Best Mark Plotkin Podcasts (2025)

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Wild new stories: Weaving New Myths for a New Way of Being with Ally Kingston of Agency for Nature 1:25:10

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3d ago1:25:10

1:25:10

How do we create the stories that will bring a whole new generation back to the web of life, that will help people find hope again, and lean into their heart's yearning for connection, relationship, being and belonging? This week's guest, Ally Kingston, is a creative facilitator and strategy lead at Purpose Disruptors, where she co-developed the br…

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Word Magic 2025 - Accidental Gods' pick of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and podcasts through the year 32:34

6d ago32:34

32:34

Here's Manda's round up of (some of) the best books, poetry and podcasts she's come across this year. Most of the links are to Bookshop.org in the UK where you can link to an independent bookshop of your choice. In some cases, we've linked to the authors' website. Fiction Rachel Neumeier - Rihasi, Marag, Sekaran, Hedesa - all four are part of the T…

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Barefoot Economics in a world of Hobnailed Boots with storyteller Inez Aponte 1:11:15

10d ago1:11:15

1:11:15

If we are to build systems that meet our real needs we have to first understand what those needs are and start growing the stuff that will allow us to thrive: good food from healthy soils, safe and supportive homes and communities, space to develop and express our creativity, opportunities to increase our capacity for co-operation and kindness. As …

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Jeff Wald: Navigating the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Why Personal Responsibility Defines the Future of Work 51:27

11m ago51:27

51:27

Jeff Wald, author of The End of Jobs and CEO of WorkMarket, examines how robots and AI are creating the fourth industrial revolution—a massive power shift from workers to companies that mirrors past technological upheavals. Drawing from labor history, on-demand platforms, and regulatory battles like California Prop 22, Wald reveals why the lifetime…

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Jeff Spencer: The Champion Blueprint and the Eight Inevitable Steps to Peak Performance 42:41

6h ago42:41

42:41

Jeff Spencer, former Olympic cyclist and performance coach to Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods, and Olympic gold medalists, breaks down the precise architecture of champion-level achievement. From losing his father at age 10 to competing in the Munich Olympics to coaching nine Tour de France victories, Jeff reveals the eight sequential steps every prol…

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Jason Naylor: The Psychology of Color and Why Bright Hues Unlock Positivity, Memory, and Human Connection 49:27

15d ago49:27

49:27

Jason Naylor, artist and author of Live Life Colorfully, shares how growing up as the second of seven children in a Mormon family in Salt Lake City shaped his caretaker personality and his eventual escape to New York where he discovered creative liberation. Naylor reveals the symbiotic relationship between color and messaging in his work—the more p…

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Jacob Sager Weinstein: The Memory Palace Method and Why You Cannot Synthesize What You Do Not Remember 51:29

13d ago51:29

51:29

Jacob Sager Weinstein, comedy writer for Dennis Miller and author of How to Remember Everything, shares how growing up in privileged Washington DC where the vice president's daughter was in his debate club gave him confidence to walk into any room but delayed his understanding that not everyone has equal access to opportunity until he reached Princ…

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Hillary Weiss: The Danger of Just Mindset and Why Imitation Is a Trap for Finding Your Golden Thread 53:21

2d ago53:21

53:21

Hillary Weiss, brand strategist and positioning coach, reflects on growing up in suburban South Florida where attending the same school for 14 years meant everyone remembered who peed their pants in pre-K yet created lifelong friendships that watched her evolve from emo to punk rock to professional white woman. Weiss challenges the dangerous mindse…

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Boho Beautiful Life; Juliana and Mark Spicoluk 1:04:02

4d ago1:04:02

1:04:02

Boho Beautiful is a travel, yoga, and lifestyle brand created by Juliana and Mark Spicoluk, focused on positive content for the body, mind, and planet. Their yoga, travel, fitness, vegan food, mindful living, and meditation videos have grown a YouTube community of over 1.5 million, 300k+ Instagram followers, and tens of thousands of book and progra…

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Roots to Health - building Food Resilience at all Scales with Daphne du Cros of the Shropshire Good Food Partnership 1:03:04

17d ago1:03:04

1:03:04

We all know by now that plants grown in living, thriving, life-filled soil, give us living, thriving, life-filled food... but the steps to getting there in the face of a multinational industry devoted to toxic, nutritionally empty, addictive - and highly profitable - ultra-processed 'food-like substances' are harder to see. This week's guest, Daphn…

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Be Healed With Mindfulness; Dr. William Pawluk 39:54

20d ago39:54

39:54

Dr. William Pawluk, MD, MSc, is a leading North American authority on Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF). A holistic physician trained in acupuncture, homeopathy, hypnosis, and bodywork, he has held academic positions at Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland. His work focuses on addressing the root causes of chronic health problems …

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Gautum Mukunda: The Paradox of Leader Selection and Why Unfiltered Presidents Are a Dangerous Gamble 58:48

19d ago58:48

58:48

Gautum Mukunda, Harvard professor and author of Indispensable: When Leaders Really Matter, reveals the paradox at the heart of leadership selection: the more effort you put into picking a leader, the less it matters who you pick. Drawing from decades of presidential history, Mukunda introduces the concept of filtered versus unfiltered leaders—Georg…

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Dance of the Spiritual Warrior: Balancing Love and Power with Jamie Bristow 1:27:00

24d ago1:27:00

1:27:00

What does it mean to (re)orient our entire culture around the power of love? To answer this, we have to understand the nature of love and of power and how both of these have many meanings in our culture, some of them essential to moving forward - and some of them so toxic they turn the entire concept into a poisoned cue. This week's guest is friend…

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Cal Newport: Why Social Media Is Big Tobacco Not Big Oil and the Steam Whistle Theory of Attention 1:06:33

17d ago1:06:33

1:06:33

Cal Newport, computer science professor and author of Digital Minimalism, argues that the better analogy for social media is not big oil that must be broken up because it's vital to society but big tobacco that must be culturally rejected because it's unhealthy and dispensable—people don't care if you tell them to leave Facebook for six months but …

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Ethan Kross: Mastering Your Inner Voice Before It Masters You 55:06

23d ago55:06

55:06

Psychologist and bestselling author Ethan Kross breaks down the science of *chatter*—the internal voice that can either empower or paralyze us. Drawing on decades of research in neuroscience and emotion regulation, Kross explains how introspection, while powerful, can often backfire, leading to rumination, anxiety, and impaired performance.In this …

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Cal Newport: Cognitive Athleticism and Why Elite Performers Protect Their Attention 1:06:33

19d ago1:06:33

1:06:33

Computer science professor and bestselling author Cal Newport explains why cognitive fitness matters as much as physical fitness for elite performance. Drawing from his work with NBA teams and hedge fund managers, Newport breaks down the connection between attention control and exceptional achievement. He challenges the myth that social media grows…

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Eric Barker: The Science of Relationships and Why Playing Well with Others Matters More Than You Think 1:21:50

18d ago1:21:50

1:21:50

Eric Barker, bestselling author of Barking Up the Wrong Tree and Plays Well with Others, reveals what decades of social science research says about relationships, friendship, love, and meaning. From his journey through Hollywood screenwriting to the video game industry to running one of the most-read personal development blogs, Eric explains his ob…

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Dylan Beynon: Building Mindbloom and the Science of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy 54:09

26d ago54:09

54:09

Dylan Beynon, founder of Mindbloom, shares the deeply personal story behind building the first at-home ketamine therapy platform. After losing his mother and sister to severe mental illness, Dylan became determined to bring psychedelic medicine into mainstream healthcare. He explains the neuroscience of how ketamine creates neuroplasticity—allowing…

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Brea Starmer: Redefining Work Around Highest and Best Use, Not Hours Logged 45:18

19d ago45:18

45:18

Brea Starmer, founder of Lions and Tigers, challenges the outdated workplace model that measures face time over impact. Drawing from her experience as a mother of three running a company during COVID-19, she introduces the concept of "highest and best use"—a real estate framework adapted to human potential that prioritizes outcomes over hours logge…

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The Magic of Darkness: learning to love life in the night with author Leigh Ann Henion 1:06:31

1M ago1:06:31

1:06:31

Do you love the dark? Do you yearn for sunset and the amber glow of a fire with the night growing deeper, more inspiring all around you? Most of us don't - though our ancestors through all of history have lived by firelight, moonlight, starlight... until the modern era of light at the flick of a switch. But there's a world out there of sheer, unadu…

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Douglass Vigliotti: Wrestling with Conviction and Why Creative Work Demands Uncomfortable Honesty 57:05

28d ago57:05

57:05

Douglass Vigliotti, author and creative, explores the tension between doubt and conviction that defines the creative process. Drawing from his parents, his father relentless drive and his mother empathy, Douglass reflects on what it means to pursue creative work when society constantly asks if you want more. This conversation examines the uncomfort…

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Donny Jackson: The Internalized Stains of Slavery and Why Empathy Cannot Develop Without Interaction Across Racial Lines 51:58

1M ago51:58

51:58

Donny Jackson, poet and psychologist, reflects on growing up as a working-class black kid in Pittsburgh where his father was a postal worker for 35 years and his mother was a nurse's aide—parents who instilled work ethic, integrity, and honor while navigating a world not built for young black children. Jackson traces the roots of American racism to…

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Bjorn Ryan-Gorman: Coming Out as Gay in the Snowboarding World and Reclaiming Masculinity on Your Own Terms 45:23

24d ago45:23

45:23

Bjorn Ryan-Gorman, professional snowskater and LGBTQ+ advocate, shares his journey from hiding his sexuality behind aggressive board sports to building a life of authenticity in Portland. Growing up in Montana as a sponsored snow athlete, Ryan-Gorman used snowboarding and skateboarding as outlets for self-hatred and denial, pushing himself to dange…

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David Epstein: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World 51:45

25d ago51:45

51:45

David Epstein, author of Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, dismantles the myth that early specialization is the only path to excellence. Drawing from research on elite athletes, musicians, and scientists, David reveals how individual variability in learning means there is no one-size-fits-all approach to skill development. He r…

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Transformation For All; Wendy Yellen 54:08

1M ago54:08

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Wendy Yellen is named one of the International Top Three Transformational Experts in her field. Drawing from emotional release bodywork and a wide range of healing traditions, Wendy has learned directly from masters across the globe. She eventually chose to leave a thriving psychotherapy practice after discovering what she considers the “Holy Grail…

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Daniel Stillman: The Architecture of Conversations and Why Every Interface Shapes What We Say 1:18:27

1M ago1:18:27

1:18:27

Daniel Stillman, author of Good Talk: How to Design Conversations That Matter, reveals how conversations are designed—whether we realize it or not. Drawing from his background in design thinking and facilitation, Daniel breaks down the components of conversational architecture: openings, turns, power dynamics, and interfaces. He explains why physic…

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Ayelet Fishbach: The Science of Motivation, Why Fantasies Fail, and Balancing Abstract Goals with Concrete Plans 1:07:21

1M ago1:07:21

1:07:21

Ayelet Fishbach, motivation researcher at University of Chicago, dismantles the fantasy-driven approach to New Year's resolutions and goal-setting. Drawing from data spanning multiple years, she reveals that while temporal landmarks like New Year work for initiating goals, only 20% of people still pursue them by November—the difference comes down t…

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Starting in the Ruins: Of Lions and Games with Crypto-Advocate and Changemaker Andrea Leiter 1:29:28

1M ago1:29:28

1:29:28

This week's guest, Andrea Leiter, is one of those polymaths who brings not just breadth, but astonishing depth to the work of bridging the worlds of technology, biodiversity and international law; bringing them together in service of a new way of being built from the ruins of collapse. Andrea works at the intersection of law, digital transformation…

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Dandapani: Mastering Your Mind as an Operating System, Sexual Energy Transmutation, and the Monastic Path to Unwavering Focus 1:07:07

1M ago1:07:07

1:07:07

Dandapani, former Hindu monk who lived monastically for 10 years, shares teachings from his guru on treating the mind as an operating system that must be understood before it can be mastered. He explains the critical distinction between a focused life (giving undivided attention to whoever/whatever you're engaged with) and a purpose-focused life (w…

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Cal Newport: Slow Productivity, Escaping Pseudo Productivity, and the Three Principles for Sustainable Knowledge Work 1:40:53

1M ago1:40:53

1:40:53

Cal Newport unpacks his framework for Slow Productivity, built on three core principles: doing fewer things, working at a natural pace, and obsessing over quality. He introduces "pseudo productivity"—the toxic heuristic that emerged in mid-20th century knowledge work when visible activity became a proxy for useful effort because traditional product…

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Alan Stein Jr: The Performance Gap Between Knowing and Doing, and What Elite Athletes Teach Us About Execution 1:05:31

1M ago1:05:31

1:05:31

Alan Stein Jr, former basketball performance coach to Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, and other NBA superstars, reveals why knowledge without execution is worthless and how the world's highest performers bridge the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it. Drawing from decades working with elite athletes, Stein explains that performance gaps…

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Christy Tennery-Spalding: Building Political Homes and Redefining Self-Care Beyond Capitalism 48:12

1M ago48:12

48:12

Christy Tennery-Spalding, activist and organizer, shares how growing up near Washington D.C. shaped her oppositional stance to power structures and led her to find a “political home” in San Francisco’s activist community. She introduces the concept of informed consent in organizing—ensuring participants feel safe, informed, and empowered rather tha…

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Andrew Yang: Universal Basic Income and the Automation Crisis Remaking America 44:31

1M ago44:31

44:31

Andrew Yang traces his path from failed entrepreneur to 2020 presidential candidate driven by a single realization: automation has already destroyed millions of American jobs, and the next wave will be exponentially worse. Through his work with Venture for America, he witnessed firsthand the economic devastation in Detroit, Ohio, and the Midwest—wh…

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Chris Fussell: Systems, Mindset, and Leading at the Edge 56:27

1M ago56:27

56:27

Former Navy SEAL and leadership strategist Chris Fussell reveals how elite teams operate under pressure—and how those principles can be applied far beyond the battlefield. Drawing from years of operational experience and his work with General Stanley McChrystal, Fussell explains how systems thinking, decentralized decision-making, and shared consci…

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Andrew Bustamante: Inside the Mind of a Spy — Tradecraft, Trust, and the Cost of Secrecy 1:10:20

1M ago1:10:20

1:10:20

Former CIA field operative Andrew Bustamante pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to recruit spies, run intelligence operations, and navigate a life built on secrecy, loyalty, and manipulation. In this riveting and wide-ranging conversation, Bustamante shares stories from his military training at the Air Force Academy, his time at “The Fa…

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Walking the wild, mythic Edge of Being with visionary elder and soul initiator Bill Plotkin 1:27:35

2M ago1:27:35

1:27:35

What is the true vow of your life, the one it would kill you to break? This phrase comes from the poem 'All The True Vows' by David Whyte, but there can be no better introduction to this week's guest, who knows how to help people - ordinary, every-day people from our culture - build true, heart-felt connections with the web of life such that we com…

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Carlos Adell: From Drug Dealer to Industrial Engineer to Finding True Success Through Strategic Environment Design 52:37

1M ago52:37

52:37

Carlos Adell shares his unconventional path from growing up in a small Spanish town with limited resources to running a six-figure drug dealing business while simultaneously working as a DJ and industrial engineer. After nearly dying from a heart attack at 29 while working in corporate, Adell discovered that he had been living other people’s dreams…

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Alison Shcraeger: The Economics of Risk and What a Las Vegas Brothel Taught Me About Uncertainty 45:46

1M ago45:46

45:46

Alison Shcraeger, economist and author of An Economist Walks Into a Brothel, explains how risk really works and why most people misunderstand it. From studying sex workers in Nevada to analyzing probability theory, Alison reveals that humans are not naturally wired to process probabilities—but we can learn. She introduces the concept of natural fre…

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John Epstein: Testing Acast Sync and Update Functionality 51:45

2M ago51:45

51:45

This is a test episode to verify that our Acast sync system works correctly. We will upload this episode with a far-future publish date, then update the midroll timestamp to confirm that the PATCH endpoint successfully syncs changes from our local index to Acast without re-uploading the audio file. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more in…

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Mindfulness and Technology; Robert Plotkin 36:41

2M ago36:41

36:41

Robert Plotkin is an engineer, mindfulness practitioner, and the founder of Technology for Mindfulness. His professional journey in computer science and engineering spans more than three decades, beginning with his early experience programming an Atari 800 personal computer. He later earned a degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the Mass…

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Eco-Civilisation: the future we deserve and how we will get there with Jeremy Lent 1:13:23

2M ago1:13:23

1:13:23

What is an eco-civilisation? What are its values and what are the frames within which it works? Why do we need it in the first place and what will the Establishment do to maintain business as usual? Most importantly, what can each of us do to live an eco-civilisation into being? This week's guest, Jeremy Lent, explores these ideas in depth in his f…

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Akshay Nanavati: Finding Bliss Through Suffering, Silence, and the Edge of Human Endurance 49:36

2M ago49:36

49:36

Akshay Nanavati is not your typical adventurer — he’s a former Marine, a survivor of war-induced PTSD, and a seeker of what he calls the “crucible of suffering.” In this deeply introspective and intensely raw conversation, Akshay explores how pain, guilt, and darkness became vehicles for transcendence in his life. From confronting suicidal despair …

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Slow Down To Reach Wellness; Lea Bayles 29:37

2M ago29:37

29:37

Lea Bayles discovered her true calling in holistic wellness and personal transformation after overcoming a serious collapse of her immune system. Her professional path has since spanned diverse roles from mind-body therapist and yoga therapy program director to employee wellness coordinator and group facilitator for medical patients. She is driven …

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ReWilding our Horses, Rewilding our Souls with Kelly Wendorf of the EQUUS 1:12:00

2M ago1:12:00

1:12:00

How do we heal ourselves from the 'lost-ness' that afflicts our culture? How do we move on from the strange—and wholly untrue— belief our culture holds that we are separate from the natural world, that our cycles of exploitation, extraction, destruction, pollution are the way the world is, that this is the natural order and there's nothing we can d…

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David Brooks: Seeing People Deeply in a World of Shallow Interactions 56:45

2M ago56:45

56:45

New York Times columnist and bestselling author **David Brooks** joins Srini Rao to unpack what it really means to know and see another person — and how our ability to connect deeply has deteriorated in a world dominated by distraction, paradigmatic thinking, and judgment. Drawing from his latest book *How to Know a Person*, Brooks explores emotion…

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Damon Centola: Why Change Spreads from the Edges—Not the Influencers 56:51

2M ago56:51

56:51

Damon Centola, sociologist and author of *Change: How to Make Big Things Happen*, dismantles the myth of the influencer and introduces a radically different model of how ideas and behaviors actually spread. In this thought-provoking conversation, Centola explains why change doesn’t come from social media stars with massive followings—but from dense…

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Jennifer Wallace: Raising Resilient Kids in a Culture That Says They're Never Enough 51:53

2M ago51:53

51:53

Jennifer Wallace is a journalist, researcher, and mother of three who set out to answer one of the most pressing questions in modern parenting: *Why do our kids feel like they're never enough — and what can we do about it?* Drawing on insights from her book *Never Enough* and years of reporting, Wallace explains how achievement culture, status anxi…

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Laura Huang: Creating an Edge in a World That Won’t Hand You One 1:05:42

2M ago1:05:42

1:05:42

In this powerful and perspective-shifting episode, Harvard Business School professor and author **Laura Huang** shares a deeply human and practical roadmap for transforming disadvantage into advantage. Drawing from her book *Edge*, she breaks down the four-part EDGE framework—Enrich, Delight, Guide, and Effort—showing how each of us can flip bias, …

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Emily Fletcher: The Science and Simplicity of Unlocking Human Potential Through Meditation 46:52

2M ago46:52

46:52

Emily Fletcher, founder of Ziva Meditation and a former Broadway performer, shares how her journey from the stage to spiritual leadership reshaped her understanding of success, fulfillment, and mental resilience. In this candid and practical conversation, Emily explains the science behind stress, its impact on performance, and how meditation can tr…

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Boost Your Self-Care; Todd Nelson 35:23

2M ago35:23

35:23

Todd Nelson has been a Naturopathic Doctor for over 35 years, helping people take charge of their health through practical, high-level self-care. He’s co-written three health books and contributed to eight more. Known for his down-to-earth approach, Todd’s a familiar face and voice in the wellness world — he’s spoken at countless events for both th…