspective comes from being in the wave of self.” Kristen 

Boundaries are a fascinating subject because according to the Vedas, they don't really exist. When we want to manifest, boundaries are created, when we want to unify, boundaries are dissolved. What that looks like in our own lives is setting healthy personal boundaries while at the same time dissolving all boundaries in meditation as well as witnessing the dissolving of boundaries between civilizations, races and genders.  In this episode, Isabel and Kristen explore this very nuanced topic while giving concrete advice on how to master the creation and dissolution of boundaries in your own life.Show notes: 1.25 Soma Bandits3.00 Setting boundaries to actually help others3.40 “Boundaries are always important, sometimes we want to create them, sometimes we want to dissolve them.” Kristen 4.00 Women and boundaries – a theme in feminine consciousness of the feminine being invaded of boundaries being ignored. 5.28 Myth of Ganesh being created 7.21 Protecting yourself from yourself – realizing we CAN have boundaries14:00 “When you actually set boundaries it´s like that respect you have for yourself for setting them gets reflected back.”  Kristen15.00 In meditation we obliterate boundaries 18.00 “The difference is in the direction of manifestation, if you want to go that way, direction of diversity, manifestation it´s is more and more boundaries. And if you want to move towards unity you want to dissolve boundaries.”Kristen19.00 Sexuality, Races, Countries in the dissolution of boundaries21.00 The illusion of boundaries23.20 “Love is a dissolving of boundaries.” Kristen26.00 NIVAR TATVAM: go where you are not. Make boundaries of dissolve them based on where you are at a time 27.00 There is no right or wrong – what is right for who at what time.35.40 The bigger YES “You are not saying no, you are saying yes to something else.” Isabel

There are some that proudly proclaim they are on a spiritual path while others want nothing to do with it. However, spirituality is not something you can be "into" or not, everything is spirit. We are all devoted something, the question is what do you worship? What is getting the bulk of your attention? Do you worship your problems by thinking of them constantly? Do you worship your stress by serving it through coping behaviors? In this episode, Isabel and Kristen discuss how we're all evolving on different paths to greater self realization and that through meditation, you can effortlessly redirect the flow of your attention away from troubles and surface desires to your highest self.  Show Notes: 2:00 We are all on a spiritual path (some actively – some not)5:00 “A lot of times people´s belief systems, they may be a very spiritual person, but they are not into `spirituality´ as a subject matter but they are doing things that are full of spirit.” Kristen7:00 Even our obstacles guide us 8.48: Soma and Devotion9:47 “As meditators, our soma flow is actually being redirected inward… it flips around and goes back to its source. Meditation is an act of devotion going back to that one indivisible whole consciousness.” Kristen11:00 Seeing meditation as an act of devotion13.40: We are all serving something  “Every bit of consciousness is serving something else in some way and that service is that devotion and soma flow.” Kristen14.00 “My body serves me, and I serve the higher self.” Kristen14.30 When we are stressed, we serve the stress16.40 Ask ourselves where our soma is flowing to?19:00 Abhyanga massage as an act of serving our body21:00 Inner bashing of our form 26:00 What does devotion feels like that? 29:00 Surrendering is not non-action30:00 The appreciation of others34:00 The beginning of the end: turning inward37:00 Becoming devoted to life itself 42:00 Getting higher quality soma 45:00 Non active role in your spiritual path

Every day the news seems to get worse and worse. The sense of urgency builds and yet for most of us ordinary people who live thousands of miles away, we feel helpless.  In this episode, Kristen and Isabel confront their own moments of helplessness in the face of global tragedy and discuss how meditation itself works to cool the collective. Listen in to hear how to overcome feelings of helplessness and explore real tangible ways to contribute to not only the easing of suffering in Ukraine, but everywhere.  4.30 Cooling the collective through meditation5.30 Leading through a grounded place 6.00 Leading through fear vs leading through happiness7.30 Yogastha Kuru Karmani9.00 Feminine Warriors – “make your enemies your disciples – it´s a unity action.” Kristen11.00 Micro and Macro – fractalization of the oneness 12.00 All problems are consciousness problems16.00 It´s okay to be angry – all feelings are valid.24.00 Dharma – universality through individuality contacting all other individualities 28.45 “In times of great difficulty is where heroes come forth.” Kristen 30.00 The power of group meditations34.00 Cleaning the collective stress35.00 Fear comes from “othering”

So much of what we want out of life does not require more effort and struggle, we simply have to stop resisting and allow what already is. As they say, “what we resist persists.” But how do we learn to let go and simply relax and enjoy? In this episode, Kristen and Isabel examine the root causes for our resistance and define how the inner resistance that is keeping us down differs from pain, aversion and fighting oppression. With their typical levity, they break down the steps for releasing our grip in order to realize the liberation that is already flowing underneath. Show notes:1.08 Finding liberty and liberation2.46 “Real liberation is actually an inner experience. It´s not anything you can be given from the outside.” Kristen4.15 it´s not about gaining it´s about stop resisting 5.00 Stress release in meditation 8.30 Difference between pain and suffering  “Suffering is the resistance to the pain.” Kristen14.30 Witnessing yourself – observe and allow 16.30 Big consciousness is neutral, interested in everything but neutral17.30 Embracing change17.40 “What we are resisting are the areas where we need to grow and where change needs to happen.” Isabel20.30 Nature pushing us harder when we resist 21.30 Difference between resisting and aversion 24.00 Difference between resistance and resisting oppression (fighting for a cause)25.25 AA program – surrendering to a higher power30.00 Does the universe have your back? 34.30 Getting in the witness state allows us to find joy and comedy in life41.40 Don´t resist resisting 45.20 Others resisting you 

If you had to pick a word to describe how you want to experience this new year, what would it be? 2022 seems to have us all cautiously optimistic. While we're all still licking our wounds from the last two years, we also seem to be eager to make the most of what's to come, hence New Year's resolutions. However, instead of making resolutions which tend to be based on external goals with a high likelihood of not coming to pass, in this episode, Isabel and Kristen discuss alternative practices that center on how you're experiencing over what you're experiencing this year. While discussing their own hopes for what the coming months will bring, they come up what they call New Year's orientations, ways of orienting your mind to create a trajectory of positive growth this year. Whether it's picking a theme word for the year or a color, you'll hopefully come away from this episode with a bit more clarity and purpose. By the way, our words were decisive, surrender, love and enjoy. We couldn't pick just one. 1.40 New Year makes us look at both directions, looking behind and ahead of you. 4.00 Transitions are signs of tremendous growth. 5.30 Specific and outward oriented New Year´s Resolutions6.25 Not setting goals but instead goals of HOW you want to experience this year7.27 “The motivation behind most of the outward resolutions are actually inward.” Kristen8.30 What are the real motivations behind our resolutions?10.00 “If we really think to ourselves, how is it that I want to feel? What is it that I want to experience? How do I want to experience this year? Then it reorients the priorities.” Kristen  11.00 What does everyone really want? The effects of shifting our consciousness state 12.26 What does happiness look life for you, and does it look like anything? “Usually the picture (of happiness) involves some misplaced identity.” Kristen13.30 Small self-oriented resolutions. 15.00 Irony of having things fall into place when we no longer care about having them16.50 Coming up with a word as a theme for the year19.43 “When you´ve gone through something really hard and really heavy it breaks you open, and it created that surrender.”  Kristen21.00 Being decisive 23.00 Our word or color as an orientation device 27.00 Picking out specific new year´s resolutions doesn´t allow ourselves to see how we might grow and see what might be relevant when we keep growing.33.00 “When we change of our own fruition, we don´t need that push from nature so much.” Kristen33.30 Changes coming by themselves when we meditate34.15 “With meditation we become so used to change that not only are we okay with when change happens to us, but we actually become the agents of change.” Kristen  

There's that famous quote by Ram Dass, “If you think you're enlightened, go spend a week with your family.” It is an almost universal condition that spending time with family at the holidays can be triggering like little else, even for avid meditators. In this episode, Isabel and Kristen explore their own journeys with relating to their families and how they handle walking into family gatherings which they describe as “a true testing ground for your consciousness state.” So, before you go venturing back home and unpack all the emotional baggage that goes along with that, we hope this broadcast puts things in a higher perspective for an (almost) drama-less holiday season.

These past couple years, it could be argued that loneliness is like a second epidemic. And with the holidays coming up, feelings of isolation are intensified. But being alone does not necessarily cause loneliness. In this episode, Isabel and Kristen look at the line between loneliness and solitude from many angles. They look at how stress causes a sense of isolation and how even there can be a temporary phase in our meditation practice where we feel disconnected from people with whom we used to feel aligned. We invite you to listen and learn how to turn from feeling alone to “all One.” 1.15 loneliness and solitude are the same word in spanish (no difference)1.40 “Solitude is being on your own and loneliness is feeling on your own”. Kristen1.50 Loneliness while being with others2.05 “You can be in solitude but not feel alone.” Kristen3.20 “The higher your state of consciousness the greater capacity you have to feel not alone when you are alone. Your self is no longer bound but the wave of the self, your little individual body but your self goes everywhere, it is everywhere. How this is experiences is it doesn´t feel like you are alone.” Kristen4.06 “Our practice is a practice of solitude, in the sense that we do it alone. Even if we do it in a group setting or we have a group meditation, its a practice where we go within. And so nobody can go within with us, so we go within and we have our practice of solitude. But it opens the door to connection.” Isabel4.33 “To experience oneness and connection you have to be able to go inward by yourself and learn to be with yourself.” Kristen4.40 Cellphone have made this worse- stressed people need distraction6.06 Loneliness as a meditator – disconnection with the people you used to feel connection with 7.09 “Feeling lonely is when you no longer feel connected.” Isabel7.30 Swimming analogy – unity points are deeper as a meditator8.20 Feeling unity with people who you wouldn´t feel unity with 9.22 “It´s not just with other human beings that we connect.” Kristen9.38 Yogis find reciprocation with nature itself 10.00 Right of passage10.32 “There is a point (in our practice) where we feel disconnected from people we used to feel connected with just because we don´t share the same values that once upon a time we could´ve shared but once you kind of get through that it´s like the first little openings of growing in consciousness. But once you grow enough in consciousness you´ll see that you can now relate to everyone.” Isabel12.00 Cosmic Consciousness 13.00 Loneliness and CC blues 15.30 Artists in solitude to create art – moments of solitude create deep connection to create their art 17.00 Compassion to others – what you used to push away from can be a unity point18.00 “Stress makes us feel incredibly alone. Stress pushes us into the wave of self, into that isolated consciousness. And that´s part of what causes the fear. Fear is a sense o otherness, that things are other. That is how we have fear, that something is other than me and so I´m afraid of it. When our extended self extends to everything nothing is other so nothing makes you afraid.” Kristen19.20 Loneliness as the root as damage“If we can feel less alone which requires that othering to hurt someone, if we could feel less alone, which requires us to feel unity with everything else makes you incapable of hurting something.” Kristen20.10 Level of loneliness is self sabotage22.10 Dharma - Becoming a point of contact to uplift them 23.07 “Someone being in your event horizon will uplift them, you will become that point of contact, that dharma, you are living in dharma, living in that contact with that field for the benefit of everyone you come in contact with. The consciousness of creation evens itself out. We are able to uplift others and keep the world from feeling lonely.” Kristen24.00 Finding the lonely pockets “We are already not alone, it´s a feeling.” Kristen24.44 Going through tough things alone makes us feel lonely. Connecting through vulnerability“How does this bad experience help me uplift others?” Isabel26.00 There is nothing under the sun that we are experiencing on our own26.37 Memes as relatability points27.23 Power of comedy to connect to humanity“Comedians are very vedic. What they do is they observe life, they observe the patterns of life that we do and they tell it in such a way that it makes us not feel alone. That is what is so funny because the very human aspects of our consciousness that´s what they put into play.” Isabel28.00 Unity through laughter 28.30 We need meditation to feel grounded over and over again29.00 In meditation things no longer seem to be random “The more we meditate and experience everything as extended self it feels like just one big thing moving forward as oppose to all these disjointed pieces. So when something happens it doesn´t feel meaningless. Which in a way that meaning that comes with that feeling of oneness keeps you from feeling lonely and that these things are just happening to you.” Kristen31.31 When something big happens there is a big tranformation coming33.10 Solitude and loneliness during Covid 32.15 Taking disconection and making it a connection 34.00 Relationships and fullfillment 36.40 The point of relationships 41.00 Being that point of contact 42.00 As a meditator there is no more waiting “Its not waiting when you´re a meditator because wherever you are you are. There is no waiting for some other experience that you wish you were having, Yo can sit on your own and you´ll be fine. I´m not waiting for this relief fromthis experiencing that I am having now.” Kristen42.00 People needing to distract themselves 44.00 Time is subjective 

There are those among us who are shining light in the darkest of dark places. In this episode, we speak with Saskia Niño de Rivera, who is basically a one-woman revolution to reform the Mexican penal system. Through her organization, Reinserta, Saskia works with kidnappers, incarcerated mothers and children brought up in prison as well as teenagers released from prison who need extra support among others. After experiencing a family member's kidnapping, Saskia at a very young age began questioning what happens in someone's life to make them commit violence. That early recognition of criminals as human beings has evolved into her work that looks to improve from the inside out an institution that keeps people caught in a cycle of crime. Listening to her story, we were in awe at not only how much Saskia has done in her short lifetime to make a real difference in what many would see as an impossible system to change, but also how she looks to create change through igniting compassion. 00.35 Who is Saskia?2.32 “Basically she is a one woman revolution changing the entire mexican penal system” Kristen3.20 “Mexicans are very much in contact with the violence in their country.” Saskia4.00 “The different events of my life have definitely formed me and helped me to understand life in a different manner. I think the key is having the humility to look at the opportunities that you are confronted with on a day by day basis as opportunities. And once you fill with narcisism you don´t get to see those opportunites.” Saskia5.00 Speaking from privilege, not just economically6.10 Different type of realities that Mexico has. 6.45 Kidnapping story 7.20 Sunday is a family day for everyone “I started to see a pattern where the phone didn´t ring on Sundays. And I remember the third Sunday that it didn´t ring. I started to question myself, ´why aren´t the kidnappers calling on Sundays? What happens on Sundays that the kindappers don´t call on Sundays?´ And it was really interesting because Sunday is a family day. It´s a day you go to church. It´s a day you have family over in your house. It´s day of rest. Its a day of, in the catholic religion, which most mexicans have. It was interesting because it was the first ´aha moment´, if we can say if that way of, these people are not monsters that have two heads and six arms. They´re people just like any of us and the first reflextion was, ´What did these people go through in their life in order to think that they can take the life of someone in their hands and exchange it for money?´” Saskia8.40 Profiling kidnppers in Mexico. “If something I know for sure is that we are co-responsible for the country that we have. And if we don´t think that the violence and the injustice in our country is that, then we are in a huge error. It is very easy to say them, but we don´t say us. From a perspective on, what have we done to really stop the violence and to create equal opportunities?” Saskia9.50 “There has to be justice. But if we want to talk about prevention, if we want to talk about stopping the violence then we really have to think of justice and criminal justice from a different perspective and I think that is what we are trying to do.” Saskia10.30 Work is based on empathy11.10 Does violence equal crime? 11.40 Growing up in violent environment and normalizing crime 12.20 “These kids were recruited to kill by the age of 8, 9 and 10 years of age. My biggest reflextion on this has to do with if you have and eight year old kid that is commiting a crime and has a gun in his hand he is everything but guilty. There is a society around him that is completely guilty.” Saskia 12.53 “In general, the violence that we live, and not only in Mexico but in many parts of the world, is seen from a punitive kind of glass. ´Once you commit the crime I am going to punish you, but whatever happens to you before is not my problem.´I think that is where we really have to make a reflextion on. It that the way to really stop the violence? Especially with your children.” Saskia 16.50 What is Reinserta?21.30 Does death penalty really create prevention?22.40 Stop talking about the others and start talking about us“The segregation of skin color, what kind of money you have in the bank, where you were born, how you speak, all these segregations and discriminations just separate us. When truth be told we are all looking at the world from a very alike point of view. We all want to live in a world where peace prevails. But if we don´t unify and we don´t understand that it is our responsibility and not someone else´s responsibility.” Saskia 24.08 Success is based on how many people you help and not how much money you make25.30 What happens to one happens to everyone. Live it as if it happened to you. 28.00 “If we don´t feel offended by the fact that someone is going through that as if we were going through that ourselves then we lack of compassion. And if we lack of compassion there is no way, no way, we are going to strive for a better tomorrow.” Saskia29.00 Mothers having their children in prison30.00 Gender equality has affected the number of women in prison30.45 Human rights vs security in prison (Mexico vs USA prison systems)32.00 Reinserta creating non-violent spaces for children in prison and being released at 3 years old33.00 Seperation of mothers and their children35.09 “You can talk about a woman being a criminal. For you its a criminal, to someone its their mother.” 35.20 Children released and their relationship with their parents who are still in prison37.00 Tackling the problem from all angles. It all comes from children being exposed to systemized violence in your person. 38.00 Empowering the people to take on the role of helping others 39.00 Why children form violent backgrounds talk about their crimes with pride39.54 “Working in the halfway house with these kids has been really interesting because when you ask them, ´yeah okay you are a super super good kidnapper at age 14, okay let´s get that out of the way. What else are you?´And when you question them on that it´s like Ì´m no one, literally I´m noone and the world hates because of what I´ve done and since I´ve been born I was taught to do this and this is who I am. And it´s like no, that´s not who you are, its what you were taught but you are so much more.” Saskia40.00 Becoming something more than what they were taught to be42.00 Humanizing people inside and outside of the system43.00 Tribe story- when someone harms someone else its because they are harmed 45.30 Changing as a mother “I found a reason that is bigger than any other reason to do what I do.” Saskia47.00 Mothering in her job and mothering at home  

When we become a mother, we take on an ancient role that extends far beyond simply feeding and clothing our children. In this episode, we speak with our good friend and colleague Jess Osie, Vedic Meditation teacher and the founder of the Vedic Mamas Circle, a group she created specifically to support meditating mothers in all stages of motherhood. Between laughter and tears, Isabel and Kristen discuss with Jess all the nuances of being a mom in today's crazy world–everything from “mom guilt,” to parenting during Covid, to embracing the beautiful mess. Then they take the lens wider and speak about the “big M” Mother, and how am awakening of the Divine Mothering consciousness in all of us is what our world needs to heal. Whether you are a mother, have a mother, or know a mother, you will take something away from this conversation. Jess will be starting the next round of the Vedic Mamas Circle November 3, 2021. If you are interested in joining this 5-week online journey dedicated to honoring and nurturing the sacred role of being a mother, you can sign up here: https://www.jessosie.com/vedic-mamas-circle

Merriam-Webster's definition of inspiration is “to move or guide by divine influence.” This episode, we are talking to someone who embodies this more than anyone else we know, and has literally wrote the book on it.  We're talking about our friend and colleague Light Watkins (@lightwatkins). If you haven't heard of him, you will notice him now. He's a world-famous Vedic Meditation teacher to A-list celebrities, big time entrepreneurs, and a whole lot of normal people, too. He's written three books, his latest one, “Knowing Where to Look: 108 Daily Doses of Inspiration,” is on bedside tables everywhere (including ours). Light describes first-hand some of his leaps of faith that have led him to be the figure he is today–how he dropped his ad job and moved to Paris with no money or contacts on a whim, how he got rid of everything he owned except for what he could fit in a backpack in order to live a minimalist, nomadic existence for a while. Just hearing his stories will make you want to embark on something bold and daring. In short, you'll be inspired. .57 Who is Light?2.15 What is a charmed life?4.00 Stable environments values vs unstable environment values5.25 Listening to the inner voice and taking risks6.12 Letting go and opening up creativity in life6.40 Being your own destruction operator8.02 Learning knowing where to look9.05 Procrasting in charm10:45 following charm puts you in front of the wave and you are prepared for change11.20 Flipping things from negative to positive11.45 Flipping the frustration – Flight Attendant story15.00 Being sincere about appreciation gets us high on life17.44 Leave people more inspired is the mission19.00 Light´s personal mission “leaving people or places better than he found them”20.29 Oprah story with Paulo Coehlo 21.50 Feeling like we don´t do enough23.50 Being curious of the different aspects of life even as a kid24.24 The 7 habits of Highly effective people by Stephen Covey24.30 Creating personal mission statement for your life24.41 How to win Friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie24.58 Influence by Robert B. Cialdini26.07 Making the knowledge relatable and making meditation available27.29 “If you cant explain it simply you dont know it well enough” -Einstein-28.31 Stiffest yoga teacher in Los Angeles 28.50 Turning around imposter syndrome 30.24 Speak to the insecure – everyone is insecure about something - speak to that31.26 Everyone is struggling with the same stuff – we are all quietly battling something32.00 Teaching is actually storytelling33.24 Elevator story- ee experience some inconveniences so that we can connect to others 36.24 Don´t invalidate experiences or do spiritual bypassing 37.00 Addressing dificult issues inspires others and starts a dialogue 39.00 Treat the truth like a squirrel41.00 Sharing the story behind the story to make it relatable41.11 Mission of Light´s Podcast: “Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we can be.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson-42.00 What´s next for Light?43.43 Incresing the value of your own word – follow through 45.17 To be remarkable all you have to do is to do what you say you are going to do47.10 Building a stronger rapport within yourself and become immune to other people´s opinions48.50 Treating your passions like your children 

To be a spiritual person does not give us a free pass to remove ourselves from the need of the times. On the flip side of that, to be an activist does not mean you have to be angry. In this episode, Isabel and Kristen explore how enjoy fulfillment where everything is experienced as One and knowing that all is happening for all reasons while also feeling motivated to act for progressive change. They also describe how meditation not only helps guide you to where you can have the most impact but how meditation itself is a form of activism. If you're interested in bringing peace to the world while also feeling peace inside, tune in to this conversation. Quotes:“You will have this baseline of bliss not matter what is going on. However, this does not have to take you out of action. This does not mean you cannot be an activist. And on the flip side of that, to be an activist does not mean you have to angry.” - Kristen“You can have that awareness of the beauty of the destructive force and be at peace with it and even make friends with the destructive force while also knowing its purpose is to get change to happen.” - Kristen“It's not for us to say, “Oh the universe is in charge, it's going to take care of it.” Okay, but you are the universe too.” - Isabel1.00: Myth of being a pacifist1:50: Activists don´t have to be angry3:00: opposing things being true at the same time5:00 Anger as a trigger to make change but from fulfilment5:53 Othering causes harm6:30 Discipling with love, leading with love and not with anger10:35 Creation, maintenance and destruction11:00 Hearing the call to act. We are how the universe moves12:20 Do my work on earth. The universe acts through the individual points of light. 13:25 we are all contributing in some way. Either do unity or diversity 15:16 Meditators don´t have to be passive16:15 Krishna is the calling16:30 Shuka Deva Fire story17:40 Destruction can be to prove a point19:00 The Mahabharata takes place in a battlefield. Krishna teacher Arjuna that he needs to teach. 20:26 “If we don´t do it, then who will?20:40 As meditators we wake up to the need of the time21:25 The Bhagavad Gita is a call to action from passivity and move for what's right in order to reserve what is meant to be preserved. 21:33 An activist credo22:00 Pulling back of the bow, retreat then act. Potential energy.23:23 looking for fulfilment outside leads to consuming too much. 25:55 you can be in all layers at once. Being grounded supports the surface layer. 27:37 every emotion has a reason of why it is there. With regular meditation and we have an emotion its information of what our next action should be. 29:20 difference between experiencing (emotions) anger and being anger. We don´t want to be the anger. 30:24 YOGASTHA KURU KARMANI: first we establish yourself in being and then perform action31:30 Difference in power between the ocean and the wave. The ocean is calling the shots anyway. 33:36 Big roles come in different ways. A big role can be being an incredible parent. So many ways to have an influential role. We won't know what these are if we are just dealing with stress. 34:08 It's a wonderful life movie. We don´t know the influence that we are having on people. You can make a change and you don't know how much impact or influence you can have on someone or something. We all have a far-reaching influence, and we can choose if that is a positive influence. 37:08 Consciousness is the activism. When you interact with someone you uplift them automatically even if you have no idea of what you´ve done. 38:04 If we are in touch with our inner self, we are doing whatever is most relevant and that´s what's important. 38:08 Its to live your life as a life of service to your higher self.39:00 when you do acts of service, when you do random acts of kindness that is also playing a very important role. We want to leave the place better than we found it, this uplifts others and us as well. 41:15 to the degree we are awoken, is the degree to which we see what is going on.42:48 The world right now is like a big pile of dirty laundry. 43:02 Karma Kanda problems are slow to shift, but consciousness can shift instantly. Since consciousness is the problem, wea re a lot closer to solving our problems than we think we are. 43:37 If we can shift the collective consciousness then also all these problems that seem completely insurmountable become conquerable. 

IN MEMORY OF ARTEMIS VANDIVIER, LOST 7/11/21Like a night sky of stars, the memories of babies who lost their lives as they began shine in the hearts of countless mothers and fathers. Yet it's not talked about much, and for so many parents, grief walks with them wherever they go.This is a particularly personal episode as Kristen and Isabel discuss the very recent stillbirth of Kristen's baby Artemis. They explore all the facets of grief in general and then describe the unique experience of living through miscarriage and infant loss. If you have ever experienced grief over the death of someone very close to you, and especially for those who've lost a baby to miscarriage or infant loss, we hope this episode brings comfort and healing.HIGHLIGHTS3:41 VEDIC VIEWPOINT ON GRIEF8:14 GRIEF AS INTENSE LOVE 10:00 THE EXPERIENCE OF GRIEF AS A MEDITATOR 10:30 MASSIVE CHANGE OF EXPECTATION 11:08 ATTACHMENT TO GRIEF 12:14 UNIQUE SITUATION OF MISCARRIAGE AND STILLBIRTH, NOTHING TANGIBLE 14:27 THE PERSON YOU ARE BEFORE AND AFTER LOSS, SPLITTING LIFE INTO BC AND AD  17:00 LOSS PUTS YOU ON A NEW PATH  21:00 GRIEF AS CATHARSIS 25:00 CONNECTION TO ALL MOTHERS AND FATHERS WHO HAVE LOST A BABY 28:38 NOBODY TALKS ABOUT MISCARRIAGE32:22 WITH LOSING A PREBORN BABY, THERE IS NO RITUAL 35:32 THE ARTEMIS GARDEN INFO36:10 LOSS OF YOUR VISION OF THE FUTURE37:38 EVERY TRAGEDY IS WRAPPED IN BLESSINGS AND LOVE38:52 THE LOSS WAS ALWAYS WHAT NEEDED TO HAPPEN40:58 OUR ONLY JOB AS PARENTS IS TO LOVE THEM, THEY COME HOWEVER THEY NEED TO COME42:00 STORY OF KRISHNA AND HIS MOTHER YASHODA43:29 MOTHERHOOD, A POWER SO STRONG IT MADE THE UNIVERSE45:00 AT BIRTH AND DEATH YOU LOOK INTO THE FACE OF GODJAI GURU DEVA

We live in world that glorifies busy-ness and the never-ending pursuit of “more.” Our guest reminds us all that we need to go in the other direction, in the direction of rest, in order to experience fulfillment. We are honored to have Tracee Stanley, renowned teacher of yoga nidra and meditation share her wisdom with us today. Tracee travels the world leading retreats, hosting teacher trainings, and presenting at festivals and conferences including Oprah and Gayle's Girls Get Away. She is the co-founder of the Empowered Wisdom Yoga Nidra School, creator of the Empowered Life Self-Inquiry Oracle Deck, host of the Radiant Rest Podcast and author of the newly released book Radiant Rest. In this episode, she shares her experience moving from a successful career as a film producer to devoting herself to yogic practices. She also describes honoring life as a ritual and the importance of incorporating self-inquiry, nature as teacher, and ancestral reverence into our practices. She is the embodiment of her teaching. We are certain her words will resonate with you, no matter if you have a daily practice or have never so much as done a yoga pose in your life.

The term spiritual gaslighting, also known as spiritual bypassing, has been increasingly in the public consciousness, but it's not always clear when teachings such as “everything happens for all reasons” or “everything is one,” do more harm than good in the listener if their lived experience feels invalidated. In this episode, Isabel and Kristen tackle the nuances of this delicate subject and explore ways in which we can speak about unity while also being sensitive to the challenging circumstances of others. They also explain how experiencing universal love is a foundation for actively dismantling systems of oppression.

If you've been accused of being “selfish” for your meditation practice, you wouldn't be the first. Some people think going within when there is so much that needs doing outside is self-indulgent, or they have expectations for your actions and can't stand to see you do “nothing.” Usually these people are not meditators themselves as meditation is in fact the opposite of selfishness. In this episode, Kristen and Isabel go deep about how the process of meditation is going beyond the self, it is selflessness as a practice. And then they take it further to show how by simply meditating, not just the actions that meditation inspires but by practicing meditation itself, you are doing the best thing you can do to create a better world.

For all of us, there is always one most evolutionary action at any given time. An action that is both the most progressive for our individual growth and the growth of everyone else. But how do we know what that action is? In this episode, Kristen and Isabel explain how, through intuition and following inner charm, one can correctly identify how to be in exactly the right place at the right time. Or at least, fairly close to it.

The wellness world has gotten caught up in the trend of putting forth an unrealistic, “aspirational” image as a way of selling itself. This type of inauthenticity, however, can be separating, with an undercurrent of “you are lacking” in the messaging. Turns out relatability is critical to connecting with others and is far more inspirational than any aspirational post could ever be. In this episode, Isabel and Kristen enjoy relating some of their own stories of relatability and break down how it is a key to creating unity, and how even the vulnerability required to be relatable is really a strength.

Everyone’s heard the command, “Be present,” but how do you maintain presence for more than a few seconds? Turns out presence comes from Being, so it just is. It cannot be forced but is the natural result of consistent meditation practice. However, there are some strategies you can employ in the waking state to help get you there. In this episode, Isabel and Kristen share some of their personal struggles and more than a few laughs as they describe their own techniques for pulling themselves back to the present when things start to feel rough.

When illness or injury strikes, we tend to turn on ourselves. We get frustrated with our bodies, frustrated with the “set back” and we direct all that negativity towards ourselves. It seems the world and almost everyone in it is in need of some deep healing, but we have to relearn how to heal. What if we turn our loving attention towards our ailments instead of internally berating them or trying to distract ourselves from them? What if what we think of as physical “set backs” are actually catalysts for our own personal evolution? In this episode, Kristen and Isabel share their own very personal healing stories and how, by shifting your attitude towards your own body and its conditions, you can propel your own healing and the healing of all.

We have lost our sense of what it means to be really and truly well. Even those in the “wellness” industry often push body ideals and routines that are not healthy for everyone. We are thrilled to have Rana Haddadin (@ranayu_1) as our guest, who, with her husband Rodrigo de la Barrera, founded Ranayu in order to bring the knowledge of Ayurveda and Yoga to Mexico. Rana breaks down for us what true health really feels like and how to start enjoying being in your own skin. In this episode, we discuss the damage the “all work, no rest” mentality has done and how by changing our mindset, we can learn to love and nurture our bodies, and by extension, the world around us.

We can get stuck in this idea that we are supposed to be happy all the time and when we aren’t happy, we want to just fast forward through whatever we are experiencing. But while not all situations are happy–for example there are times of loss and struggle and transformation–they are all part of the larger story of life and we can experience them all as beautiful in some way. In this episode, Isabel and Kristen unpack this idea of beauty underlying all aspects of life and how meditation helps you perceive this unifying layer.

Ayurveda is riding a wave of popularity, but while most think of it as a dietary system or self-care regime, Ayurveda is so much bigger than that. Dylan Smith, the founder of Vital Veda and one of the world’s foremost Ayurvedic practitioners talks to us about how to find balance with nature whether that is balance within our own individual body or balance in our larger body, our planet. In this episode, we discuss how so much of the global suffering and violence comes from our collective misalignment with the rhythms of nature. Tune in to hear a trove of tips on how to feel better and heal yourself which in turn can help heal the world.

There is a cultural assumption that artists are unstable, a bit mad, and it is their mental instability that drives their creativity. Art does not come from an imbalance, it can in fact be healing, not just for the artist but for the world. Ana Victoria Calderon, artist and founder of Magic Jungle is uplifting a whole community of artists and art lovers through her mesmerizing imagery and her workshops and retreats that take people on transformative inner journeys through creating art. She also talks to us about social media, and how she’s used it as a tool for good. If you’re like us, you will come away from this talk wanting to create something yourself, and possibly wallpaper your house with Ana’s inspired images.

When did everything get to be so serious? Granted, it’s been a heavy year, it really has, and finding the path back to a light-hearted way of life can be pretty obscured in the midst of everything that’s been going on. And isn’t it insensitive to experience joy with so much suffering is going on in the world? In this episode, Isabel and Kristen make the case that happiness and humor is not only not hurtful, but it is a social responsibility to strive for light-heartedness because it uplifts the whole. They also go into detail about the healing and relieving benefits of laughter and learning to relax and enjoy.

It's hard to remember a time of greater division and hatred, and we are all suffering under its weight. Unity seems impossible as the political chasm widens not only in the US but across the world. Love is the answer, but how do you love someone who oppresses you or others? Is loving certain people more than they deserve? In this episode, Kristen and Isabel make the case for love in all scenarios. Of all "Being the Change" episodes, the message in this one is more urgent than any we've discussed before. The world has lost its way to love, tune in for ways to find the way back.

This week’s podcast is all about Karma. Not the definition that’s popular in the West which is more like a “what goes around comes around” kind of thing, but the true definition of Karma which is action that binds. After this past year of massive global Karmic events, it can feel like the walls are closing in on all of us, so how do we free ourselves? In this episode, Kristen and Isabel share some strategies (and amusing anecdotes) about how to live life unbounded within no matter what is happening on the outside.

It’s a topic that’s not broached often, but is a powerful undercurrent in the lives of many people, especially women. What if there was a way to change your consciousness so that sexual trauma is not limiting you but becomes a point of connection with others that can lead you to your purpose? In this episode, Kristen and Isabel share deeply personal experiences of incorporating a history of abuse into your spiritual journey.

The world is in a pretty dark place right now, it’s hard to deny, and it has people searching for an answer. What if there was a way to find light in this darkness? What if it was the darkness itself that caused the awakening? In this episode, we talk about spiritual epiphanies and how they are triggered. Isabel and Kristen share their most personal stories of loss and darkness and how those influenced their own evolution and how you too can spark your awakening in the shadow.

It seems like the only thing we can all agree on nowadays is that we are living in a time of extreme polarization. And the lines of division are across almost every sphere of life: political, racial, generational, Covid safety, economic, whether see a blue or a gold dress? What got us to this intensely divided state where people don’t just disagree, they hate the other side for disagreeing? And how do we fix it? In this episode, Isabel and Kristen examine the cultural roots of the current divisiveness and show how you can make a difference in bringing a sense of unity back to the world.

How do you scale wisdom? Cory Smith, serial social entrepreneur and CEO/co-founder of Wisdom Labs is on a mission to find out, and we are lucky enough to have him on our podcast. He started Wisdom Labs with the belief that business is a force for social change and it starts with our behaviors at work. In this episode, we tap into Cory’s wisdom from years of creating purpose-driven company after company and discuss how when people at work meditate, it leads to more thoughtful decisions and better relationships, which then ripple out the improve people’s lives and then the planet in general. You will also learn about the dramatic event that Cory awakened to his purpose. He’ll leave you feeling inspired and buzzing with ideas on how business can usher us into a more enlightened time.

Whole nations have been formed and wars have been fought in the name of this concept we call freedom. But what is freedom? Is it doing whatever we want to do, whenever we want to do it, following one desire after the next in search of fulfillment? What about a free society, what happens when your free action infringes on the freedom of others? In this episode, Isabel and Kristen reveal how to achieve true freedom and why experiencing it is so necessary to create peace and balance in our world.

There are some people who dedicate their lives to helping others and then there’s Alejandro Souza, social entrepreneur, author, and founder of Pixza, a social development platform disguised as a pizzeria supporting previously homeless young adults, as well as other innovative projects for social change. In this podcast, we delve into how Souza cracks the code of mixing “survival-of-the-fittest” capitalism with “we’re-all-one” altruism. Rather than resisting the wave of capitalism, he uses it in world-changing endeavor after world-changing endeavor. We were blown away with his experience and perspective and we’re sure you will be too.

Nothing occupies our minds or influences our decisions more than our relationships. In this episode, Isabel and Kristen dive deep into the mechanics of what is needed for a successful alliance and how these connections are the foundation for how our greater society functions. Tune in to learn the one thing most people are doing wrong in their relationships and how to become an exponent of happiness to all those in your life. 

La risa, la felicidad, la empatía, el amor y el llamado a crear un cambio social. En este episodio, Isabel entrevista a nuestro invitado muy especial, Andrés Aguilar. Andrés Aguilar es un payaso, showman, artista, músico, emprendedor, líder social y fundador de Risaterapia, una organización sin fines de lucro diseñada para llevar la risa y el amor a las áreas de mayor necesidad; hospitales, áreas rurales, centros de hospicio y las calles. Andrés describe la historia de su vida y cómo la vida te lleva a donde necesitas estar para que puedas descubrir tu verdadero potencial y, a través de él, servir a los demás. Isabel y Andrés discuten las cosas en común entre Risaterapia, payasadas y risas con meditación y cómo todos estamos en el mismo camino para el cambio. Comenzamos con nosotros mismos y luego podemos salir al mundo para ayudar a otros. Este episodio está en español. English Translation: Laughter, bliss, empathy, love and the calling to create a social change. In this episode, Isabel interviews our very special guest, Andres Aguilar. Andres Aguilar is a clown, showman, artist, musician, entrepreneur, social leader and founder of Risaterapia, a non-profit designed to take laughter and love to the areas of greatest need, hospitals, rural areas, hospice centers and the streets. Andres describes the story of his life and how life takes you to where you need to be so that you can discover your true potential and through it serve others. Isabel and Andres discuss the things in common between Risaterapia, clowning, and laughter with meditation and how we are all on the same journey for change. We start with ourselves and then we can ripple out into the world to help others. This episode is in Spanish.

You may have heard people talking about how all the shifts going on in the world are part of “the feminine rising.” But what does that mean? In this episode, Isabel and Kristen reveal the true meanings of masculine and feminine (and no, it doesn’t just refer to sex) and how the unbalancing and rebalancing of these energies underlie every great movement in our society. They also describe how these energies work on the individual level, even determining who we are attracted to. Tune in for insight into the dynamics behind your personal relationships and those on the world stage.