Sounds True: Insights at the Edge

Wendy Strgar is an award-winning entrepreneur, writer, and the founder of the renowned organic personal care product company Good Clean Love. With Sounds True, she has published Sex That Works: An Intimate Guide to Awakening Your Erotic Life. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Wendy about Sex That Works—particularly the insights it draws from Wendy's work as a sexual health educator and her own 30 years of marriage. They talk about the most common obstacles to achieving personal sexual harmony and what it takes to keep a long-term relationship sexually satisfying. Wendy describes her own journey to the creation of Good Clean Love and how she discovered her calling as a "loveologist." Finally, Tami and Wendy discuss what is to have a healthy fantasy life and why true sexual freedom is taking responsibility for one's own needs. (66 minutes)

LiYana Silver is a life coach and public speaker devoted to helping women embrace their innate feminine strengths in every area of their lives. With Sounds True, she has released the new book Feminine Genius: The Provocative Path to Waking Up and Turning On the Wisdom of Being a Woman. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, LiYana and Tami Simon talk about the importance of listening to one's deepest inner intuition—your own inner "Oracle," and LiYana guides listeners through a meditation to invoke this Oracle. Tami and LiYana also speak on enduring difficult times and the lessons contained in the dark patches of our lives, including LiYana's own "Year of Hell." Finally, they discuss the necessity of accepting pleasure and how to relate to other women in their own unique embodiments of Feminine Genius. (65 minutes)

Caroline Miller is one of the world's foremost experts in positive psychology and the author of books such as Creating Your Best Life and My Name Is Caroline. With Sounds True, she has recently published Getting Grit: The Evidence-Based Approach to Cultivating Passion, Perseverance, and Purpose. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Caroline discuss the concept of "grit"—the ability to stay passionate and persistent in one's long-term goals even in the face of considerable hardship. Caroline explains the different kinds of grit, including "false grit" that encourages stubbornness or flatters the ego. Finally, Tami and Caroline talk about the startling fact that we don't become happy when we are successful; rather, we become successful because we're happy first. (56 minutes)

Ruth King is a life coach and insight meditation teacher of the dedicated practitioner program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. She's the author of the book Healing Rage: Women Making Inner Peace Possible. In this special edition of Insights at the Edge hosted by Sounds True producer Kriste Peoples, Ruth explains the difference between anger and rage, as well as how examining the patterns of our rage can help us both understand its source and channel its animating energy. They talk about how rage covers over our soft spots and how the experience of it can lead into fruitful lovingkindness practice. Finally, Kriste and Ruth speak on how a deep understanding of these concepts can help craft healing conversations around racial difference and injustice. (69 minutes)

Henry Grayson, PhD, is a psychotherapist, public speaker, and the author of such books as Changing Approaches to the Psychotherapies and The New Physics of Love. With Sounds True, he has published his newest book, Your Power to Heal: Resolving Psychological Barriers to Your Physical Health. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon talks with Henry about how our beliefs and cultural conditioning may affect our long-term health. Henry discusses how identifying our subconscious limiting narratives can help us embrace our own self-healing capabilities. Tami and Henry also speak on methods of pulling ourselves out of entrenched conditioning and seven steps for identifying what might be underlying physical symptoms. Finally, Henry shares a practice for approaching and eventually getting clear of a limiting personal belief. (69 minutes)

Dr. Richard Davidson is a world-renowned research professor, director of the Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, and founder of the Center for Healthy Minds. His research focuses on the neurological basis of emotion and its effects on everyday behavior. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Dr. Davidson about the exciting frontiers being explored by neurology, including how regular contemplative practice can change the structure of the brain. They also talk about curious discoveries in the field of epigenetics and other studies conducted by the Center for Healthy Minds. Finally, Dr. Davidson discusses what he's learned about cultivating well-being through his years spent investigating the brain. (59 minutes)

Judith Orloff, MD, is a psychiatrist and the New York Times bestselling author of books such as The Power of Surrender. With Sounds True, Dr. Orloff has recently published The Empath's Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Dr. Orloff explore the lives of empaths: what being an empath entails, how to approach the world as one, and how the rest of us have much to learn from these particularly sensitive people. Judith shares helpful practices for when empaths feel overwhelmed by a world that always seems to be cranked up to eleven. Finally, Tami joins Dr. Orloff in a guided heart-breathing meditation designed to open all of us to empathy's most potent gifts. (67 minutes)

Emily Bennington is an author and teacher both of contemplative practice and leadership strategies. With Sounds True, Emily has released the book (and companion audiobook) Miracles at Work: Turning Inner Guidance into Outer Influence. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Emily about the perennial spiritual text that inspired Miracles at Work—A Course in Miracles. Emily comments on how the Course can be applied to everyday business issues such as overwhelm, conflicts with coworkers, and approaching difficult tasks. Tami and Emily talk about "spiritual intelligence" and how this trait's cultivation can bring about greater calm and equanimity. Finally, Emily discusses the primary point of A Course in Miracles—that anyone and everyone can become a vessel of unconditional love. (58 minutes)

Dr. Gabor Maté is an author, speaker, and physician who specializes in addiction, stress, and childhood development. His many books include In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts and When the Body Says No. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Dr. Maté about his views on modern mental health evaluation—specifically the widespread diagnoses of ADHD and depression. They discuss the connection between emotional expression and immune response, as well as how the body can be an effective teacher. Finally, Dr. Maté comments on how mental health issues can often be rooted in compensating behaviors from childhood and how healing can be approached from a bio-psycho-social perspective. (68 minutes)

Alexandra Katehakis is the founder and clinical director of the Center for Healthy Sex, specializing in therapy for sexual addiction and sexual issues within marriage. In addition to writing several books on the subject, Alexandra will be presenting on sexual dysregulation during Sounds True's upcoming Neuroscience Training Summit 2017. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Alexandra discuss the roots of sexual dysfunction and how to approach it in adulthood. They speak on "grownup sex"—a sexuality based in honest communication of needs, preferences, and desires for novelty. Tami and Alexandra also explore topics such as asexuality, sexuality without intimacy, and why orgasms are overrated. (58 minutes)

Karena Virginia and Dharm Khalsa are two of the most important teachers of kundalini yoga, a form made popular by Yogi Bhajan. Karena has taught various forms of yoga for more than 20 years, and is a respected writer on the subject. Dharm is a Sikh minister and was Yogi Bhajan’s personal assistant for many years. With Sounds True, the duo have published Essential Kundalini Yoga: An Invitation to Radiant Health, Unconditional Love, and the Awakening of Your Energetic Potential. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Dharm and Karena about the unique qualities of kundalini yoga and the energies it can awaken in the body. They discuss the history and principles of kundalini yoga, as well as the "love frequency phenomenon" of mantra. Finally, Dharm and Karena lead listeners in two guided practices intended to help awaken their own kundalini energy. (62 minutes)

Acharya Shunya is a renowned expert in Ayurvedic lifestyle medicine and the founder of Vedika Global, a school of Ayurvedic study based in California. With Sounds True, she has released the new book Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom: A Complete Prescription to Optimize Your Health, Prevent Disease, and Live with Vitality and Joy. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks to Shunya about the Ayurvedic legacy she teaches and embodies—including its baseline concepts, history, and modern attitudes. Tami and Shunya also talk about Ayurveda's repudiation of the concept of health as a commodity. Finally, Shunya discusses the universality of Vedic teachings and how an "infinity mindset" is a necessary cure for the foundational problem of hopelessness. (69 minutes)

Bessel van der Kolk is a clinician, teacher, author, and one of the most esteemed researchers on post-traumatic stress in the world. A veteran professor at universities and hospitals across the United States, Bessel is the New York Times bestselling author of The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body and the Treatment of Trauma. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Bessel speak on his many decades researching trauma. They talk about recent developments in the treatment of trauma—specifically the effectiveness of such methods as EMDR, psycho-dramatics, yoga, and introception. Lastly, they discuss the healing of trauma at a societal level and why—despite the suffering he has encountered over the years—Bessel is essentially optimistic about humanity's ability to heal. (61 minutes)

Rabbi Rami Shapiro is an award-winning author, teacher, and former congregational rabbi whose written prayers are used in books around the world. With Sounds True, he has published the spoken-word offering How to be a Holy Rascal and the forthcoming book Holy Rascals: Advice for Spiritual Revolutionaries. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Rami and Tami Simon talk about the concept of the "holy rascal" and just what it takes to become one. Rami speaks on his background as a rabbi and how he came to a practice of "nondual Judaism." Tami and Rami also discuss his encounters with God as a mother figure, and how these mystical experiences led to a burning away of his clinging tendencies. Finally, Rami underlines the importance of ecstatic experiences and why holy rascals are needed now more than ever. (68 minutes)

Larry Ward is both a Baptist minister and a teacher of the Buddhist dharma, personally ordained by Thich Nhat Hanh. A lifelong advocate for nonviolent social change, Larry draws his main inspiration from the life and works of Martin Luther King, Jr. He will be a featured presenter on Sounds True's Year of Mindfulness program. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Larry discuss how to tap into inner reservoirs of resilience and the factors that keep us from performing our very best work. They consider issues of race and ancestral healing in a time when these questions are prominent in the wider culture. Finally, Larry encourages listeners to develop a "fierce equanimity" and explains just what that means in day-to-day life. (64 minutes)