How To Make Love™

In this episode, we explore why truly living our values—like inclusivity, growth, and liberation—requires more than good intentions. It demands the uncomfortable, ongoing practice of changing our minds. Drawing on neuroscience and real-life examples, laura breaks down an actionable process for recognizing when our thinking is limited, pausing our defensive reactions, and expanding our capacity to...

This episode is about the habit of making someone wrong—-and how quickly that instinct shapes the way we relate to each other. I'm asking what becomes possible if we loosen our grip on blame and instead choose something more curious, and more human. Join  patreon   here . Download the  transcript   here . Connect with laura  about the episode  here.

What happens after you let go of forced hope? No breakthrough. No surge of inspiration. Just life—continuing. In this quiet, honest episode building off of last month, we explore what it means to stay put when nothing feels especially promising. Not grit. Not toxic positivity. Just the radical act of not turning away. If you're tired of pretending things will "work out" and still want to remain in...

How do you hope when there's no logical reason to? In this episode, we explore what hope really is—and what it isn't. Rather than treating hope as optimism, belief, or confidence about the future, this conversation reframes hope as a present-moment orientation toward life, even when things feel bleak, overwhelming, or hopeless. Join patreon here . Download the  transcript   here . Connect with lau...

What does it mean to stay human in a world that fuels disconnection, numbness, and productivity? This episode digs into everyday forms of dehumanization—and offers five messy, honest practices to help you rehumanize yourself and the spaces/relationships around you. Download the  transcript   here . Connect with laura  about the episode  here.

laura reflects on the paradox of fighting for liberation while remembering we are already free. Through Buddhist practice, personal story, and practical tools, she invites listeners to live from wholeness now—even in the midst of struggle. Download the  transcript   here . Connect with laura  about the episode  here.

In this deeply human episode of How to Make Love , laura invites us to practice despair—not as defeat, but as an act of love and honesty. Together, we explore how to face the unbearable truths of our world—genocide, displacement, climate crises, and quiet suffering—without turning away or being swallowed by numbness. This is not an episode of false hope—it is an invitation to stay human in a break...

Let's explore the radical, often uncomfortable practice of believing in others—even when life, systems, and personal history give us every reason not to. This episode challenges our instincts to withdraw trust and explores belief as a choice to see people as unfinished, capable, and still becoming. It's not about ignoring harm—it's about holding complexity with integrity, courage, and care. Downlo...

Letting go isn't often graceful, it tends to be gutting—and it might also be the truest path to liberation. In this episode, laura explores what it truly means to release relationships, roles, and illusions that no longer serve us—personally, politically, and spiritually. If you've ever struggled to loosen your grip on what once defined you, this conversation is your invitation to choose courage o...

What if certainty is (sometimes) a part of the problem? This episode unpacks how our need to know can prop up domination—and how embracing the skillfullness of not knowing can be a practice of love, liberation, and justice. Download the  transcript   here . Connect with laura  about the episode  here. Join laura's  private network   here  to learn more about free, monthly  metta meditation / train...

To fight or not to fight? And how? And against whom? Or for what? Join laura for a discussion about how to fight on behalf of love and justice  differently . Plus a whole lot of reflection questions for your growth and development. Download the  transcript   here . Connect with laura  about the episode  here. Join laura's  private network   here  to learn more about free, monthly  metta / loving k...

What do we do when we start to feel really embittered toward the world and the humans in it? How do we hold love and rage at the same time? How do we train in love when what we sometimes feel is hate? Download the  transcript   here . Connect with laura  about the episode  here. Join laura's  private network   here to learn more about free, monthly  metta  / loving kindness meditation and open-hea...

Can love really go toe-to-toe with hate? If so, how do we train for it? What does love really have to do with today and the next four years? Come dig in. Join laura's private network here to learn more about monthly  metta / loving kindness meditation and open-hearted skill-building for the next four years. Download the  transcript   here . Connect with laura  about the episode  here.

In this episode, we explore the art of personal reinvention — what it means to choose change on your own terms and imagine new possibilities for your life. Reinvention is more than self-discovery; it's the training ground for transforming the world. Apply to  UNscript here . Download the  transcript   here . Connect with laura  about the episode  here. Become a patreon  of the podcast  here .

Join host laura brewer for discussion about practicing self, family, and organizational care during the upcoming weeks -- and how to prepare for it now. Download the transcript   here . Connect with laura  about the episode  here. Become a patreon  of the podcast  here .

We rarely confront the true costs of courage—social, emotional, physical, personal, professional. This episode unpacks why, despite the steep price, courage is worth the choice for personal and collective liberation—helping you understand the cost and truly consent to it. Download the transcript here . Connect with laura about the episode  here. Become a patreon  of the podcast  here . Leave a rev...

Loveability is a mess. But love- ability ? Now we're talking. Tune in to hear why shifting from "loveability" to "love-ability" might change your life, and the world around us. Download the transcript here . Connect with laura about the episode   here. Become a patreon  of the podcast  here . Leave a review on itunes by scrolling down a little futher. We appreciate it!

How do we love people we really, really disagree with? Join today's guest Jada Hebra to hear her personal story of crossing a giant divide with her spouse. As the election cycle heats up and divides between people are more inflammed than ever before, this conversation is a must-listen –– especially for those who want to practice rehumanizing our culture and our relationships. Fun things to click🌟...

Happy Birthday/Anniversary to How To Make Love ! 🎈 We're back after an extended sabbatical and ready to take on more making of the love, justice, courage, and other important things listeners value. Hear laura share what's been up, and what's getting going. Connect with laura – leave a speakpipe here or send an email here . Transcripts – You can download written transcripts, share them, copy/past...

The winter can pose unique challenges and opportunities to our practice of  making love, courage, justice, and liberation. Tune in for a couple of things to remember and consider as you move through the world this winter. Want to give a little love back to  How To Make Love ?  Become a patreon of the podcast .

There's the idea of freedom and the somatics of freedom. Today's episode tackles how and why we should learn to cultivate the sensations of freedom in our bodies. Welcome. New Feature Alert! Transcripts!  We've added episode transcripts to our website (ps: we have a  new website , too)! Now you can download written transcripts, share them, copy/paste those reflection questions, or read along while...

Who's ready for a mid-life crisis?! Me! You? Come on in for a lovingly honest and personal conversation about those feelings of falling apart –– midlife, or any other time.  New Feature Alert! Transcripts!  We've added episode transcripts to our website (ps: we have a  new website , too)! Now you can download written transcripts, share them, copy/paste those reflection questions, or read along whi...

Ethic. Process. Aspiration. Practice. Come learn what else UNcontrol is and means and why we should engage it in the work of personal and collective freedom. New Feature Alert! Transcripts!  We've added episode transcripts to our website (ps: we have a  new website , too)! Now you can download written transcripts, share them, copy/paste those reflection questions, or read along while you listen. ...

Belonging. Repair. Lines of difference. Today, guest Al li Myatt and I discuss radical relationships — especially at work . What makes them hard, what makes them complex, and what makes them beautiful. AND the things we need to unlearn so we can be in radical relationship with one another. Plus, a 🔥🔥🔥 book/resource list you don't want to miss out on here .   New Feature Alert: Transcripts! We'v...

Becoming a bad winner and a good loser is ... a little counterintuitive, to say the least. Learn how and why in this episode. And what all of that has to do with our collective and personal practice of liberation.  New Feature Alert! Transcripts!  We've added episode transcripts to our website (ps: we have a  new website , too)! Now you can download written transcripts, share them, copy/paste thos...