The Free Radical Podcast

We are delighted to welcome to the The Free Radical Podcast renowned musician, author, and spiritual seeker Havi Prabhu—also known by his artistic name Ilan Chester. Widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in contemporary Spanish-language music, Havi’s life and work span more than four decades of international artistry. Born in Israel to European parents and raised in Venezuela, his...

Join us for an adventurous episode of the Free Radical Podcast, featuring spiritual director, teacher, retreat leader, and author Carl McColman. Carl McColman is a lay practitioner under formal spiritual guidance from sisters and monks associated with the Trappist Monastery of the Holy Spirit. His formation in Christian contemplative spirituality and contemplative leadership was shaped through the...

IIn this episode of the Free Radical Podcast, we’re joined by psychologist, philosopher, and trauma-informed facilitator Madhava, whose work sits at the intersection of nervous system awareness, attachment, and relational inquiry. As the founder of the Neurobody Method and a teacher at the Learning Love Institute, Madhava explores what truly makes connection possible—beginning with a nervous syste...

In this episode of the Free Radical Podcast, we’re joined by Catholic priest, pastor, and acclaimed drummer Father Hyacinth Cordell—a man where philosophy meets pulse, and theology meets rhythm. With training in philosophy, theology, and pastoral ministry, Father Hyacinth carries a rare integration of intellectual depth and lived spirituality. Alongside his priestly vocation, he has also cultivate...

In this episode of the Free Radical Podcast, we sit down with world-renowned musician, artist, and storyteller Gaura Vani for a rich and heartfelt conversation. Gaura Vani’s journey is anything but ordinary. Raised in temples in India and trained in monastic life from a young age, he later found himself immersed in the energy of Hollywood’s rock and roll scene during his teenage years. Today, his...

🌿 This episode holds some very tender terrain, including the loss of a child to suicide. If this is close to your heart, we invite you to listen at your own pace, honoring whatever arises within you. If needed, you might set it down and return when the time feels right.🌿 With that in mind, we invite you into a deeply moving and quietly evocative conversation on the Free Radical Podcast with awar...

In this episode of the Free Radical Podcast, we sit in sacred conversation with Bhakti Lalita Devi (Goh Diwajnavi) — teacher, author, and pilgrim of the heart within the Gaudiya Vaishnava lineage. A devoted disciple of Srila Bhaktisundar Govinda Maharaj, the Acharya of Sri Caitanya Sarasvat Math, she spent nearly two decades in India in intimate service to her Gurudeva, acting as his personal corr...

Enter into a sacred conversation at the crossroads of ancient wisdom and living awakening. In this luminous gathering on the Free Radical Podcast, Swami Padmanabha welcomes author, mystic, and Fourth Way teacher Theodore Nottingham for a meeting that feels less like an interview and more like a recognition between kindred souls. With over four decades devoted to the inner path—and author of more t...

In this heart-opening episode of the Free Radical Podcast, Swami Padmanabha sits in warm, searching dialogue with renowned Vaishnava musician, author, and sincere seeker Bali Rico. Born in the United States to Colombian parents and raised partly in the sacred atmosphere of Mayapur, Bali’s formative years unfolded amidst ashram life, devotional sound, and the living rhythms of ancient India. As co-...

In this episode of the Free Radical Podcast, Swami Padmanabha is joined by Reverend Dr. Shaleen Kendrick—a mystic scholar, theologian, and minister to human evolution—whose work bridges ancient spiritual wisdom and contemporary neuroscience. Dr. Kendrick is the creator of the Neuro-Relational Integration (NRI) model, a framework for wholeness-making through mind-body-spirit integration. Drawing fr...

In this episode of The Free Radical Podcast, Swami Padmanabha sits down with award-winning filmmaker and longtime Gaudiya Vaishnava practitioner Ravi Chambers for a deep and heartfelt conversation about storytelling, faith, and spiritual identity. Ravi spent much of his twenties living as a monk, immersed in the philosophy and practices of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Today, as the founder of Be Inspired...

In this episode of The Free Radical Podcast, Swami Padmanabha sits down with a dear friend and brother, Sanan—a servant leader, community builder, and deep listener whose presence speaks as powerfully as his words. Sanan has been walking a spiritual path since 1977, learning from a wide range of teachers and traditions. In 2009, he was guided to bring the grace he had received into lived, practica...

In this Free Radical Podcast episode, Hari-kirtan, a seasoned yoga and meditation teacher, author, and long-time practitioner whose work bridges traditional wisdom and contemporary inquiry, joins us for an engaging conversation. Our dialogue centers on the intersection of bhakti and activism, exploring how spiritual life can respond meaningfully to our social and political moment. Together we delv...

In this episode of the Free Radical Podcast, we sit down with Kenneth (Harry) Oldmeadow—author, scholar, and lifelong explorer of the world’s wisdom traditions. Carried to India as a baby and raised there through his first decade, Oldmeadow’s early immersion in a tapestry of cultures and faiths helped shape a life devoted to understanding the world’s spiritual inheritances. His later studies in hi...

In this episode of the Free Radical Podcast, we continue our ongoing dialogue with reality—an ever-unfolding attempt to understand our place in the world and beyond it. Joining the conversation is Giri Govardhan Prabhu, whose journey in the Gaudiya tradition began in the early 1980s and has carried him through decades of service, reflection, and sincere inner search. In recent years, Giri Govardha...

In this episode of the Free Radical Podcast, Swami Padmanabha sits down with Mike Petrow — Christian contemplative scholar, Jungian specialist, spiritual director, and close collaborator of Father Richard Rohr at the Center for Action and Contemplation. Together, they explore a living conversation where reality is not a conclusion but a continuous unfolding. Their dialogue weaves through: 🕊️ The c...

In this episode of the Free Radical Podcast, Swami Padmanabha sits down with Arjuna—devotee, podcaster, and creator of Theology Unleashed. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, Arjuna has been practicing bhakti-yoga for 15 years, grew up in a Christian background, and brings a thoughtful, inclusivist lens to the world’s wisdom traditions. Together they explore a provocative question: Does “Hinduism” rea...

In this episode, Swami Padmanabha sits down with Francis X. Clooney, Jesuit priest, scholar, and Parkman Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School. A pioneer in comparative theology, Professor Clooney has spent decades engaging Hindu and Christian traditions through deep study of Sanskrit and Tamil classics, interreligious dialogue, and spiritual practice. Their conversation revolves around...

In this episode, Swami Padmanabha is joined by Lily Seto, seasoned professional coach, mentor coach, and coaching supervisor with nearly two decades of global experience. Lily shares her profound insights on: * What coaching truly is and how it can transform lives * The skills of intentional presence, deep listening, and empathy * Empowering others to find their own answers and insights * How coac...

In this episode of the Free Radical Podcast, Swami Padmanabha sits down with Rick Archer, creator of Buddha at the Gas Pump and co-founder of the Association for Spiritual Integrity. A lifelong meditator with over 55 years of daily practice, Rick has interviewed more than 725 people on their journeys of awakening. Their conversation dives into spiritual integrity, the difference between holiness a...

In this insightful and heartful episode, Swami Padmanabha welcomes Sri Radha Govinda Devi—Vaishnavi teacher, astrologer, author, and president of the Goa Academy. With experience spanning continents and disciplines, she brings a multidimensional approach to spiritual growth, guiding others through Vedic astrology, Anartha Nivritti, personality analysis, and bhakti-based relationship work. The conv...

In this rich interfaith episode, Swami Padmanabha sits down with Swami Medhananda, monk of the Ramakrishna Order and philosopher of religion, to explore whether the Absolute must be either personal or impersonal—or whether it can lovingly hold both. They trace Sri Ramakrishna’s Vijñāna Vedanta, Vivekananda’s pluralism, and the nuanced view of bhakti traditions like Gaudiya Vaishnavism. How do we h...

In this intimate new episode of the Free Radical Podcast, host Swami Padmanabha sits down for a second recorded conversation with renowned Franciscan teacher and author, Father Richard Rohr, at his hermitage in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Filmed in the relaxed setting of Richard’s home—with his dog Opie by his side—this unique encounter flows through a series of symbolic gifts Swami brought, sparking...

In this special episode of The Free Radical Podcast, Swami Padmanabha is joined by theologian, teacher, and writer Robert Nicastro, whose work explores the intersection of religion, science, and artificial intelligence. As Executive Director of the Center for Christogenesis, Robert builds on the vision of Teilhard de Chardin, advancing an integrated understanding of spirituality and science for a...

In this episode of the Free Radical Podcast, Swami Padmanabha welcomes Vaishnava scholar and Hindu chaplain Adi Purusha, whose academic background includes a PhD from the University of Cambridge and a focus on theodicy, Vedanta, and ethics. The conversation explores the problem of evil—how suffering can coexist with an all-loving, all-powerful, and all-knowing God—through the lens of Gaudiya Vaish...