Metta Hour With Sharon Salzberg

For episode 163 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon speaks with Vlada Bortnik.Vlada is co-founder and CEO of Marco Polo, the popular video communication app that so many have relied on in this past year and a half of covid! Vlada is an immigrant from the former Soviet Union, and her path to Silicon Valley has been one of determination and steadfast passion for making the world a happier place. Vlada’s approach to life as a busy mom and tech CEO is grounded in mindfulness and meditation.The conversation starts with Vlada and Sharon discussing Marco Polo and how the app has connected folks, especially during COVID. Vlada shares her observations about how the development of email, text, and social media has changed the way that people connect in the last twenty years and how the evolution of public-facing connections has increased loneliness for so many. They talk about the Marco Polo app and the different features it offers to promote real connection. Vlada shares about her early life and how her family immigrate

For episode 162 of the Metta Hour, Sharon speaks with Zainab Salbi.Zainab Salbi is a humanitarian, author, and chief awareness officer of Find Center, a platform for personal development and growth. Oprah Winfrey has named her one of the 25 women changing the world to People Magazine, and President Clinton nominated her as a “21st Century Heroine.” At the age of twenty-three, Zainab founded and led Women for Women International, a humanitarian organization supporting women survivors of wars. She is the author of several books, including the national bestseller “Between Two Worlds” and her latest “Freedom is an Inside Job.”In this conversation, Zainab and Sharon speak about the next steps of healing in a time of incredible division and hatred in the world. Zainab shares her process of discovering her own biases and shadows as an activist and how her journey to healing these aspects of herself inspired the writing of her latest book, “Freedom Is an Inside Job.” She shares how she has learned to balanc

For episode 161 of the Metta Hour, Sharon is in conversation with Buddhist teacher and author Pamela Weiss.This episode of Sharon Salzberg’s Metta Hour is brought to you by BetterHelp. We’re honored to partner with a platform that brings confidential and convenient therapy wherever you are. BetterHelp will assess your needs and match you with your own licensed professional therapist. Start living a happier life, explore your inner world with a professional therapist in under 48 hours. As a listener, you’ll get 10% off your first month by visiting our sponsor at BetterHelp.com/mettaJoin over 1 million people who have taken charge of their mental health.About this Episode: Pamela Weiss is among the few Buddhist teachers authorized to teach in two traditions—Zen and Theravada. She is the only layperson in the Suzuki Roshi Soto Zen lineage to receive full Dharma Transmission. After living as a monastic at Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery for five years, she completed comprehensive training through Spiri

This episode of Sharon Salzberg’s Metta Hour is brought to you by BetterHelp. We’re honored to partner with a platform that brings confidential and convenient therapy wherever you are. BetterHelp will assess your needs and match you with your own licensed professional therapist. Start living a happier life, explore your inner world with a professional therapist in under 48 hours. As a listener, you’ll get 10% off your first month by visiting our sponsor at BetterHelp.com/mettaJoin over 1 million people who have taken charge of their mental health.About This Episode's Guest: Gala Narezo is a mother, artist, educator, and consultant whose work focuses on weaving awareness and reflection into all aspects of life. As a meditator for over 20 years, she believes that time spent reflecting on and integrating our experience helps us understand our context, know who we are, and manifest our purpose. Her work celebrates mindful change-making through the arts and has focused on youth advocacy, plastic bag legi

For episode 158 Kristin Neff returns to the Metta Hour to talk about her new book, Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive.Kristin is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, conducting the first empirical studies on self-compassion almost twenty years ago. Kristin is the author of the book Self-Compassion and is currently an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. In conjunction with her colleague Dr. Chris Germer, she has developed an empirically supported training program called Mindful Self-Compassion, which is taught by thousands of teachers worldwide. Her newest work focuses on how to balance self-acceptance with the courage to make needed change.The conversation begins with Kristin defining self-compassion and how that compares to self-pity and self-esteem. They discuss the differences between compassion, shame, and self-criticism as means to grow or face adversity, as well as compassion thr

For episode 158 of the Metta hour, Sharon is joined by Michael Schauch.Michael is a mountaineer, entrepreneur, and author. With early success as an entrepreneur at age 15 and over 20 years of global financial investment experience, Michael brings his business acumen and altruistic heart to lead and support local and international mentorship, fundraising, and educational initiatives. These include girls' and student mentorship education in Nepal, outdoor youth leadership training, and holistic Indigenous leadership development in British Columbia. In 2020, Michael released his first book, A Story of Karma: Finding Love and Truth in the Lost Valley of the Himalaya.In this conversation, Michael shares about his 2012 expedition to a remote valley that had been previously closed off to outsiders in the Himalayas of northern Nepal. His journey resulted in the meeting of a little girl named Karma, which was the most profound encounter of Michael's life. Michael shares how this chance encounter changed the trajectory

For episode 157 of the Metta hour, Sharon speaks with meditator, writer, and speaker, Diego Perez.Widely known by his pen name Yung Pueblo, Diego's practice of Vipassana meditation has given him a deeper understanding of liberation and inspires him to reach hundreds of thousands of people online every month through his writing. He is the author of several books, including Clarity & Connection, which was just released in April 2021, instantly becoming a New York Times bestseller.This conversation begins with Diego reflecting on the release of his new book, Clarity & Connection, and some insight into his writing process for the book. They speak about the unique moment that much of the world is in now, starting to transition from the pandemic lockdown and the new definition of resilience that is being asked of us. They also share about the role that grief has played in the past year and how to take the wisdom of grief forward into daily life. They go on to discuss how meditation practice can serve as a b

For episode 156 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon speaks with friend and colleague Tara Brach.Tara has been practicing and teaching meditation since 1975, as well as leading workshops and meditation retreats at centers throughout North America and Europe. She has a PhD in clinical psychology, is the founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington and is the author of several beloved books: Radical Acceptance, True Refuge, and Radical Compassion. Her most recent book, Trusting the Gold: Uncovering Your Natural Goodness, has just been released by Sounds True in June of 2021.In the conversation, Sharon and Tara speak about the inspiration for Tara’s new book, Trusting the Gold, and how it came into form as an illustrated project. They discuss the Buddhist concept of Basic Goodness, and how controversial this idea can be in the West. Tara shares about her early years as a practitioner living in an Ashram, and how she struggled to be a perfect student while slowly opening to the truth of her own basic go

For episode 155 of the Metta Hour, Sharon speaks with Mark Nepo. Mark is an author, poet, and spiritual teacher with over 40 years of teaching experience.Mark Nepo has published twenty-two books, including the New York Times bestseller The Book of Awakening, and his most recent release from 2020, The Book of Soul.In this episode, Mark shared his personal journey that brought him to the spiritual path and writing. They discuss the coronavirus through stages of grief, and how the different stages of denial, anger, bartering, depression, and acceptance are reflective of different aspects of the collective. They talk about loss and grief as a process of destruction and reconstruction and how to honor each aspect of that process. They also discuss of the importance of meaning in mental health and in life in general. Mark offers some ideas for how to recover meaning for ourselves when we have lost it. He shares how we can individually and collectively determine what needs repair, what needs reimagining, and what ne

For episode 154 of the Metta Hour, Sharon speaks with Tami Simon.Tami Simon is the founder of Sounds True, a multimedia company that has produced over 3,000 titles and been nominated twice for the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing companies. Tami also hosts the popular Sounds True podcast, Insights at the Edge, with more than 15 million downloads. Tami has been instrumental in the creation of the Inner MBA Program: a nine-month interactive program featuring esteemed CEOs and conscious business and mindfulness leaders created by Sounds True, LinkedIn and Wisdom 2.0.In this episode, Tami shares how she came to the practice of meditation and her journey integrating those experiences in her life. She discusses the history of Sounds True and her original inspiration that launched the company, and how that has evolved to present day. They also discuss the Inner MBA program and the nuance of bringing mindfulness and compassion practices to the workplace. The conversation closes with Tami leading a guided meditati

For episode 153 of the Metta Hour, Sharon speaks with mindfulness teacher and author, Scott Shute.Scott Shute is the Head of Mindfulness and Compassion at LinkedIn and blends his lifelong practice and passion with his practical leadership and operations experience. His mission is to change work from the inside out and he is the author of the new book “The Full Body Yes,” released in May of 2021. In this episode, Scott shares what brought him to meditation practice in his early life and how that eventually led him to bring that to his work. They discuss the role that compassion plays in the workplace, both in leadership and relationships. Scott shares some research about the primary factors that contribute toward developing a high-performance team, and the importance of psychological safety in the workplace. Sharon and Scott talk about his book, and what constitutes the experience of a “full-body yes,” especially given the inequities in life and our culture. Scott speaks about the role that optimism can play t

For episode 152 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon speaks with Dani Shapiro.Dani is the author of the New York Times best-selling memoir, Inheritance, published in January 2019 by Knopf. Her other books include the memoirs "Hourglass," "Still Writing," "Devotion," and "Slow Motion," and five novels. She is also the host of her own podcast, Family Secrets. Dani teaches writing workshops worldwide, has taught at Columbia and New York University, and is the co-founder of the Sirenland Writers Conference in Positano, Italy.The conversation begins with Dani sharing how she came to writing in her early life and how her father's tragic death shaped her path. She shares how she came to formal spiritual practice after becoming a mother and finding the meditation teachings of Sylvia Boorstein in 2007. Dani reflects on how her meditation practice has become intertwined with her writing practice and how she approaches writing as a spiritual path. They discuss how different aspects of formal meditation practice can act as

For episode 151 of the Metta Hour, Sharon speaks with Dr. Will Van Derveer MD and Keith Kurlander, MA, LPC.Will and Keith are Co-Founders of the Integrative Psychiatry Institute, which teaches mental health providers how to recognize and resolve an expanded spectrum of root causes of mental illness, and also the Integrative Psychiatry Centers, which provide integrative psychiatry and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for complex mental health challenges. Together they are also the hosts of the Higher Practice Podcast.The conversation begins with some background on how Will and Keith came to Integrative Psychiatry. Sharon asks how each of them has dealt with burnout and despair in their lives as care-providers in the field of mental health. They also discuss some of the unique issues that caregivers face right now in the pandemic and how self-compassion can offer support. Keith and Will share some of the changes they are seeing in clients due to the social isolation and offer some tools to help regulate the nerv

For episode 150 of the Metta Hour, Sharon speaks with Karen Stewart.Karen is a Mental Health Psychosocial Support Specialist and Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over thirty years of working in a wide variety of mental health settings. Ten of those years have been working with Doctors Without Borders throughout Asia and Africa. Learn about Karen's offerings at karenstewart.org.To start the conversation, Karen shares what brought her to social work after a traumatic childhood. They discuss the meaning of the word “trauma” and the different forms of trauma: acute, chronic, and complex trauma. They discuss the difference between trauma and PTSD and the concept of Post-Traumatic-Growth. Karen shares some of her experience working with Doctors Without Borders in catastrophic environments and how she provides mental health resources to those communities. They speak at length about resilience and how to bolster our stress response in a more balanced way. Sharon reflects on the epidemic of loneliness that so many

In episode 149 of the Metta Hour, Sharon speaks with Tim Desmond.Tim is a psychotherapist, author, Distinguished Faculty Scholar at Antioch University New England, and student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. He is the founder of Peer Collective and co-founder of Morning Sun Mindfulness Center in Alstead, NH. He was also a co-organizer of Occupy Wall Street. Tim's publications include Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy, The Self-Compassion Skills Workbook, and the 2019 release, How to Stay Human in a Fucked Up World.In this conversation, Tim shares his history and what led him to become an activist and student of meditation, and eventually professional psychology. He shares about the impetus for the Morning Sun Mindfulness Center as well as the Peer Collective. They discuss the role of faith and love in psychotherapy and what the x-factor is in therapeutic healing. Tim reflects on the power of self-compassion and how to cultivate it and its transformational effects. They also discuss the role of suffering in happ

For episode 148 of the Metta Hour, Sharon celebrates the 45th anniversary of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts.Founded by Sharon, Joseph Goldstein, and Jack Kornfield on February 14th, 1975, this year marks 45 years since IMS opened doors to the public. Sharon reflects on this special anniversary and shares one of her earliest archival recordings from IMS from 1983. Since its inception, IMS has proven a wellspring of spiritual wisdom and a refuge of practice for individuals interested in meditation, mindfulness, lovingkindness, and self-inquiry.Information on IMS and its ongoing offerings can be found at Dharma.org. For a catalog of dharma talks shared at IMS from a wide assortment of spiritual teachers, please visit: DharmaSeed.org. “I think about this running river, and I’m a part of it. It’s just this incredible feeling to watch it go on and spread in the way that it has…It’s hard to even believe what has happened, that IMS has become a refu

For episode 147 of the Metta Hour, Sharon speaks with her longtime friends and colleagues Rameshwar Das and Roshi Joan Halifax Ph.D. about the new book, “Being Ram Dass.”This intimate conversation begins with Rameshwar Das and Roshi reflect on the first time they met Ram Dass and their early friendships in the 60s. They discuss the role that Ram Dass played in their community, as well as his formative inspiration in some of their first teaching experiences. Roshi shares about Ram Dass’s pioneering work in the prison systems and end-of-life care. Rameshwar Dass speaks at length about the process of working with Ram Dass to create “Being Ram Dass” and closes the episode by leading a loving awareness meditation. Learn more about the new book at beingramdass.com

For episode 146 of the Metta Hour, Sharon speaks with colleague and friend Trudy Goodman, PhD.Trudy is a Vipassana teacher in the Theravada lineage and the Founding Teacher of InsightLA. For 25 years, in Cambridge, MA, Trudy practiced mindfulness-based psychotherapy with children, teenagers, couples and individuals. Trudy conducts retreats and workshops worldwide.In this episode, Trudy shares her personal journey with meditation and psychotherapy and how the two have informed her healing, and her professional path as a teacher and therapist. She and Sharon discuss loneliness, depression and mental health issues that have affected people differently in the pandemic quarantine. They also speak at length about the cultural stigma that many feel around mental health that prevents them from seeking out support or treatment. As well, they talk about domestic violence, and how the pandemic has increased instances of abusive relationships, and some resources for those facing it. The episode closes with Trud

For the 145th episode of the Metta Hour, Sharon speaks with teacher, author, and facilitator Thomas Hübl.Thomas has been facilitating large-scale events and courses that focus on the healing and integration of trauma. Over the last decade, he has facilitated dialogue with thousands of people around healing the collective traumas of racism, oppression, colonialism, genocides in the U.S., Israel, Germany, Spain, and Argentina. In November of 2020. In the Fall of 2020, Thomas authored his first English book, "Healing Collective Trauma,” published by SoundsTrue.In this conversation, Thomas shares his perspective on what constitutes trauma, whether it be acute, complex, or chronic forms and how trauma causes simultaneous over-activation and freezing within us, leading to internal fragmentation. They discuss the difference between personal trauma and collective trauma, as well as the genealogical trauma that is now being verified by the study fo epigenetics. Thomas also shares some wisdom about the trauma that many

For episode 144 of the Metta Hour, Sharon speaks with Zindel Segal, Ph.D.Zindel is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology in Mood Disorders at the University of Toronto Scarborough. He has written over ten books, and 180 scientific publications, including The Mindful Way Through Depression, and recently co-founded MindfulNoggin.com, a website for mindfulness-based clinical care for managing depression and anxiety. In this conversation, Sharon and Zindel discuss the nuanced relationship between mindfulness practice and mental health. Zindel shares some of his research about when and how Mindfulness practice can aid recovery from clinical depression, and anxiety, as well as some of the new challenge folks are facing now from the pandemic. The episode closes with Zindel leads a 3-minute guided meditation practice on the breath. Learn more about Zindel’s work, visit mindfulnoggin.comGet your copy of Sharon's newest book, Real Change, at sharonsalzberg.com or your favorite place to get books o