Connection is the Medicine

Living In Harmony with Sacred Mother Earth Stephen Brooks is a pioneering permaculture educator, ethnobotanist, and regenerative community builder with over 30 years of experience in Costa Rica. Early Life and Awakening: Raised in North Miami, Florida, Brooks’ life changed in 1995 when he witnessed a playground of indigenous children sprayed by a Chiquita Banana crop duster. This event sparked his...

Brook LeVan – Confessions of a Reluctant Land Whisperer A poignant and inspirational conversation that invites listeners to reconsider their relationship to land, food, spirit, and the unseen realms that sustain life. In this episode of Connection is the Medicine Podcast, host Eaden Shantay welcomes Brook LeVan—artist, rancher, alchemist, biodynamic specialist, and co-founder of Sustainable Settin...

Merging Yoga, Buddhism and Internal Family Systems. Exploring the somatic, spiritual and psychological. Dharma teacher Kali Basman beautifully combines Buddhist Psychology, Internal Family Systems Therapy, and Yin Yoga to guide deep healing and embodied presence. Her work integrates the outer frameworks of anatomy and Traditional Chinese Medicine with inner practices of mind training and trauma re...

Ron Speaker is a seasoned investment specialist, financial mentor, and dedicated husband and father. He began his career in the mid-1980s as a summer intern in the mail room at Janus Capital Group in Denver, Colorado. There, he came under the mentorship of finance legends Tom Bailey and Michael McGoldrick, who would become lifelong influences.  Speaker rose through the ranks over 21 years at Janus...

In this episode, Eaden Shantay sits down with Tyler Stableford, a licensed psychotherapist based in Carbondale, Colorado, where he maintains a private practice at Stableford Counseling (stablefordcounseling.com) while also working in community mental health settings.  Specializing in trauma resolution and treatment-resistant conditions such as depression, anxiety, and addiction, he integrates cutt...

Today we welcome Nevin Eckert to the show. He is the founder of TrueSpring Water Quality Solutions LLC, a company specializing in advanced water purification and transformation systems. He has dedicated nearly 30 years to researching and understanding water’s role in health, viewing it as the “blood of the earth” and emphasizing its physical and energetic qualities for nourishing life.  Born with...

Today we welcome Gina Murdock, founder of the non-profit Lead with Love, which came into being in Aspen, Colorado. Gina believes we are all one and that LOVE is the ultimate intelligence. Her most recent initiative, called Care for Caregivers, serves children through serving caregivers. In this episode, we explore Gina’s desire for community and her challenge with having kids which ultimately led...

What a blessing to sit down with Will Evans, former emergency medicine doctor, author, environmentalist, radio show host and wise elder.  In this episode, Will shares about the practical application and power of the circle. How the circle supports relationship, reciprocity, connection, and the building of alliances.  Well into his life as an ER doctor, Will expanded his understanding of health and...

Mother, mentor, poet, artist, volunteer, bestselling author, and host of the Practice You Podcast, Elena Brower is a celebrated international yoga and meditation teacher on Glo, guiding transformative practices since 1999. Her debut book, Art of Attention: A Yoga Practice Workbook for Movement as Meditation , was published in 2012 and has since been translated into seven languages. Her bestselling...

Ellen Bradley is a mother, master yoga teacher, author, and visionary guide devoted to reawakening the innate wisdom in women and girls. After spending eight years worldschooling her three daughters across 40+ countries, Ellen’s life became a living classroom—rooted in presence, connection, and the courage to untether from convention.  She is the founder of The Ohana Project, a global movement emp...

In this episode, Eaden Shantay interviews Lindsay Branham, an environmental psychologist and eco-dula, who shares her profound journey of reconnecting with nature and the healing it has brought her.  Lindsay discusses her eco-awakening, the importance of understanding the subject-object relationship with nature, and how historical disconnection has shaped our current relationship with the environm...

What an absolute blessing to interview Akah Jackson, a deeply spiritual natural mystic. Akah has a background in traditional and non--traditional medicine and herbalism. He is a medical Qi Gong instructor, recovery coach, artist, Kundalini yoga teacher and musician.  Akah is such an amazing storyteller. I have no doubt you will enjoy these beautiful stories of connection from his life experience. ...

In this episode, host Eaden Shantay sits down with wife Deva Shantay to discuss their transformative experience at an Ayurvedic Panchakarma retreat in Coimbatore, India. They explore the principles of Ayurveda, the significance of Panchakarma as a cleansing process, and share personal insights and challenges faced during their 28-day journey. The conversation emphasizes the importance of self-care...

Welcome to the Connection Is The Medicine Podcast! For the first podcast, I interviewed my wife and partner, Deva Shantay. We discussed the importance of connection and how it can enhance our wellbeing. We also spoke about our foundation—Connection Is The Medicine Foundation with two locations where we offer programming for inspiration, connection and self-discovery: True Nature in Carbondale, CO...