The Gathering Room Podcast

In this Gathering Room, I explore what it means to “let it be” when life feels unfinished, messy, or even painful. Through stories of near‑death experiences, spiritual teachers, personal loss, and wild synchronicities, I reflect on the idea that having experiences—good, bad, and everything in between—is the true meaning of life. I also lead you in a meditation and answer listener questions about spiritual by...

What if you could turn even your most painful moments into a pathway to bliss? In this episode of The Gathering Room, I talk about the Hindu concept of satcitānanda—which means the joining of truth, consciousness, and bliss—and how we can drop into this state by letting go of resistance. I’ll share a "formula" for how to do this that I learned from the zen monk and mathematician Shinzen Young, and I’ll guide...

Are you one of the millions of people who are struggling financially right now?

In this episode of The Gathering Room, I talk about how to navigate times when money feels tight and the old ways of surviving just aren’t working anymore. I share how “dancing sideways”—following flutters of discomfort that nudge us toward something new—helped me create work I love, and how it can help you too. We ...

In this “Listen Again” episode of The Gathering Room, I'm talking about synchronicities—moments that hint that our universe is not random. Drawing on Dr. Lisa Miller’s research from The Awakened Brain, I share how being open to spiritual realities can improve health, boost resilience, and protect against anxiety and depression. To learn ways to keep your “spiritual docking station” open—inc...

Been feeling lost lately?

It’s not surprising. The world is shifting in ways we’ve never seen before, creating unprecedented changes in many of our lives. Moving through these unfamiliar landscapes can make us feel uncertain where to go—which is a lot like feeling lost.

In this “Listen Again” episode of The Gathering Room, I’m talking about feeling lost during times of personal and global upheava...

In this extended episode of The Gathering Room, I talk about what it means to live through a time of social unraveling, and how we can still find our way, even without guarantees or clear paths ahead.

I explore how to navigate systemic collapse through Wayfinding—regulating our nervous systems, resisting panic and polarization, grieving fully, creating beauty, and building circles of community, integrity, and calm, generative...

Where do you go when you don’t trust what’s around you?

In this week’s Gathering Room, I talk about how to navigate our chaotic, rapidly changing world by turning inward to the body's wisdom. I’ll guide you through a Wayfinder visualization to help you feel held in safety, and show you how this state can become your most trusted navigation system. Join me for the full conversation to shift from victi...

Have you ever felt an irresistible pull toward something new, even when it didn’t make any logical sense? In this “Listen Again” episode of The Gathering Room, I tell the story of my family’s recent bold leap—leaving behind a home we adored to start anew in upstate New York—led only by intuition and a string of joyful coincidences. This conversation is all about how real freedom begins when we tr...

Do you ever try to make forward-thinking plans, but then you get hit with surprises you never saw coming? 

In this encore “Listen Again” episode of The Gathering Room, I talk about how to move forward by embracing change and uncertainty—and the delightful surprises that can come your way when you do. 

I’ll also guide you through a meditation to help bring your attention to the field of connection t...

In our culture, there's nothing good about aging. But what if growing older is really a spiritual strategy, not a personal failing? What if it's the way your soul finds its way home?

On this episode of The Gathering Room, I explore how the slowing down of the body allows it to fill itself with more light, more spiritual awareness, and a deeper sense of peace. Tune in to hear about “prodigies of aging” who grow m...

Hoping to survive the holidays without betraying your Essential Self? In this episode of The Gathering Room, I share how to navigate this season of stress, family dynamics, and cultural expectations using your inner compass instead of willpower and resistance. You’ll hear about following wild synchronicities, living from your heart, and giving yourself permission to be yourself. Tune in for the full episode to discover how to...

Ever played Minecraft? My five-year-old pulled me into it, and I started seeing it as a metaphor for how we move through real life.

On this Gathering Room, I share stories from my journey through decades of Survival mode, my awakening into Creative mode, and what it feels like now to live mostly in Adventure mode, guided by something wiser than my everyday mind.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in Survival mode or lo...

On this episode of The Gathering Room, I explore the tendency to assign difficult or unsavory tasks to “Tomorrow Me,” thinking I’ll magically want to do them in the future. Tune in to hear personal stories, practical tips to plan things out of joy instead of obligation, and why it’s kinder and wiser to honor what your “Today Self” genuinely wants and needs. If you’re ready to break the cycl...

Gatherers—I’m thrilled to be joined by special guest Dr. Lisa Miller, author of The Awakened Brain, for this episode of The Gathering Room podcast! In this episode we discuss the surprising neuroscience of spirituality, ways to awaken your perception of the world around you, and how suffering can expand your spiritual awareness. Dr. Miller also shares some guided meditations to help you access your connection to the Div...

Greetings, Beloveds! I’ve returned from my walk along Spain’s Camino de Santiago, and on this episode of The Gathering Room, I’m sharing what it taught me about turning everyday life into a pilgrimage. I explore how adventure, faith, and story weave meaning into our days. (Back home, even a plumbing disaster became part of my wild journey...) To learn how you can travel through life in “Adventure Mode,&rdquo...

Did you know that until you are truly compassionate to yourself, you can’t be compassionate to any other person? In this “Listen Again” episode of The Gathering Room, I talk about building compassionate communities—and how a safe, loving, mutually supportive community is probably the most important thing we can ever have, especially during chaotic times. I’d love for you to join me.

CONNECT WIT...

In this special “Listen Again” episode of The Gathering Room, I explore what I call “sanity quilting” and offer practical advice for maintaining your mental well-being during turbulent times. Like crazy quilting, sanity quilting involves building a life out of things you love in order to stay peaceful, calm, inspired, and sane. Join me for the full episode to learn more about stitching the things you love in...

In this special “Listen Again” episode of The Gathering Room, I dive into the big themes of my most recent book, Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life's Purpose, and share how my ongoing research, writing, and real-life experience have given me deeper insights than ever before. I talk about why moving beyond anxiety starts with radical kindness to yourself, and how creativity follows when we shift...

Did you know that recalling positive sense memories creates connections in the brain that reinforce positive, joyful times instead of fear or anxiety? That’s what I’m talking about on this special encore episode of The Gathering Room! Listen again to hear how you can rewire your brain to access a place of wisdom and the peace that passes all understanding. You can also follow my guided Space, Silence, and Stillness medi...