Linda Leaming first traveled to Bhutan in 1994, and moved there three years later. This tiny Buddhist country hidden away in the Himalayas is a very happy place for many. Its king believes in Gross National Happiness instead of Gross National Product. Leaming has written two books about her life in Bhutan and how she learned to live more simply, how she laughs at herself instead of getting mad at others, and how she slows down to look for magic-- because it's everywhere. In Bhutan, she's known for using a salad spinner instead of a washing machine, and her village man makeovers.  I had a great time talking with Linda as we explored:  Being introduced to mindfulness through Bhutanese culture Going to Bhutan originally 4 pillars of gross national happiness in Bhutan Thinking about death 5 times a day Why thinking about death is constructive Being happy where you are Much more! https://www.lindaleaming.com/ 4 Pillars of Gross National Happiness Maker Mind Newsletter where I discovered Linda  

Catching Z's: The Millennials Guide to Mindfulness

CZ 095: Gross National Happiness and Thinking about Death 5 times a day with Author Linda Leaming

Ven. Thukten was born in a small village in Bhutan called Gelephu. She is 32 years old and 15 out of those she dedicated to the monastic life. Currently, she resides at Jangchub Choeling Nunnery in Southern India. Thukten is studying at Emory University as a Tenzin Gyatso Science Scholar. She thoroughly enjoys observing nature. Thukten was AMAZING to talk to.  She walks us through so many topics:    How her past lives influenced her becoming a nun What is karma?  Mind training and why it's necessary What is consciousness composed of?  How she views reaching enlightenment The 12 links of dependent origination   Explanation of Twelve links of dependent origination

Conversations with Tibetan Buddhist Monastics: Nun Lobsang Tsyang Thukten

Ora Nadrich is founder and president of the Institute for Transformational Thinking and author of Live True: A Mindfulness Guide to Authenticity. A certified life coach and mindfulness teacher, she specializes in transformational thinking, self-discovery, and mentoring new coaches as they develop their careers.    I had a great time speaking to Ora about what true transformation looks like and how to achieve it yourself.  We also talked about:  Starting off her meditation journey with TM and switching to mindfulness Authenticity  How to define your authentic self The journey to authenticity What it means to go through a transformation Defining how you would like to change How to raise your consciousness Much more! Ora's website

CZ 094: Ora Nadrich, Founder of Institute for Transformational Thinking

Lödrö Gyendon  is a Buddhist monk living in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Raised in South Florida, Gyendon first encountered Buddhism in college when he was studying sculpture.  He moved to Sravasti Abbey to deepen his study in 2011 and trained under the guidance of Bhikkshuni Thubten Chodron, before moving to Gampo Abbey in 2014 where he has lived and trained under the guidance of Pema Chödrön.  We chat with Gyendon about: How he was interested at looking for alternative lifestyles and ways of living and led him to being a monk Difference in monastery, abbey, nunnery Wanted to explore buddhism and the monastic life but needed refuge before he could be considered Importance of lineage Examining “Trust born from understanding, understanding born from trust” His understanding with impermanence through his fathers experience of dying Exploring the phrase from Thich Naht Hahn: “Would you freeze the whole ocean for the sake of one wave?” Exploring the nature of mind Transmitting vs. translating the dharma Being American and taking on Buddhist vows Disease of disembodiment and the utility of our bodies Trisha hershe Nap ministry Striving and how it can cloud our dharma practice. Recognizing how painful attachment is Much more!  

Conversations with Tibetan Buddhist Monastics: Lödrö Gyendon

Alan Stein, Jr. teaches proven strategies to improve organizational performance, create effective leadership, increase team cohesion and collaboration, and develop winning mindsets, rituals, and routines. A successful business owner and veteran basketball performance coach, he spent 15 years working with the highest-performing athletes on the planet (including NBA superstars Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Kobe Bryant).  In addition, he's been a huge advocate for meditation for as long as he's been practicing.  Alan is the real deal and I loved chatting with him for his combination of motivation and practical advice for life.  Great perspective from Alan as we talk about:  Finally getting into meditation after avoiding it for so long Why we should be open to trying new things for our wellness How important routine and preparation is Benefits that he’s seen through his meditation practice Importance of consistency and discipline His love for basketball and how that started Importance of mindset What his morning routine consists of  Stories about his time with Kobe and why you should never get bored with the basics 

CZ 093: Alan Stein Jr.: Keynote speaker, author, performance expert

This was another EPIC conversation, this time with Nun Tenzin Choyang.  Choyang was born in Tibet and came to India to study Buddhist philosophy. She has been studying Buddhist philosophy at a nunnery for over 17 years.  In between that time, she went to Emory University in the United State to learn science and scientific techniques.  Currently she is continuing her Buddhist study in Mundgod near Drepung Loselling Monastery in India. We talked with her about SO MUCH! Including:  Feminism in Tibetan Buddhism Running away from tibet on a month long journey to India to become a nun The importance of studying logic How to introduce logic and investigation techniques to children What she thought the monastery was going to be and what it actually was The concepts of Emptiness and Compassion How to come to experiential knowledge Studying science at Emory and bringing that back to her nunnery to teach The value of hope How we can decipher our emotions correctly How we can lessen the power of the ego Using lovingkindness to show up authentically for others Reincarnation and Karma Social emotional ethics 

Conversations with Tibetan Buddhist Monastics: Nun Tenzin Choyang

Carley Hauck is a learning architect, leadership development consultant, author,  speaker, and serves as adjunct faculty at Stanford University and UC Berkeley Haas  School of Business. For the last decade, she has served hundreds of leaders and  companies in Fortune 100 companies and high growth start-ups such as: LinkedIn,  Genentech, Pixar, Clif Bar, Intuit, and Bank of the West.  She helps them cultivate their recipes for resilience and create thriving workplaces and mission driven businesses. In her upcoming book, Shine- Ignite your inner game to lead consciously at work and the world, Carley guides readers on a transformational inner to  outer journey to inspire a new workplace and world that works for everyone and  prioritizes people and planet first. Carley’s writing and work has been featured in Mindful  Magazine, Conscious Company Media, 15 Five, and Emerging Women. Additionally,  Carley is the host of the inspiring Shine podcast.  Carley and I had a wonderful inspiring chat as we talked about:   How her Yoga practice got her into meditation  Why she’s drawn to wisdom and how she defines it What nature can teach us about our internal environment Layers of a spiritual journey and where she is at currently Moving from your Head to your heart Tapping into the resilience that is already within you and a resilience exercise Her organization Leading from Wholeness Her book “Shine: Ignite your inner game to lead consciously at work and in the world” Using emotional intelligence with conscious leadership How our perspective on others exposes your inner world Leaning into discomfort for healing Shine Book Carley's newsletter and podcast  

CZ 092: Carley Hauck, Author "Shine: Ignite your inner game to lead consciously at work and the world"

Ven. Geshe Tenzin Damchoe was born in Dharamsala India and Tibetan Childrens Village (TCV) school until the 10th grade.  After that he attended TCV Bylakuppe where he received a Bachelors of Commerce from St. Philomena’s college of Mysore University.  He then joined the Institute of Buddhist Dialectic school and studied Buddhist Philosophy for 16 years.  He then received the Geshe degree, which is the Buddhist equivalent to a Phd, from Drepung Loseling Monastery of South India.  For the last six years, he has been teaching Buddhist Philosophy and practices to students at Earlham College and Tibet Fund. He also went to oxford university of England at Oriental institute as a visiting scholar. At present he is working at Sarah College for higher Tibetan studies as a lecturer on Buddhist Philosophy.   Marshall and I talk with him about:  How he became a monk Prevalence of monks in tibet What does being a geshe mean How to keep your cup of knowledge from getting full Respecting others by thinking about their good qualities Self centered attitude vs. self-cherising Unconditional vs. Conditional love  Interdependence of everything Two different types of meditation: Analytical and one pointed meditation Two different types of compassion: Emotional and Wisdom Positive influence western traditions have had on him How karma and murphy’s law share similarities 4 Noble Truths  Looking at the COVID pandemic through the lens of the 8 fold path The utility of the identities we hold How Finding nemo shows us a great example of the 4 noble truths  

Conversations with Tibetan Buddhist Monastics: Geshe Damchoe

Thomas J. Bushlack (Ph.D., University of Notre Dame) is currently the Regional Director of Mission Integration with SSM Health in St. Louis, MO. He brings over 20 years of experience in higher education, public speaking, leading retreats, leadership coaching, and consulting in organizational development in mission integration. Tom’s expertise is in integrating Contemplative Practices with Ethics & Wise Decision-Making. He enjoys helping leaders to harness their innate capacity for wisdom for success in professional and personal life. As the creator of the Centering for Wisdom™ Assessment tool, and the founder of Kalon Enterprises, LLC, Tom knows the struggles of being a good leader and growing a successful business aligned with personal and corporate values – all in service to the common good. Based in Metro St. Louis, Tom lives with his wife, Anna, and their three young children.   https://thomasjbushlack.com/ https://centeringforwisdom.com/ Thomas' YouTube Channel

CZ 091: Thomas Bushlack, Ph.D. in Theology and Ethics, Founder of Centering for Wisdom tool and Kalon Enterprises

I reflect on the year that was 2020.  The highs and lows and all the wonderful lessons that I learned because of having to go through it all.  I talk about:  Where the podcast is headed in 2021 Life lessons from growing marijuana Experiences and thoughts on death Ram Dass' massive influence on me Love and Fear Reach out at revibemindfulness@gmail.com ! Alex Stokes blog: How to Relax Be Here Now Becoming Nobody    

2020 Review: Growth by Fire

Marshall and I met earlier this year and formed a very close bond immediately through being facilitators of the satsang we created, Unity Community.  His depth of experiential knowledge and wisdom from all of the text he's read always make for a fascinating conversation.  He talks about deep stuff while also making it digestible to any audience.  There's something for everyone in this episode!  We chat about:  Starting Meditation in College His trips to India with the Emory Tibetan Science Center initiative Being an Interdisciplinary studies major and studying compassion Cultivating compassion  Where his thirst for knowledge comes from Using suffering to create meaning Compassion and Emptiness His Spiritual milestones What is the self?  Couple of riffs on death Co-founding Source Wellness Much more!   Source Wellness Marshall's LinkedIn  

Meditators Among Us: Marshall Kupka-Moore

In a time where there is so much uncertainty and many reasons to be pessimistic about the future, Asha brings us a breath of fresh air and provides us insight that brings hope.  As a Black Woman, those things don't come easy but Asha puts in the internal work to be able to show up in a meaningful way for herself and for those around her.  Asha Tarry is an author, an award-winning community mental health advocate, psychotherapist, and certified life coach. As a treating provider, Asha has 20 years of experience providing evaluations, diagnoses, treatment, and life-enhancing skills to children, adults, families, and couples. We talk about:  A book by Arrianna huffington that got her into meditation How to know what to say no to How mindfulness can help with trauma Allowing awareness to be held in a safe place internally Asha’s experience of the current racial climate Power of doing the work yourself first How she has a positive outlook on life during COVID and the social injustice Why cynicism doesnt serve her Her book: Adulting as a Millennial and the guidance it provides What goes into the difficulties of millennials coming into adulthood Finding your purpose innately   Asha's website

CZ 090: Asha Tarry, Author "Adulting as a Millennial"

Ada Velonis is the Founder of Marmalade + Kindness. Born and raised in Melbourne, she has always had a passion for baking and cooking. Being of Greek descent, food has always played a prominent role in practicing her culture and shaping her identity. Her fondest food memories are those she spent learning traditional holiday recipes under the wing of her beloved grandmother. Inspired by her own experience, she decided to create Marmalade + Kindness as a way to share her food journey with loved ones in Australia, and to encourage others worldwide to practice ‘mindful cooking’.  We talk about: How her love of cooking came about What mindful cooking is all about and why everyone can do it Why cooking is therapeutic for her and can be for others How Marmalade + Kindness came to be Her mantra of "practice makes progress" Her mother allowing Ada to be herself which has helped her in adulthood The inward and outward experience of cooking Why cooking in the kitchen doesn't always have to be Zen! Her favorite meal  A wonderful guided meditation at the end with a beautiful poem Marmalade and Kindness "Thursday" poem

CZ 089: Ada Velonis, Marmalade + Kindness founder, Mindfulness teacher

Andre is in tune with life in a very fascinating way.  He reached the milestone of 24,000 minutes meditated so I had to have him on the show to talk about his journey.  We chat about: Imitating Pop cultures version of meditation when he started How meditation has had a domino effect on his life "Metacognition of your own life's soundtrack" Recognizing the Unity of Humanity “Would a meditator do this?” How meditation influenced his decision making skills Meditation and it's utility during COVID-19 and the racial climate Much more!     Andre's Youtube channel Twitter Instagram

Meditators Among Us: Andre Keuck

Janelle Christa is a Hollywood coach, actress, producer, and screenwriter, and creator of “conscious entertainment”. Having come from a history of affairs, divorce, and family dysfunction as well as a bi-polar diagnosis, she strongly believes that happiness is a choice. Janelle’s level of expertise sees her coaching celebrity clients and people from all walks of life seeking to bring fulfillment into their lives. Janelle is also a founder of conscious production company Le Murian Dreams. Her and I talked about:  The power of visualizations that got her into meditation How her adverse experiences caused her to dig deep into herself and turn her life around The power of tapping into your state of being How influential hope was in helping her turn her life around Why we should share our vulnerabilities Creating Conscious Media and movies  What being a member of the #zerofucksclub means to her Much more!   https://www.janellechrista.com/

CZ 088: Janelle Christa, Spiritual Ninja, Conscious Entertainment Expert

This podcast is my journey as a curious millennial figuring out what it means to live fully through meditation by bringing on the greatest minds of our day.

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Catching Z's: The Millennials Guide to Mindfulness

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