Sounds True: Insights at the Edge

What if what ails us isn't a problem to be solved, but a dimension we've forgotten? Tami Simon speaks with Thomas Moore—bestselling author of Care of the Soul and, at 85, still writing—about his new book, The Cure at Walden Pond. Moore makes the case that Thoreau was never really a naturalist, and that what he found at Walden is the cure our culture is starving for.

This conversation offers genuine transmission, not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together, and it originally aired on S...

Pānquetzani's ancestors survived colonization. Her response is to make her life an altar to them—slowing down, dancing, feeling pleasure, doing the healing they never got the chance to do. The traditional healer tells Tami what it means to raise children with a freedom her grandparents didn't have, and how a fifteen-year-old's metalwork revealed a family legacy nobody had mentioned.

Listen to the full episode, Pānquetzani: "Tune in to the Womb: Thriving Postpartum": https://bit.ly/panquetzani

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At 36, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche walked out of his monastery in the middle of the night with a few thousand rupees and no plan. Weeks later, he was dying of food poisoning on a street in India—and chose not to call for help. In this encore episode, Tami Simon speaks with the beloved Tibetan Buddhist teacher about what he found on the other side of that night.

Rinpoche is now partnering with Sounds True on a brand-new course, Wild World, Steady Mind: 21 Days to Embrace Modern Reality with Clarity and Calm, filmed on location at his monastery in...

What if you're only half human? In this Point of Insight, Tami Simon traces a thread from decades of her own practice and the discovery of the central channel to a startling moment mid-interview with Lee Harris—when she suddenly felt wings. A reflection on angelic support, the mystery each of us carries, and what it takes to finally fall back and trust.

Find the original Insights at the Edge episodes here:

Lee Harris, “Be a Future Human and Find the New”: https://bit.ly/harris-lee

Richard Freeman, “Living Yoga”: https://bi...

Heart attacks spike 20% on Monday mornings. That might just be a business problem, according to Raj Sisodia. Tami Simon speaks with the conscious capitalism pioneer and author of Healing Leaders about why a leader's unhealed trauma becomes everyone's burden, what it takes to run a company on love instead of fear, and why doing your own inner work isn't self-indulgence—it's a sacred obligation.

Raj Sisodia is guest faculty for Sounds True's Inner MBA®, a six-month immersion program created in collaboration with the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. Learn more at innermba.soundstrue.com. →

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Most of us hear placebo and assume we're being fooled. Tami thought so too. Then Shamini Jain — clinical psychologist, biofield scientist, and author of Healing Ourselves — told her the placebo effect is actually our own healing response at work. You don't have to be tricked to get better.

Mallory and Chris have spent the past year and a half working on a podcast about energy healing and Sounds True is offering—right now—an immersion course on energy healing featuring Shamini Jain as well as Robert Peng and Laurie Nealon…so, now felt like the perfect time to bring t...

We usually frame it as risk versus safety. Rob Bell doesn't buy it—in his experience, it's risk both ways. Tami Simon speaks with the New York Times bestselling author, artist, and former pastor about leaving a role that stayed lodged between his ears, the years he spent hiding behind a microphone, and what it costs to keep saying no to the thing pulling at you.

This conversation offers genuine transmission, not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together, and originally aired on Sounds True On...

James Hollis was in the hospital, unsure whether he'd live, and what he felt wasn't despair — it was curiosity. In this episode the Jungian analyst flips the format on us and asks Tami Simon his own question instead: why am I here? His answer takes in Heidegger, the abyss, spinal surgery, and the strange freedom on the far side of certainty about death.

Full episode at “Find What You Love and Let It Kill You.” Listen here: https://bit.ly/james-hollis

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A client arrived with a brain tumor and thirty days to live. Fifteen years later, she's still here. Tami Simon speaks with intuitive energy healer, medium, and educator Laurie Nealon about what actually happens in the room during a healing—the presences she perceives, the blocks she clears, and the "spiritual support group" she says is working alongside every one of us.

This conversation offers genuine transmission, not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together, and originally aired on Sounds True One. Get a FREE mo...

Reverend angel Kyodo williams says that if you go all the way into your suffering, right to the center of it, that's where you'll find your joy. Tami's response: really? What follows is a case for radical dharma, and for why the pain we package away and shelve is the exact thing standing between us and a joy that's already available.

Full episode: Reverend angel Kyodo williams: Warrior Spirit. Listen here: https://bit.ly/kyodo-williams

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How badly do you want to be free? Tami Simon speaks with Reverend Dr. Michelle Wadleigh, minister, retreat facilitator, and author of Dance Like Nobody's Watching, about the uncomfortable precondition for forgiveness: wanting freedom more than you want to be right. A conversation on shadow work, the courage to take up space, and the bold affirmation at the heart of her new book: I demand to be me without excuses.

This conversation offers genuine transmission, not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together, and originally...

In the first episode of The Point of Insight, a new monthly reflection from Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon shares the transmission she received while preparing to interview ethnobotanist Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass. Tami explores reciprocity, what it means to truly receive the natural world's generosity, and the deep, natural desire to give back in return.

Find the original Insights at the Edge episode, "Robin Wall Kimmerer: What Does the Earth Ask of You Today?" and listen here: https://bit.ly/robin-wall-kimmerer

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A century ago, a Jesuit priest predicted that humanity would evolve into something he called the "ultra-human." Tami Simon speaks with religious studies scholar D.W. Pasulka—author of The Others: UFOs, AI, and the Secret Forces Guiding Human Destiny—about why that prediction looks eerily prescient today, the startling pattern match between angel encounters and UFO reports, and what it means to relate to AI as a tool, not a companion.

This conversation offers genuine transmission, not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together, and...

What is the "energy" in energy healing? Healers channel it. Patients reach for it. Ancient healing traditions built entire systems around it, and modern researchers are working to study it. But what is energy—biologically, physically, measurably…but also spiritually, and how does it move through the body to influence health and healing?

In this special feed takeover, we’re bringing you the season finale of Phenomena: The Science and Stories of Energy Healing, in which host Ivy Ross brings together three renowned scientists whose visions, taken together, begin to answer that question:

Osho Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, Zen priest and author of Opening to Darkness, shares the night she nearly died from anaphylactic shock, and survived not by fighting for the light, but by staying with the dark itself. A powerful reframe on fear, surrender, and what it really means to accept the absence of light.

This clip is taken from the full Insights at the Edge conversation with Zenju Earthlyn Manuel: “Open to Darkness.” Listen here: https://bit.ly/earthlyn-manuel

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Few teachers have shaped modern spirituality like Michael A. Singer, author of the beloved classic The Untethered Soul. In this rare, intimate conversation, Tami Simon sits down with Michael to explore his newest book, Wisdom Untethered: The Time for Questions, and the teaching he says explains it all: "It's the pain that ends all pain." A must-listen conversation with a true elder of the field.

This conversation offers genuine transmission, not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together, and originally aired on Sounds True One...

You know that the object of your addiction is bad for you, but how do you stop? According to Dr. Connie Zweig, retired Jungian therapist and author of Romancing the Shadow, you do just that—you romance your shadow, which is a method for turning compulsive behavior into self-knowledge. So this week’s question from Tami is what does that actually look like? From the full episode: "Meeting One of the World's Leading Experts on the Shadow." Listen here: https://bit.ly/connie-zweig

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In this special episode, Tami Simon shares an excerpt from medical intuitive and New York Times bestselling author Caroline Myss's opening presentation for Spiritual Home Base, the new online community where Caroline serves as spiritual director. Caroline explores why fear feels so pervasive right now, how our understanding of God and personal power is shifting, and closes with a live Q&A on grief, faith, and staying spiritually grounded amid rapid change.

Learn more and join at myss.com/spiritual-homebase.

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Ever feel like you're built for the wild, but terrified the moment you actually step into it? Filmmaker and My Octopus Teacher naturalist Craig Foster joins Tami Simon to unpack that strange paradox: why our bodies crave wildness even as we recoil from it. His answer might be the gentlest permission slip you'll get to start reconnecting with your own wild side, one backyard animal at a time.

Taken from the full Insights at the Edge conversation with "Craig Foster: Belonging to the Wild." Listen here: https://bit.ly/craig-foster

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What does it take to keep hoping when hope keeps breaking your heart? Tami Simon speaks with Marisa Renée Lee, New York Times bestselling author of Grief Is Love and Waiting for Dawn: Living with Uncertainty, about what she calls a "ruthless, stubborn commitment to hope": the conviction that something better is coming, and the willingness to do whatever is necessary to make it so, even in the darkest seasons.

This conversation offers genuine transmission, not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together, and o...

We've all been there, wide awake at three in the morning, brain running the instant we wake up and no chance of getting back to sleep. This week we hear from Martha Beck and her answer when Tami asks the question: "What Do I Do At Three In the Morning?" Martha shares her expertise on anxiety, calming our nervous systems, and why beds are just the best.

Excerpted from Insights at the Edge, "Martha Beck, PhD: Beyond Anxiety." Listen here: https://bit.ly/martha-beck

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What if the God you've been taught to believe in is the very thing that’s keeping you from finding God? Tami Simon speaks with Sister Ilia Delio—Franciscan theologian, scientist, and author of The Not Yet God—about the evolutionary vision of Teilhard de Chardin, why monotheism is giving way to a new religious consciousness, and how AI, far from threatening our humanity, might be the unexpected catalyst for a God revolution.

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together...

In this clip from Insights at the Edge, Tami asks Rainn Wilson, Emmy-nominated actor, author of Soul Boom, and devoted Bahá'í, why he never became an atheist. His answer moves from humor to philosophy to genuine vulnerability, landing on an idea that surprised even him: that "the Great Mystery" might be enough. A rare, honest conversation about faith from someone who had every reason to stay quiet about it.

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What does it mean to keep your heart open when the world feels most dangerous? Tami Simon speaks with beloved meditation teacher Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance and Trusting the Gold, about her new inner workbook The Courageous Heart: Choosing to Love in Perilous Times. Tami and Tara discuss how to stay engaged without being overwhelmed, why grief is often the doorway to love, and what it takes to widen the circles of belonging in perilous times.

This conversation offers genuine transmission, not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the...

In this clip from Insights at the Edge, Tami asks Thích Nhất Hạnh—revered Zen master, founder of Plum Village, and father of modern mindfulness—what lies beneath all of the world's suffering. His answer is both radical and surprisingly intimate: the root of social change is inner awakening, and it begins with you, right now. Recorded more than two decades ago; somehow more urgent today.

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How do you hold true to your convictions to be good in a world that’s on fire? Tami Simon speaks with Buddhist meditation teacher and author Lodro Rinzler about his new book, You Are Good. You Are Enough, exploring the practice of basic goodness: how to free ourselves from the trap of doubt, extend that recognition to others, and find wholeness even inside a fractured society.

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One...

What happens when a man runs out of purpose—and doesn't collapse? Tami Simon speaks with wisdom teacher and bestselling author David Deida about his new book, The Man of Zero: A Guide to Primal Power, Boundless Sex, and the Freedom Beyond Ambition—exploring the phase beyond drive, ambition, and meaning-making, and what becomes possible when a man learns to live from the depths of pure presence.

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One.<...

What if the greatest preparation for the changes ahead isn't physical, but spiritual? Tami Simon speaks with Jasper Young Bear, wisdom keeper and member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, about the Indigenous prophecies pointing to this moment in time, the sacred knowledge held within oral traditions, and how returning to the Creator—and to each other—is the only path through.

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One.

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What if the most transformative practice available to us requires nothing but complete darkness? Tami Simon speaks with interdisciplinary scholar and Tibetan Buddhist practitioner Andrew Holecek—author of Total Eclipse of the Mind—about the ancient practice of dark retreat: what happens to the mind when all light is removed, why it's been called "meditation times a thousand," and how to bring its power into everyday life.

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One.<...

What does a lasting spiritual partnership actually look like—behind closed doors? Tami Simon speaks with nico and devon hase—married Buddhist teachers and co-authors of the new Sounds True book This Messy, Gorgeous Love: A Buddhist Guide to Lasting Partnership—about why real intimacy requires the willingness to be a little volcanic, a lot forgiving, and always, beautifully finding your balance rather than holding it.

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One.

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What happens when a cancer research institution invites energy healers into the laboratory? In this special feed takeover, Insights at the Edge presents the debut episode of Phenomena: The Science and Stories of Energy Healing—a new six-part Sounds True podcast hosted by Ivy Ross. In this episode, you’ll learn about astonishing research from MD Anderson Cancer Center and the story of one patient whose surgeon saw something they had never seen before. More info at phenomenahealing.com. 

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After decades of therapy, retreats, and every healing modality available, Geneen Roth discovered that her fraught relationship with her 97-year-old mother wasn't actually about her mother. Tami Simon speaks with the bestselling author of Women, Food, and God about her new book Love Finally—and the six-step process that transformed her most painful wound into her most unexpected liberation.

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One.

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Your body has been sending the signals. You've just been too busy to listen. Tami Simon speaks with Zabie Yamasaki—founder of Transcending Trauma through Yoga and author of Protect Your Energy—about nervous system regulation, somatic boundaries, and why the most powerful act of resistance in troubled times isn't pushing harder. It's learning, finally, how to rest.

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One.

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What if the answer to every question life throws at you comes down to a single practice? Tami Simon speaks with Michael Singer—beloved author of The Untethered Soul—alongside Tony and Sage Robbins to celebrate the release of Wisdom Untethered: The Time for Questions. Together they explore letting go, the nature of intuition, the highest form of prayer, and how to honor the irreplaceable miracle of this moment.

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds...

What if flourishing isn't something you have to achieve, but something you were born to do? Tami Simon speaks with neuroscientist Richard Davidson and contemplative scientist Cortland Dahl, authors of Born to Flourish: How New Science and Ancient Wisdom Reveal a Simple Path to Thriving, about four trainable skills—awareness, connection, insight, and purpose—that can transform your wellbeing in as little as five minutes a day.

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One.

What if the pain you've carried your whole life didn't begin with you? Tami Simon speaks with Richard Schwartz—founder of Internal Family Systems—and psychotherapist and IFS lead trainer Tamala Floyd, author of Listening: When Parts Speak, about the intersection of IFS and ancestral wisdom, and how healing legacy burdens can liberate not only ourselves, but the generations that come after us.

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One.

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What does it mean to be fully here and fully surrendered at the same time? Tami Simon speaks with Banafsheh Sayyad—master Iranian sacred dancer, choreographer, transformational teacher, and founder of Dance of Oneness—about whirling as a spiritual practice, the marriage of discipline and surrender, embodied healing through movement, and how presence itself can become a form of devotion and resistance.

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One.

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Are the patterns you formed surviving a chaotic childhood still running your life today? Tami Simon speaks with Dr. Tian Dayton—trauma expert, psychodramatist, and author of Growing Up with Addiction—about how addiction doesn't just happen to one person, it happens to the whole family, and why healing the wounds it leaves behind requires more than insight. It requires discipline.

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One.

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The world is accelerating faster than the human mind was built to handle. So what do we do with that? Tami Simon speaks with Peter Russell—physicist, consciousness pioneer, and author of How to Meditate Without Even Trying, featuring a foreword by Eckhart Tolle. Together, they discuss navigating exponential change, the stresses of an AI-driven world, the possibility of our species' extinction, and why effortless stillness may be the most essential skill of our time.

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spir...

What happens to your creativity when your attention is fractured—and what becomes possible when you reclaim it? Tami Simon speaks with writer, artist, and movement practitioner Cody Cook-Parrott about their new Sounds True book, The Practice of Attention: Cultivating Presence in a Distracted World—exploring social media addiction, the art of the attention audit, soft structures for creative practice, and why attention itself is a form of prayer.

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds...