Before Thought

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Anoop Kumar, emergency physician, author, and speaker, to explore a paradigm-shifting idea: that consciousness is fundamental, and matter is its pattern. Together, we examine how this perspective challenges the current model of modern medicine, and what it could mean for the future of healthcare. Dr. Kumar offers a vision of medicine that moves beyond just the...

In this episode, Molly and Chelsea are going on a field trip to Birmingham Covington School in Birmingham, Michigan, where students are participating in an experience called The Amazing Shake. The Amazing Shake is a dynamic competition that helps students build interpersonal and professional skills through immersive staged scenarios. Whether they’re acting as a travel agent assisting a customer or...

Is yoga meditation? Is there such a thing as moving meditation? In this episode Molly and Chelsea discuss the practice of yoga as a wakeful practice, not necessarily a transcendent one.  While we love yoga and understand that people with different physiologies are attracted to different practices, we are acutely aware that for us, yoga prepares our bodies to sit. 

In this episode, Chelsea shares the first time she tried to meditate on her own and how different the experience was after she had a meditation teacher guide her through the process. Molly offers her thoughts on why we should consider leaning into having a master of the art show us into the subtleties of our mind.

In this episode, Molly explains stress as a natural by-product of everyday life, and how you naturally gain more time in your day when you use meditation as a tool to unwind that stress.

In this episode we discuss gratitude as an act of radical connection. When you reflect back to someone a mutual affection, you enliven what it is you're seeking to grow between the two of you.

Molly and Chelsea dive into conversations about consciousness, with Molly sharing that the series is rooted in a curiosity about how culture mirrors both our individual and collective inner worlds. While consciousness is often called the “hard problem" of science, we begin from a simple, shared understanding: when we talk about consciousness, we're talking about everything we experience....

This bonus episode follows E 18: On Place.

In this episode, we explore the sacredness of nature and how landscapes are brought to life through human activity. We consider how movement and migration shape the meaning of place across time, inviting you to feel more deeply connected to the land, and extend that connectedness to the people who inhabit it at any given time.

What began as Consciousness and Creativity has evolved into something simpler and more spacious. From here on out we'll be exploring how tuning into the space before thought can encourage a life lived more spontaneously. This shift feels like a return to the heart of our work, both a reintroduction and an invitation to pause, listen and react from a deeper place of knowing.

In this episode we talk about the reciprocal nature of gift giving. The care that we take in giving gifts, and sometimes the manipulative energy we have behind gift giving, impact both the gifter and the giftee.

In this episode of Consciousness and Creativity , we unpack some of the reflections and feedback from our previous conversation, and dive deeper into the question: Why do you believe what you believe about yourself? How is our sense of self shaped by the subtle cues we absorb from society? How do mentorship, self-awareness, and caring for body, mind, and spirit all play a role in reshaping those i...

In this episode, Molly and Chelsea discuss the implications of losing sincere human to human interaction. They reflect on the life of Charlie Kirk, and explore a way to move forward from political violence.

In this season finale, Molly and Chelsea sit down together to reflect on the themes that have carried through this season: presence, vulnerability, adaptability, and the quiet power of showing up. Through personal stories, clips from this season’s guests, and their own candid conversation, they explore how simple acts, whether it’s a last-minute theater performance, a classroom conversation, or a...

In this bonus episode, we’re sharing the full tarot reading from our recent conversation with Brandi Gunn O’Leary -- an intuitive and symbolic look at what the cards had to say. If you haven’t already, we recommend starting with our previous episode, where Brandi shares her story as a tarot reader, energy worker, and spiritual guide. Then come back here to experience the full reading -- part insig...

In this episode, tarot reader and intuitive guide Brandi Gunn O’Leary joins us for a heartfelt and wide-ranging conversation on the deeper meanings of tarot, and the mystery behind what we’re really tapping into when we listen closely. Brandi shares her unexpected path into tarot, stories of eerily accurate readings, and how her work is less about fortune-telling and more about connection, healing...

In this thought-provoking episode, we sit down with Amine Kouider, Chair of the Department of Cinematic Arts and New Media at Maharishi International University, and a Transcendental Meditation teacher. With a career spanning continents and communities, from children in Colombia to Buddhist nuns in Thailand, Amine brings a deeply human perspective to filmmaking, education, and consciousness. We ta...

In this heartfelt conversation, yoga teacher and author Amy Ippoliti joins Chelsea and Molly to explore what it means to truly embody the practice of yoga -- on and off the mat. From her teenage discovery of the Tao Te Ching to her evolution as a teacher, Amy shares how yoga shaped her sense of self, community, and purpose. Together, they reflect on the journey from scripted instruction to intuiti...

In this episode, we talk with Tiffany Sims, founder and executive director of Dream Arts, a vibrant youth theater company in Metro Detroit. Tiffany shares how the magic of theater goes far beyond the stage—shaping confidence, building lifelong friendships, and creating space for kids to work through fear and step into their power. With heart, humor, and a healthy dose of confetti, this conversatio...

In a world that loves to slap on labels and put people in boxes, today’s students are coming out of years of disruption—not broken, but weighed down by expectations that don’t always fit. This conversation is about shaking off the stories that no longer serve us, unlearning the false identities we’ve been handed, and building real emotional resilience. It’s about finding that edge—the place where...

Join the founders of Tuning the Student Mind, author Molly Beauregard and filmmaker Chelsea Jackson, for the second season of their podcast, Consciousness and Creativity: Stories of Belonging. In this seven-episode series, you'll meet inspiring individuals who are passionate about creating spaces of connection and inclusivity – from a youth theatre director who helps everyone unlock their uniq...

In this episode, you'll hear Chelsea and Molly dive deep into the many ways cultivating awareness and openness brings us into alignment with our true selves. Molly and Chelsea enjoy a happy - and weirdly synchronous - reunion in Colorado. During their time together, they learn of the passing of film director David Lynch. Lynch, a long-time friend of Tuning the Student Mind as well as inspiration f...

In this episode you'll hear Molly and Chelsea discuss how mindfulness, meditation, and incorporating structured exercises into the classroom can deepen student engagement and cultivate a more grounded, reflective, and authentic approach to their work and interactions.

Using lessons learned from documentary filmmaking, Molly and Chelsea discuss the role of storytelling as a tool for fostering community, compassion, and societal transformation. Together Molly and Chelsea reiterate the power of self-awareness to break down assumptions and experience deeper connection with others. 

Storytelling is a powerful tool for understanding and showcasing the profound impact of small, authentic actions, especially in times of crisis. Molly and Chelsea discuss the hero's journey as a storytelling framework through the lens of the film Gardening in a War Zone.