Lunch with the Loveologist Podcast

Sonja Lyubomirsky, professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside, discusses happiness and material reality. Visit TheOpeningDoor.com to listen to the full interview Saturday.

Dr. Joshua Coleman, Co-Chair of the Council on Contemporary Families and a renowned psychologist, talks about the reality of staying for the kids. Visit us at TheOpeningDoor.com to listen to the full interview.

Wendy shares her final Lunch with the Loveologist program with her yoga teacher, Caitlin Young, who is a wealth of knowledge on integrating the life of the body, mind and heart. Combining the power of our attention with our breath creates life changing results. Learn a couple of simple daily practices and gain insight into how opening our bodies impacts our relationships. Don't miss this sweet and tender conversation sure to bring intimacy to your relationship to your breath, your body and your heart. As a certified Pilates and Yoga instructor, Caitlin finds deep joy in sharing movement with all bodies. In 2006, Caitlin enrolled in an 800-hour Pilates training course in San Francisco, in 2008 she traveled to India to participate in a 200-hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training. In 2009, Caitlin became a Reiki practitioner. She continues to draw inspiration from the study of the human body and its many patterns and dimensions of movement. Clear direction and the ability to teach people in the present moment are two of her greatest strengths. In classes, Caitlin hopes to inspire her students to foster healthy dialogue between body, mind and spirit. She is currently earning her Master’s degree in Couples and Family Therapy at University of Oregon and integrates her study of communication and systems theory, spirituality and mindfulness practices and somatic psychotherapy techniques into her work. She creates a flowing and balanced class that draws on the union of movement with breath, core integrity, alignment and power!

Enlighten your perspective on the meaning of your days with Deena Metzger, author, healer and sage.  Each one of us is living a story that is both a path of healing and a universe that defines us.   Looking at the central questions that define our stories and our lives is the process by which we come alive and embody our soul.  The purpose of your life is within the grasp of your story; take this first step on that healing journey. Deena Metzger is a poet, novelist, essayist, storyteller, teacher, healer and medicine woman who has taught and counseled for over forty years, in the process of which she has developed therapies (Healing Stories) which creatively address life threatening diseases, spiritual and emotional crises, as well as community, political and environmental disintegration. She has spent a lifetime investigating Story as a form of knowing and healing. As a writer, she asks: Who do we have to become to find the forms and sacred language with which to meet these times? She is the author of many books, including most recently, the novels La Negra y Blanca and Feral; Ruin and Beauty: New and Selected Poems; From Grief Into Vision: A Council; Doors: A fiction for Jazz Horn; Entering the Ghost River: Meditations on the Theory and Practice of Healing; The Other Hand; Tree: Essays and Pieces, A Sabbath Among the Ruins, Looking for the Faces of God and Writing For Your Life. She conducts training groups on the spiritual, creative, political and ethical aspects of healing and peacemaking, individual, community and global, drawing deeply on alliance with spirit, indigenous teachings and the many wisdom traditions. One focus is on uniting Western medical ways with indigenous medicine traditions.  With her husband, writer/healer Michael Ortiz Hill, she has introduced the concept of Daré, meaning Council, to North America. The Topanga Daré relies on Council, alliance with Spirit and the natural world, ancestor work, indigenous and wisdom traditions and teachings, music healing, dream telling, divination, kinship, and storytelling to achieve personal transformation, community healing and social change.  

Having sexual conversations, even among adults are perhaps the most challenging discourse to engage in, no wonder most parents dread "the talk" that they often don't feel competent or confident to give their children. Don't miss this honest and authentic conversation with Deborah Roffman, award winning sex educator and author of Talk to Me First for the strategies and confidence you need to not just have "the talk", but to become and remain the most credible, and influential resource about sexuality and life in your children's lives. Deborah Roffman, a nationally acclaimed educator and author of Talk to Me First and Sex and Sensibility, distills her more than thirty years of experience teaching kids—and their parents how to become your kids’ number one source for information and guidance on human sexuality. Roffman tackles everything from developmental stages to strategies for handling embarrassing or difficult conversations, offering the best ways to make sure you both keep talking (and listening). Her work on childhood and teen sexuality has been featured in numerous publications, including the Washington Post and USA Today. A recipient of the Mary Lee Tatum Apple Award from Planned Parenthood Federation of America, she has also been recognized by the National Federation of Republican Women. The mother of two grown sons, she lives with her husband in Baltimore, Maryland.

The universal emotion of disgust is one that is both intrinsic to our survival protecting us from external poisons, but also in surprising ways prevents us from having to confront our own weaknesses and even mortality.   Listen as psychologist and author, Rachel Herz illuminates us about how what we find disgusting uniquely reflects our personality, how we treat others and what we find most fascinating. Don't miss this compelling conversation that will forever alter how you perceive what disgusts you. Rachel Herz is a world-renowned expert on the psychology of smell, and author of The Scent of Desire and most recently, That's Disgusting in addition to   numerous research publications.   Since the mid-1990s Rachel has been consulting for many of the world’s leading multinational fragrance and flavor companies and regularly lectures to national and international audiences. After completing her PhD in 1992, she won a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Post-Doctoral Award and took her research to the University of British Columbia.[1] In 1994, she received the Ajinomoto USA Inaugural Award for Promising Young Scientists and joined the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia as an Assistant Member.[2] In 2000, Rachel Herz joined the faculty at Brown University, where she first was a member of the Psychology Department and is now a visiting professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, of Brown University Medical School.  In 2004 Rachel shifted her relationship with Brown University to more limited involvement so that she could pursue other creative enterprises. It was at this time that she began writing The Scent of Desire: Discovering Our Enigmatic Sense of Smell  as well as working on other means to educate and stimulate the general public about the chemical senses.  

Tap into the ancient wisdom of Eastern philosophy with author and physician, Paul Dugliss, M.D as he discusses how to digest your emotional experiences and heal your body and life journey.  Ayurveda is one of the most ancient forms of healing on the planet with millions of people enjoying the benefits of Yoga.  This holistic approach to healing your emotional history is a time tested cure for purifying your heart to receive the love and happiness you desire. Paul Dugliss, M.D. is the author of Capturing the Bliss: Ayurveda and the Yoga of Emotions as well as several other books including Ayurveda – The Power to Heal, Enlightened Nutrition, The Myth of Cholesterol, and Yoga & Ayurveda.  He practices Ayurvedic Medicine, Ayurvedic Counseling and Internal Medicine. He also is an acupuncturist and practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine.  He began studying Ayurvedic Medicine inthe mid-1980s and has trained both in this country at Maharishi InternationalUniversity and in Europe at Maharishi Vedic University, Valkenberg, Holland. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association.  Dr. Dugliss is the Director and Academic Dean of New World Ayurveda, an organization providing training in this comprehensive system of natural medicine. He has a master’s degree in Clinical and Counseling Psychology and is currently focusing his practice of medicine on Ayurvedic Medicine and Ayurvedic Counseling.

Yoga is one of the world's fastest growing health and fitness activities with 20 million people in the US and over 250 million around the world practicing it every day.  Its ancient roots go back to 2500 BCE.  Don't miss this enlightening conversation with William Broad, Pulitzer Prize winning author and lead science writer for the New York Times, share his discoveries about the surprising benefits and the often unknown risks of Yoga practices.  His new book, The Science of Yoga, five years in the making shatters myths and illuminates how yoga can lift moods and inspire creativity. It is also now scientifically proven to support healthy sexual functioning for both men and women and offer a gateway to the mystery of lasting sexual bliss. William J. Broad is a science journalist and senior writer at The New York Times. He shared two Pulitzer Prizes with his colleagues, as well as an Emmy Award and a DuPont Award.  He joined The Times in 1983 and writes about everything from exploding stars and the secret life of marine mammals to the spread of nuclear arms and the inside story on why the Titanic sank so rapidly. Most recently, He is the author of The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards, which The Times Magazine excerpted as “All Bent Out of Shape.”In 1986, Mr. Broad was a member of the team that won a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the feasibility of the Star Wars antimissile program. And in 1987, he and Times colleagues won a Pulitzer for reporting on the Challenger space shuttle disaster. He was a Pulitzer finalist in 2005 for articles written with David E. Sanger on nuclear proliferation. In 2007, he and Mr. Sanger shared a DuPont Award from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism for the television documentary “Nuclear Jihad: Can Terrorists Get the Bomb?” Before joining The Times, Mr. Broad worked as a reporter in Washington, D.C., for Science — the weekly magazine of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He earned a master’s degree in the history of science from the University of Wisconsin, and in 1995 won the school’s Distinguished Service to Journalism Award.

Have you ever longed for a soul mate? Co- Authors and life partners Mali Apple and Joe Dunn break down the elements of turning your relationships into a Soulmate Experience.   Approaching your relationship without expectation and judgment allows your relationship to thrive.   They discuss all the hot buttons of jealousy, fear and manipulation and how changing your perspective on how you love can bring you the connection you seek. Mali Apple and Joe Dunn are the co-authors of The Soulmate Experience: A Practical Guide to Creating Extraordinary Relationships. They have been lovers, partners and friends and wanted to share their experience of getting love right with the world.  Mali and Joe promote a new way of relating and have earned a faithful following of more than 50,000 on Facebook. Many of their community members are committed to doing relationship differently using The Soulmate Experience as their guide. 

Stan Tatkin, PsyD, MFT, is a clinician, researcher, teacher, and developer of A Psychobiological Approach To Couples Therapy® (PACT) which integrates neuroscience, infant attachment, arousal regulation, and therapeutic enactment applied to adult primary attachment relationships. He speaks to professional audiences on subjects of couples therapy and preventative psychotherapy through early intervention with infants, children and their parents. In addition to his private practice, he teaches and supervises first through third-year family medicine residents at Kaiser Permanente, Woodland Hills, through which he is an assistant clinical professor at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine

Rethink what it means to recover from infidelity with Dr. Tammy Nelson, renowned human sexuality experts and author of the several books including The New Monogamy which presents a revolutionary approach to healing a relationship after infidelity. This conversation will give you the courage to face the end of the relationship you lost and inspire you to re-establish your ability to trust yourself again which is the path towards recovering your full erotic potential. Ground breaking, compassionate and healing tips to face the uncertainty of profound change and turn it into a growth full and healing life transition. Don't miss this enlightening conversation with one of the best sex therapists in the country. Tammy Nelson, PhD, is a world renowned human sexuality expert and acclaimed author of several books, including Getting the Sex You Want, one of the most practical, ground-breaking books of our generation. Tammy’s book teaches us a style of communication that heals marriages, deepens intimacy, and awakens the erotic potential of our relationships. Tammy is an esteemed psychotherapist and highly sought international speaker, changing the lives of countless couples through her books, couples retreats, lectures and private practice. She is a Board Certified Sexologist, an AASECT certified Sex Therapist, a Diplomate of the American Board of Sexology, a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Certified Imago Therapist, an Advanced Clinician in Imago Relationship therapy, an Imago workshop presenter, a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor and a Registered Art Therapist. She is the author of several books including, the upcoming, “The New Monogamy; Redefining Your Relationship After Infidelity,”“Getting the Sex You Want; Shed Your Inhibitions and Reach New Heights of Passion Together” as well as “What’s Eating You? A Workbook for Anorexia and Bulimia.” She has been a featured expert in Glamour Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Men’s Health, NY Times, Washington Post and a source in Time Magazine. She has written for Psychotherapy Networker and other trade journals and writes for the Huffington Post and YourTango, Tammy offers workshops and seminars and trains therapists around the world on issues relating to sex and relationships.

“Let Food Be Thy Medicine and Medicine Be Thy Food” is the basis of Dr. Brian Clement and Dr. Anna Maria Gahns-Clement’s new book:  7 Keys to Lifelong Sexual Vitality.   Don’t miss this informative conversation about the deep impact that our diet has on our sexual vitality.  Even small changes toward raw foods are instrumental in relieving common sexual health dysfunction for both men and women as well as being instrumental in increasing fertility.  Learn to identify easily identify aphrodisiac foods and get a bigger bite of sexual satisfaction. Dr. Brian Clement and Dr. Anna Maria Gahns-Clement are co-directors of the Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida.  Co- authors of the 7 Keys to Lifelong Sexual Vitalit., they are internationally recognized as leading experts in the fields of health, natural healing and anti-aging. Both have dedicated their entire professional careers to supporting Hippocrates’ historic mission, “Let Food Be Thy Medicine and Medicine Be Thy Food” by imparting knowledge on how to improve health by trading nutrient-deficient “dead” foods for a diet rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and plant-based proteins. Brian has also written numerous books in which he explores the various aspects of health, spirituality and natural healing. His best-selling book, Living Foods for Optimum Health, has been acclaimed by Marilyn Diamond, co-author of the book Fit for Life, as "an important and eminently readable book for the new era of self-care," and by Coretta Scott King as a "landmark guide to the essentials of healthy living."  Most recently, he was commissioned by government-supported organizations to establish, organize and direct health programs in Denmark, Switzerland, Greece and India.

Learning the art of practicing is all about embracing the process of becoming fully present in life.   By combining a commitment to disciplined repetition and an unquenchable curiosity we not only come to master the skills we desire, we develop a mind-set that brings more joy and contentment to even the most challenging obstacles.  Don't miss Thomas Sterner, author of The Practicing Mind inspire and enlighten you about the essential skills to build focus, clarity and gain joy from the effort itself. Thomas M. Sterner has studied Eastern and Western philosophy and modern sports psychology and trained as a jazz pianist. For more than twenty-five years, he served as the chief concert piano technician for a major performing arts center. He prepared and maintained the concert grand piano for hundreds of world-renowned (and demanding) musicians and symphony conductors, and his typical workday required constant interaction with highly disciplined and focused artists. At the same time, he operated a piano re-manufacturing facility, rebuilding vintage pianos to factory-new condition. Sterner has parlayed what he learned from his profession into a love of practice. He is an accomplished musician, private pilot, student of archery, and avid golfer, and practicing these activities fills his spare time. He has also worked in the sound and video arts fields as a recording engineer, audio and video editor and processor, and composer. He has produced a radio show about The Practicing Mind and continues to teach his techniques to businesspeople and at sports clinics. He lives in Wilmington, Delaware

Carter Phipps enlightens us with a whole new understanding of both the internal and cultural meaning of the process of evolution and in doing so lifts the debate of creationism vs. evolution out of the polarized battle between religion and science. With a thorough understanding of the historical context of where we find ourselves in history and the depth of scientific inquiry, Carter shows us how our own internal process is continuously evolving.  No matter where you stand on the question of how we all got here, this provocative conversation will make you reconsider all of the ways that you too are an evolutionary force.    Don't miss this interview as we catch him on his cross county book tour for EVOLUTIONARIES. Carter Phipps is an author, journalist, and leading voice in the emerging field of Evolutionary Spirituality. For the past decade, as executive editor of EnlightenNext magazine, he has been at the forefront of contemporary spiritual, philosophical, and cultural discourse, and his writings have played a key role in making important new thinking accessible to a wider audience. His first book, EVOLUTIONARIES: Unlocking the Spiritual and Cultural Potential of Science's Greatest Idea, was be published by Harper Perennial in May 2012.

If there is any truth to the age old saying that "you are what you eat" than you need to listen and learn from two genetic engineers, working in cooperation with Earth open Source, to provide the most comprehensive compilation of scientific research demonstrating the need to be wary and demand labeling of GM foods and crops.  Their recent report, GMO Myths and Truths demonstrates both the serious health and environmental risks associated with genetic modification of our food supply.   Nourishment is how we physically love ourselves and care for the earth; don't miss this alarming call to action in protecting the very source of our food supply from multinational, greed driven corporations. Michael Antoniou, PhD is reader in molecular genetics and head, Gene Expression and Therapy Group, King’s College London School of Medicine, London, UK. He has 28 years’ experience in the use of genetic engineering technology investigating gene organization and control, with over 40 peer reviewed publications of original work, and holds inventor status on a number of gene expression biotechnology patents. Dr Antoniou has a large network of collaborators in industry and academia who are making use of his discoveries in gene control mechanisms for the production of research, diagnostic and therapeutic products and human somatic gene therapies for inherited and acquired genetic disorders. Claire Robinson, MPhil is research director at Earth Open Source. She has a background in investigative reporting and the communication of topics relating to public health, science and policy, and the environment. She is an editor at GMWatch (www.gmwatch.org), a public information service on issues relating to genetic modification, and was formerly managing editor at SpinProfiles (now Powerbase).