Intellectual freedom is not just a buzzword. It is a fundamental necessity for human civilization and your life's flourishing. It is the essence of the human spirit to question, explore, and seek answers to the most profound questions that confront us every day. Without intellectual freedom, we are but slaves to the whims of those in power, unable to challenge authority, push boundaries, or pursue truth. In our post-modern world, ignorance and oppression weigh heavy on all of us, stifling cr ...
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David D. Hopkins Podcasts
A biweekly podcast hosted by Jon DiSavino. It celebrates the enduring and compact literary form known as - you guessed it - the short story. But more importantly, it gives listeners an opportunity to hear the work of some of the best emerging writers of today. Episodes contain an author interview followed by a reading of a story by that author. Jon DiSavino is an actor and stage director. He's been producing and narrating audiobooks since 2019. His most recent is Abduction: Another Max Dent ...
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Ranked in the top 5% of podcasts globally and winner of the 2022 Communicator Award for Podcasting, STOPTIME:Live in the Moment combines mindfulness, well being and the performing arts and features thought provoking and motivational conversations with high performing creative artists around practicing the art of living in the moment and embracing who we are, and where we are at. Long form interviews are interspersed with brief solo episodes that prompt and invite us to think more deeply. Hos ...
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#135: When Pleasure is the Weapon of Oppression
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20:29Do you feel the hustle? The anxiety? The quiet numbness? This isn't accidental. It's the design. In the finale of our Amusing Ourselves to Death series, we confront Postman's devastating truth: The greatest threat to your freedom isn't a physical tyrant—it's the soft tyranny of your own pleasure. We have become enslaved not by force, but by our own…
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Guided Body Scan For Deep Relaxation And Grounded Calm
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12:38Let us know what you enjoy about the show! Slow down, soften, and come home to your body with this gentle, guided body scan meditation. Designed to help you unwind tension, reset your nervous system, and reconnect with your physical presence, this practice is perfect for any moment when you need grounding or calm. We move from the feet to the crown…
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Broadway’s Nick Barasch on Perfectionism, Permission, and Coming Home to Himself
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49:13Let us know what you enjoy about the show! What happens when your talent starts steering your life before you’re old enough to drive it? We sit down with actor and singer Nick Barasch to trace the tender, sometimes turbulent path from child performer to self-possessed adult artist—and the surprising practices that made space for joy along the way. …
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Episode 138 - Ian Forth: "Every Little Thing Gonna Be Alright"
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52:12Author Ian Forth divides his time between Bordeaux, France and Wales. His debut story collection Hazlitt and the Mobility Scooter (Hard Travelling Books) was released this year. He's also a memoirist, with two published titles: Water Under the Bridge: Recollections from an Only Life, and Canal Conversations: Cycling on the Canal des Deux Mers. We r…
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#134: How We Became the Shallowest Smart People in History
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37:44In a world drowning in information but starving for meaning, Dr. David D. Hopkins returns to the mic to ask a haunting question: How did the smartest generation in history become incapable of serious thought? In this episode of The Intellectual Freedom Podcast, Hopkins breaks down chapters 7 through 9 of Neil Postman’s prophetic masterpiece Amusing…
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Energetic Vision Board Meditation: Manifest Your Next Chapter
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10:28
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10:28Let us know what you enjoy about the show! Step into the art of dreaming — not just with your mind, but with your energy. In this guided manifestation meditation, you’ll be invited to imagine and create a vision board — either physically or within your mind’s eye — that reflects your deepest desires and limitless potential. This is your space to ex…
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Creating Your Own Rhythm: Finding Balance Beyond Structure
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6:47Let us know what you enjoy about the show! When the curtain comes down and the structure of a show disappears, what rhythm do you choose for yourself? In this preview with Broadway actor Nick Barasch (Hadestown, She Loves Me, Big River), we explore how to create a personal foundation—your own rhythm or recipe—that sustains you when external schedul…
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#133: Your Are Not Informed or Educated--You are Stimulated
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26:14🎙 You’re Not Informed or Educated— You’re Stimulated Series: Amusing Ourselves to Death – Part 2 (Chapters 4–6) We don’t live in an Information Age. We live in a Stimulation Age — where attention is currency and distraction is design. In this episode, Dr. David D. Hopkins unpacks Chapters 4 through 6 of Neil Postman’s prophetic book Amusing Ourselv…
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You Are Ready: A Motivational Grounding Practice
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4:28Let us know what you enjoy about the show! When the world gets loud, motivation can feel slippery. This short motivational grounding practice is your calm, focused reset—a reminder to stop forcing momentum and start remembering the steady confidence already within you. Through simple breathwork, clear affirmations, and gentle visualization, you’ll …
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The Old Tree and the Clouds: Finding Peace in Our Own Nature
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4:49Let us know what you enjoy about the show! A short parable set in the Himalayan foothills shows how envy fades when we see the quiet trade-offs behind freedom and stability. Through the story of the old tree and the passing clouds, we explore how consistency can be strength, flexibility can be wisdom, and peace arises when we honor our own unique r…
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Episode 137 - Michael Hopkins: "Foreclosure"
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59:41Wisconsin author Michael Hopkins is an award-winning writer whose debut collection Never Stop Exiting (Cornerstone Press) was released this year. It has been called "stealthily complex and persistently compassionate" by Phong Nguyen, author of Bronze Drum. We read "Foreclosure," a story from the collection. https://www.michaelhopkinswriter.com/ Sup…
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#132: Your Brain Has Been Rewired—And They Called It Entertainment
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29:20We live in an age where distraction isn’t an accident—it’s the business model. In this episode, Dr. David D. Hopkins takes you inside Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death and exposes how our attention, curiosity, and even our capacity to think have been quietly hijacked by the entertainment culture we call “media.” Postman warned us: the dange…
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The Pause Between Breaths: A Micro Meditation for Inner Calm
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3:53Let us know what you enjoy about the show! The world rarely gives you a quiet minute, so we made one. This guided micro meditation helps you step out of noise and back into yourself without leaving your chair, your car, or your to‑do list. No special setup, no perfect posture—just your breath, a softer body, and the pause that’s already there. We s…
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The Bridge Between Fear and Flow: Find Your Groove Again
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5:29Let us know what you enjoy about the show! When fear shows up, it’s easy to see it as something to push past or avoid. But what if fear isn’t a wall—it’s a bridge? A bridge that can carry you from rut to rhythm, from stagnation to movement, from habit to possibility. In this short, powerful excerpt from my upcoming book I Get To: The Power of Energ…
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#131: Scroll. Click. Forget. Repeat. How the Algorithm Made Us Shallow (And How to Fix It)
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29:55We live in the age of short thoughts. Fast clips. Hot takes. Endless scroll. But here’s the uncomfortable truth—our minds are paying the price. In this episode of The Intellectual Freedom Podcast, Dr. David D. Hopkins breaks down how the modern attention economy has quietly rewired your brain—shrinking your focus, flattening your curiosity, and tur…
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🪷 Guided Meditation for Balance, Calm, and Inner Alignment
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16:28Let us know what you enjoy about the show! Feeling off balance or overwhelmed? This guided meditation invites you to gently realign your mind, body, and spirit. Through mindful breathwork, grounding visualization, and energetic awareness, you’ll restore your natural state of harmony and ease. This short restorative practice helps regulate your nerv…
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Stop Blaming Yourself And Start Releasing What No Longer Fits
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7:31Let us know what you enjoy about the show! What are you putting up with that quietly exhausts you? In this episode, we unpack how toleration creeps in, why we blame ourselves, and how to finally release what no longer fits—without guilt or shame. If you are enjoying the show please subscribe, share and review! Word of mouth is incredibly impactful …
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Episode 136 - Lauren D. Woods: "Clementine"
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1:05:48Washington DC author Lauren D. Woods discusses her debut collection The Great Grown-Up Game of Make-Believe, winner of the 2024 Autumn House Fiction Prize, with her husband and SST alum Andrew Bertaina (Ep. 10). We read her story "Clementine," which was first published in The Antioch Review. Support the show…
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#130: Did We Get Scammed? 51% of Gen Z Say College Was a Waste
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33:28In this final episode of our six-part education series, Dr. David Hopkins—Humanities professor and reformed academic insider—dives deep into the gut-punch question haunting Gen Z: Is college still worth it? With startling new data from a Newsweek/Indeed poll revealing that 51% of Gen Z grads believe their degree was a waste of money, we peel back t…
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Morning Happiness Meditation: Start Your Day with Joy and Intention
13:31
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13:31Let us know what you enjoy about the show! We guide a gentle morning meditation that uses breath, a soft smile, and memory to cultivate contentment, then expand it with appreciative joy for others. We close with simple ways to spot micro‑joys during the day and carry calm into action. • settling the body and softening judgment • breathing with awar…
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How the Assumptions You’re Making Are Shaping Your Life ✨
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8:25Let us know what you enjoy about the show! We explore how assumptions quietly limit choice and co-create the outcomes we fear, then practice shifting to a beginner’s mindset that opens presence, clarity, and real options. A tap class story reveals how slowing down reframes mastery, and we share practical ways to apply fresh eyes to hard moments. • …
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#129: Student Debt, Delusion, and Diplomas: How Bad Math and Big Promises Are Crushing a Generation
31:36
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31:36By David D. Hopkins, PhD
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💛 Transform Fear: Meeting Yourself with Compassion
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7:52Let us know what you enjoy about the show! Transform Fear: Meeting Yourself with Compassion When fear shows up uninvited, most of us try to outthink it, outrun it, or push it down. This meditation offers something different: a quiet experiment in kindness. Through gentle breathwork, grounding, and vivid imagery, you’ll learn to meet fear not as a f…
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Jaime Lozano on Art, Community, and Belonging on Broadway
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1:04:17Let us know what you enjoy about the show! A church choir, a missed criminology path, and a flyer for Jesus Christ Superstar—Jaime Lozano’s origin story doesn’t sound like a straight line to Broadway, but it sings like one. We sit down with Mexican Broadway composer, lyricist, orchestrator, and music director Jaime Lozano to unpack how a series of …
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Episode 135 - David Haynes: "That's Right, You're Not From Texas"
1:06:25
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1:06:25Missouri author David Haynes's long-awaited debut story collection Martha's Daughter has finally arrived after seven novels and five books for young readers. It is the sixth volume in McSweeney's OF THE DIASPORA series. SST alum Stanley Stocker (Ep. 42) interviews David about his life and work, and we read "That's Right, You're Not From Texas," whi…
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#128: Terrorized by Trivialities: Escaping the Modern Mind Trap
26:55
26:55
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26:55“We’re all going to die, all of us, what a circus! That alone should make us love each other but it doesn’t. We are terrorized and flattened by trivialities. We are eaten up by nothing.” – Charles Bukowski That line stopped me in my tracks. Bukowski, with his whiskey-soaked honesty, captured the human condition better than most philosophers: we was…
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🔴🟠🟡🟢🔵🟣⚪ Balancing Your Energy Centers: A Guided Meditation Through the Seven Chakras
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11:12Let us know what you enjoy about the show! Ready to realign your energy and find balance in just 12 minutes? This guided chakra meditation takes you on a transformative journey through your body's seven energy centers using the powerful combination of breath, visualization, and color. We begin at your root chakra, where a glowing red light helps yo…
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✨Stop Goal Setting: Create Your Menu for Success✨
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19:01
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19:01Let us know what you enjoy about the show! Are you tired of setting goals you can’t stick to? In this episode, Lisa Hopkins introduces The Menu — a flexible, practical tool designed to set you up for success no matter how busy life gets. Instead of rigid goals that often lead to guilt or frustration, The Menu offers bite-sized to main-course option…
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#127: If AI’s Taking the Jobs, What’s the Point of a Degree?
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34:50If AI’s Replacing Jobs, What’s the Point of a Degree? That’s not clickbait—it’s the question millions of Gen Z students are silently asking. In this episode, Dr. David D. Hopkins takes a wrecking ball to the old college playbook and lays out what actually matters in the age of AI, automation, and algorithmic everything. If artificial intelligence i…
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🌟 Breathe Into Your Power & Shine🌟 A Meditation for Self-Confidence
10:23
10:23
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10:23Let us know what you enjoy about the show! Take a journey into your inner landscape with this transformative guided meditation focused on reconnecting with your authentic power. Beginning with mindful breath awareness, this practice leads you to visualize your breath as golden light energy gathering in your solar plexus – your personal power center…
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Kafka’s Traveling Doll: A Story About Letting Go 🕊️
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6:32Let us know what you enjoy about the show! What if the things we’ve lost aren’t really missing, but simply traveling? This tender retelling of a story attributed to Franz Kafka offers a profound perspective on change, transformation, and how we might relate differently to what we feel we’ve lost. Through the tale of a little girl whose doll goes mi…
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Episode 134 - Lisa Alvarez: "Manuel"
1:09:31
1:09:31
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1:09:31In her debut collection Some Final Beauty and Other Stories (University of Nevada Press), California author Lisa Alvarez writes about her home town of Los Angeles with deep affection. These compelling stories chronicle lives that are indelibly affected by pivotal moments in the history of the city and of the world beyond, honoring the courageous pe…
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#126: Student Loans Don’t Care About Your "Dream College" Feelings
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27:27Stop letting your emotions make six-figure decisions. Choosing a college isn’t like buying a car. But too often, that’s how it’s sold—on vibes, not value. In this episode, Dr. David D. Hopkins unpacks how emotional decision-making can lead to lifelong debt and why parents need to think (and act) strategically before signing off on six-figure loans.…
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✨ 5-Minute Restorative Meditation: Quality Over Quantity
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5:01Let us know what you enjoy about the show! This short, restorative meditation guides listeners through a heart-centered practice designed to help them center themselves and shift their energy in under five minutes. • Quality over quantity: even brief moments of focused breathing can be transformative • Simple body relaxation techniques including so…
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Shuttlecocks and Belly Laughs: Work, Play, and the Power of Pause 🌿🏸✨
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4:38
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4:38Let us know what you enjoy about the show! What if the key to a more fulfilling life isn't about squeezing more productivity from every minute but rather making space for unscheduled joy? Join me as I share the surprising lessons I've learned from playing impromptu badminton games with my husband on the narrow green strip between our cottage and th…
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#125: From Dream to Scam? Rethinking College in America
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27:42
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27:42College is sold as the golden ticket—but is it? In this episode, David D. Hopkins unpacks the promises and pitfalls of higher education in America. From soaring tuition costs and crushing student debt to the shifting value of degrees in today’s job market, we cut through the hype and ask the hard questions: Is college still worth it? Or has it beco…
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💫 Meeting Your Future Self: A Guided Visualization for Wisdom and Clarity 🌿
9:34
9:34
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9:34Let us know what you enjoy about the show! Doorways to clarity await in this transformative guided meditation that connects you with the wisdom of your future self. The journey begins in a quiet, safe room—your inner sanctuary of possibility. With each breath, you're guided to open windows, inviting fresh air that symbolizes the clearing of mental …
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Aisha Jackson on Voice, Presence & the Joy of Sharing Her Gifts
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56:58
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56:58Let us know what you enjoy about the show! What does it really mean to honor your body’s wisdom in a high-pressure career? Broadway star Aisha Jackson (The Great Gatsby, Frozen, Waitress) takes us behind the curtain to reveal the delicate balance between artistic excellence and personal wellbeing. Fresh from celebrating the one-year anniversary of …
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Episode 133 - Olajide Omojarabi: "Messenger Meg"
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1:02:12Nigerian author Olajide Omojarabi discusses his story "Messenger Meg," which was published in the Ploughshares Summer 2025 issue. The interview is conducted by fellow writer Daniel Dykiel. Olajide reads "Messenger Meg" in the episode. Support the showBy Jon DiSavino
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🌿 Meditation for Fresh Starts: Embrace Change & New Beginnings
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7:41Let us know what you enjoy about the show! Life is full of transitions—some chosen, some unexpected. Fresh starts can feel both exciting and overwhelming, and often we forget to pause long enough to honor the shift. This guided meditation will help you release what no longer serves you, carry forward the wisdom of what’s behind you, and gently step…
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🍂 Fall Reflections: A Mindfulness Exercise for the Season of Change ✨🧘♀️
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10:38Let us know what you enjoy about the show! 🍂 That unmistakable shift in the air signals more than just the turning of seasons—it touches something deeper within us. The angle of sunlight, the rustle of leaves, the crisp blue sky—all converge to create what I call that inescapable fall feeling. ✨ In this episode, I guide you through a simple mindful…
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The Waterfall and the Pond: A Buddhist Parable on Rest and Renewal
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6:57
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6:57Let us know what you enjoy about the show! Have you ever felt guilty for resting in a world that glorifies constant productivity? This gentle, meditative episode offers a powerful antidote to our culture's obsession with perpetual action through a beautiful Buddhist parable about balance and renewal. At the heart of this episode is the story of Kan…
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Beyond Structure: Creating What Can’t Be Taken Away
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4:11Let us know what you enjoy about the show! This intimate conversation explores the balance between craving stability and embracing uncertainty in artistic pursuits. Our guest, an established actor, shares their strategy for navigating the feast-or-famine nature of the entertainment industry. Rather than remaining “at the beck and call of some force…
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✨ Embrace Your Inner Child: A Golden Light Meditation for Healing & Release
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8:59Let us know what you enjoy about the show! Support the show 🌟✨📚 **Buy 'The Places Where There Are Spaces: Cultivating A Life of Creative Possibilities'** 📚✨🌟 Dive into a world where spontaneity leads to creativity and discover personal essays that inspire with journal space to reflect. Click the link below to grab your copy today and embark on a jo…
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Let us know what you enjoy about the show! What happens when a 12-year-old decides to stop living a lie and pursue her true passion? For Broadway dancer Valeria Yamin, it was the moment that changed everything. In this captivating conversation, Valeria takes us on her journey from Venezuela to Broadway, revealing the pivotal moments that shaped her…
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🌙⛵💖 Life By Us: 36 Years of Love, Adventure, and the Art of Writing Our Own Story 📖✨
7:20
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7:20Let us know what you enjoy about the show! In this heartfelt anniversary episode, I share a personal story that spans nearly four decades—from meeting my husband Philip as a teenager, to getting married aboard a tall ship on Lake Ontario, to the life we’ve created together as captains of our own ship. Originally written on our 21st wedding annivers…
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✨ Reset Your Mind, Reignite Your Imagination: Guided Meditation to Awaken Your Creative Spark
12:33
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12:33Let us know what you enjoy about the show! Feeling stuck or uninspired? This gentle guided meditation helps you clear mental clutter, center your energy, and reconnect with your creative spark. Perfect for starting your week, centering before work, or recharging midday, you’ll be guided through grounding breathwork, calming visualization, and a war…
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💡 Breaking Free from Success Traps: Reclaim Your Power and Redefine Success
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7:50Let us know what you enjoy about the show! Have you ever achieved something impressive only to discover it didn't bring the fulfillment you expected? This episode shares the powerful journey of a client (called "Jessie" for privacy) who found herself in exactly this position – working on the most prestigious project of her career yet feeling profou…
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💡 When You're Off Your Game but Don’t Know Why: Understanding Performance Influencers
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4:45Let us know what you enjoy about the show! What truly separates high performers from everyone else? Contrary to popular belief, it's not just raw talent or relentless positivity—it's their ability to identify and manage the specific influencers that affect their performance. During our enlightening conversation, we dive deep into the six critical i…
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🌈 Journey Through the Chakras: Awakening Your Creative Spirit ✨
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20:18Let us know what you enjoy about the show! Struggling to access your creativity? Feeling disconnected from your inner voice? This chakra meditation offers a beautiful journey back to yourself through energy alignment and guided visualization. We begin by settling into a comfortable position, allowing the breath to naturally deepen as we prepare to …
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