Becoming Who You Are Meant to Be

Jean Shinoda Bolen, MD, is a Jungian analyst and clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. An internationally renowned lecturer and workshop leader, she is author of The Tao of Psychology, Goddesses in Everywoman, Close to the Bone, Like a Tree, and more. She is also a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and a past chairperson of the Council of National Affairs of the APA.

In this podcast, Dr. Bolen joins Sounds True founder Tami Simon to reflect on her many years as a writer, teacher, and activist, and how doing our “soul work” becomes the path to self-actualization, connection, and contribution throughout our lives. They also discuss our innate capacity for love and awe; becoming a whole-brain person; speaking up as a key aspect of individuation; gratitude and appreciation; the dandelion effect, or how seeds of beneficial ideas are carried to fertile ground; navigating liminal times; the predicament of “just doing time” with our lives; connecting with loved ones we’ve lost; becoming more familiar with your “dark side of the moon”; the metaphor of the millionth circle; and more.

Becoming Who You Are Meant to Be

Like a Tree

Tami Simon speaks with Jean Shinoda Bolen, an author, Jungian analyst, and clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco. In her writing, Jean draws from spiritual, feminist, Jungian, medical, and personal wellsprings of experience. She is the author of Goddesses in Every Woman, The Tao of Psychology, and her latest audio book from Sounds True, Like a Tree. In this heartfelt and inspiring conversation, Tami speaks with Jean about our sacred relationship with trees and the wisdom they have to offer, what it might mean to “circumambulate the self,” and how we can discover our “assignment” in the world. (64 minutes)

Christina Rasmussen: Life Reentry: Exiting the Waiting...

There are certain experiences that are completely and utterly devastating, yet seemingly impossible to articulate and share. Grief educator and author Christina Rasmussen calls these our “invisible losses”—and they are often more perplexing and difficult to navigate than the overt tragedies we all endure in life. In this podcast, join Sounds True’s founder, Tami Simon, in conversation with Christina Rasmussen about her new book, Invisible Loss: Recognizing and Healing the Unacknowledged Heartbreak of Everyday Grief.

Filled with unique perspective and compassionate insight, this dialogue explores the place of uncertainty and stagnation known as “the waiting room”; the original self, and how we get disconnected from it; the impacts of an “us vs. them” experience; how to identify your primary invisible loss; three inner narrators—the survivor, the watcher, and the thriver; reclaiming our forgotten “thriver memories”; the cost of seeking approval; saying yes to what you’ve always wanted to do; cleansing our patterns of fear; the practice of mental stacking; the Life Reentry model; reframing our experiences and taking action from our wisdom; why the place of death is also the place of creation; and more.

Margaret J. Wheatley, EdD: Beyond Hope and Fear

Are we in the midst of a civilizational collapse? There are some definitive signs, says Margaret (Meg) Wheatley, who has spent a lifetime as an activist and educator seeking to create a more caring, compassionate, and connected world. In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with the renowned organizational and systems expert about how she maintains faith in humanity and a tireless commitment to her life’s work, even as she approaches 80 years old.

Tune in for an inspiring call to become a “spiritual warrior” at this precarious time in history, with profound insights on how life exists in cycles—and why this is important to understand; putting our energy and desire to contribute in the right places; compassion and insight; seeing clearly so we can act wisely; removing the filters of hope and fear; grace, synchronicity, and serving your purpose; being faithful to the work you’re called to; the dark night of the soul; working for change at the local level; joy and togetherness; the antidote to despair; the practice of “I’m not lost, I’m right here”; and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

Sam Harris, PhD: Cutting Through to Consciousness With...

Sam Harris — July 2, 2024

How do meditation and mindfulness accelerate moral progress? Is spiritual insight alone sufficient to solve today’s problems? Dr. Sam Harris is a five-time New York Times bestselling author, philosopher, neuroscientist, and host of the popular podcast Making Sense. He is also someone who has practiced meditation for more than 30 years, having studied with teachers in Tibetan, Burmese, Indian, and Western traditions. Here, Tami Simon sits down with Sam Harris for a deep conversation on the nature of consciousness and the implications of spiritual realization.

Tune in for this “aha moment”–filled podcast exploring: the illusion of the self and the default state of identity; advaita and nonduality; two different types of mystery; the future of AI; psychic phenomena; synchronicity, superstition, and skepticism; a new perspective on how to be happy; the superpower of noticing; tantra; Dzogchen and “the goal as the path”; looking for what is looking; resolving the view; becoming mindful of “the glimpse”; meditating from the neck down; and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.