The Gathering Room Podcast

Did you know there’s a whole different way of being when you start to think like water? I’ve been watching the world’s collective pyramid-shaped consciousness—based on rigidity, hierarchy, and materialism—start to dissolve into a fluid, egalitarian consciousness I call “the Pool.” In this episode of The Gathering Room, I offer you a crash course in “...

On this episode of The Gathering Room, I revisit my “silly” spoon‑bending past and discover that it’s not so trivial after all. What if we can access states of well-being and healing that we can offer to other people and the world? I share how near‑death stories, dogs who feel their humans coming home, and our guided Silence, Stillness, and Space meditation share a common theme:...

Did you know that you can change your past? Negative experiences are the things that knock us around enough to seriously change us and lead us to epiphanies and awakenings. By assigning new meaning to old experiences, you can create higher-than-normal levels of joy, compassion, and connection. Join me for this episode of The Gathering Room to find out how to see your past with new eyes and start f...

On this “Listen Again” episode of The Gathering Room, I’m joined by special guest Dr. Lisa Miller, author of The Awakened Brain. In this conversation we discuss the surprising neuroscience of spirituality, ways to awaken your perception of the world around you, and how suffering can expand your spiritual awareness. Dr. Miller also shares some guided meditations to help you access...

In this special episode of The Gathering Room, I got to talk with Jonny Miles—musician, naturalist, and author of the one of the most extraordinary novels I’ve ever read, Eradication: A Fable . We talk about the mysterious process of writing, what it really means to heal a wounded ecosystem, why solitude is essential for original thought, and how great art dissolves our preconceived id...

So many of us are trying way too hard on the path to awakening: straining to let go, striving to stop striving. In this favorite “Listen Again” episode of The Gathering Room, I talk about how you can actually let go of attachment, experience more peace, and access the support that’s always available to you. Tune in to discover the magic that can happen when we allow ourselves to...

In this special “Listen Again” episode of The Gathering Room, I explore the disorienting, identity-dissolving place we enter after major life changes...what I call “Square One” in my Change Cycle methodology. I walk you through all four stages of the Change Cycle, answer listener questions about navigating change, and lead a calming meditation to help you surrender the whee...

In this special “Listen Again” episode of The Gathering Room, I talk about how to live through a time of societal upheaval and how we can still find our footing, even when the road ahead is uncertain. I explore how to navigate systemic collapse through Wayfinding: regulating our nervous systems, resisting panic and polarization, grieving fully, creating beauty, and building circles of...

What if your soul has been leaving you a trail to follow? In this special “Listen Again” episode of The Gathering Room podcast, I talk about tracking animals with my then-two-year-old and how it led me to ponder the question: How do we track our own spirit? In this episode, I share the three signs of a spirit track, how to tell spirit from fear, and why your body is not the enemy. I'll...

In this special episode of The Gathering Room podcast, I sit down with the brilliant Eric Zimmer, author of How A Little Becomes A Lot —one of those rare self-help books that’s easy to read, backed by science, and deeply spiritual. In our conversation, Eric shares his “still points” for embedding tiny shifts into your busy life, “choice points” for building good...

“Always” and “never” feel so satisfying... But they’re almost always wrong. In this Gathering Room episode, I explore how absolutist language keeps us stuck in self-judgment, bad relationships, and susceptibility to false prophets. The antidote is one little phrase: “sometimes, maybe.” This cracks open curiosity, cools down conflict, and tells the truth. A...

In this episode of The Gathering Room, I set out to interview author Eric Zimmer about his brilliant new book, How a Little Becomes a Lot, but life had other plans. Due to some frustrating tech failures, we were forced to reschedule. But in the shambles of my expectations, I felt inspired to talk about a core concept in Eric's book: the resiliency to bounce back after something hasn't worked. Tune...

We’re living through a “phase transition,” but I believe it’s what our souls signed up for. In this Gathering Room, I explore why the chaos of our times isn’t a sign of collapse, but of metamorphosis. Using the metaphor of ice to water to steam, I share how relaxation, not clinging, is the key to navigating radical change. I’ll also guide you in our Space, Silen...

This Gathering Room was inspired by…my neck. Painful, stiff, and cranky, like it’s got a personal grudge against relaxation. As it turns out, it’s teaching me the ultimate lesson: that pain isn’t the enemy, but a doorway to awakening. In this episode, I share how a brutal bout of food poisoning finally cracked me open to Divine relief flowing down my spine, relaxing what I...

What if the way to “win” at life isn’t self-help, productivity, or prizes, but making deep connections with other people? In this Gathering Room, I share how a reality TV show made me realize that the clock time of modern culture has replaced the communion time that once shaped human days. To hear how to escape the tyranny of the clock, build community amid chaos, and win by conn...

In this Gathering Room, I'm questioning the idea of accepted reality as I share stories of telepathy, near‑death experiences, animal visitations, and the ways that denial keeps our lives narrow. I talk about deciding to “live wide” by kicking down the walls of what our materialist culture tells us we should think, and opening ourselves up to magic, joy, and connection instead. If you'd...

In this episode of The Gathering Room, I share how a perfectly wonderful, creative day unexpectedly led to a moment of anxiety, and how that experience transformed my understanding of fear, struggle, and even death. We reframe the old familiar saying “waiting for the other shoe to drop” to acknowledge joy as our true, natural state. Join me for this conversation to explore how “d...

In this Gathering Room, I explore what it means to “let it be” when life feels unfinished, messy, or even painful. Through stories of near‑death experiences, spiritual teachers, personal loss, and wild synchronicities, I reflect on the idea that having experiences—good, bad, and everything in between—is the true meaning of life. I also lead you in a meditation and answer li...

What if you could turn even your most painful moments into a pathway to bliss? In this episode of The Gathering Room, I talk about the Hindu concept of satcitānanda—which means the joining of truth, consciousness, and bliss—and how we can drop into this state by letting go of resistance. I’ll share a "formula" for how to do this that I learned from the zen monk and mathematician...

Are you one of the millions of people who are struggling financially right now? In this episode of The Gathering Room, I talk about how to navigate times when money feels tight and the old ways of surviving just aren’t working anymore. I share how “dancing sideways”—following flutters of discomfort that nudge us toward something new—helped me create work I love, and h...

In this “Listen Again” episode of The Gathering Room, I'm talking about synchronicities—moments that hint that our universe is not random. Drawing on Dr. Lisa Miller’s research from The Awakened Brain, I share how being open to spiritual realities can improve health, boost resilience, and protect against anxiety and depression. To learn ways to keep your “spiritual do...

Been feeling lost lately? It’s not surprising. The world is shifting in ways we’ve never seen before, creating unprecedented changes in many of our lives. Moving through these unfamiliar landscapes can make us feel uncertain where to go—which is a lot like feeling lost. In this “Listen Again” episode of The Gathering Room, I’m talking about feeling lost during t...

In this extended episode of The Gathering Room, I talk about what it means to live through a time of social unraveling, and how we can still find our way, even without guarantees or clear paths ahead. I explore how to navigate systemic collapse through Wayfinding—regulating our nervous systems, resisting panic and polarization, grieving fully, creating beauty, and building circles of communi...

Where do you go when you don’t trust what’s around you? In this week’s Gathering Room, I talk about how to navigate our chaotic, rapidly changing world by turning inward to the body's wisdom. I’ll guide you through a Wayfinder visualization to help you feel held in safety, and show you how this state can become your most trusted navigation system. Join me for the full conve...

Have you ever felt an irresistible pull toward something new, even when it didn’t make any logical sense? In this “Listen Again” episode of The Gathering Room, I tell the story of my family’s recent bold leap—leaving behind a home we adored to start anew in upstate New York—led only by intuition and a string of joyful coincidences. This conversation is all about...