New Dimensions

Nelson-Isaacs shares the good news that the cosmos is responsive and synchronicity occurs to help us come into our wholeness. Here we explore some of the filters that hold us back from being our whole, vibrant, creative selves and some tools to help us achieve it. Sky Nelson-Isaacs is a physicist, musician, teacher, parent, and activist. He has many years of experience as a physics and math instructor and has also worked in the software industry. His current work involves research in the field of quantum foundations and he has published a growing body of peer-reviewed work developing the foundation of a theory of synchronicity. He has also earned recognition as a singer, songwriter, and performer. His books include Living in Flow: The Science of Synchronicity and How Your Choices Shape Your World (North Atlantic Books 2019) and Leap To Wholeness: How The World is Programmed to Help Us Grow, Heal, and Adapt (North Atlantic Books 2021) Interview Date: 3/19/2021   Tags: MP3, Sky Nelson-Isaacs, Big

This is an edited talk that Justine Willis Toms gave in the summer of 2014. She includes the four keys to thriving in chaotic times and compares this time to that of a caterpillar inside the cocoon where it liquefies and the imaginal cells begin to coalesce, soon to emerge as a butterfly. She suggests that we are the imaginal cells of the changing of an age. Since 1973, Justine Willis Toms has been exploring personal, social and spiritual transformation through her work as an electronic journalist, editor and writer. She is co-founder, executive director and host of New Dimensions Radio. She is a founding convener of The Millionth Circle Initiative and has been actively involved in circle work since 1980. She serves on the board of World Prayers as well as Women’s Perspective. In June 2004, she was one of 30 people in the world invited to participate in The Synthesis Dialogues with his holiness the Dalai Lama. She was inducted into the Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2011. She is the author of: True Work: Doing

Here we explore the complex emotion of awe which frequently involves a sense of surprise, unexpectedness, or mystery. Wonder and awe have many benefits and here you’ll find many ways to invite more of these most positive emotions into your life. Klein shares many inspiring examples of how we can tap into the power and benefits of awe. Allen Klein is the former Director of Life and Death Transitions in San Francisco. He's a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor. He is the author of many books including The Healing Power of Humor (Tarcher/Putnam 1989), The Courage to Laugh, Change Your Life: A Little Book of Big Ideas (Tarcher 1998), Learning to Laugh When You Feel Like Crying: Embracing Life After Loss (Goodman Beck Publishing 2011), Embracing Life After Loss: A Gentle Guide for Growing through Grief (Mango 2019) and The Awe Factor: How a Little Bit of Wonder Can Make a Big Difference in Your Life (Mango Publishing Group 2020 or Conari Press 2020)Inter

Here we explore an alternative to looking at our bodies through the lens of the brutal forces of cultural bias that highlight the personal shaming that tears down the expression of our intelligence, power, and beauty. Bedrick gives many enlightened examples of women he’s worked with. He takes us into the deeper mysteries of the deeper hungers we are going for. David Bedrick JD, DIPL PW is an attorney, educator, and process worker. He founded the Santa Fe Institute for Shame-Based Studies where he teaches and works with individuals from around the world. He is the author of Talking Back to Dr. Phil: Alternatives to Mainstream Psychology (Belly Song Press 2013), Revisioning Activism: Bringing Depth, Dialogue, and Diversity to Individual and Social Change (Belly Song Press 2017) i You Can’t Judge a Body By Its Cover: 17 Women’s Stories of Hunger, Body Shame, and Redemption (Belly Song Press 2020)Interview Date: 2/23/2021   Tags: MP3, David Bedrick, body image, shame, dieting, weight loss, hun

Here we explore the Native American influence on the founding of the United States and how putting our country back together in full integrity requires us to remember and respect the living roots of our nation. Parry states that the ultimate reason he is interested in politics is so that we can get to more kindness, compassion, and respect for Mother Earth. Glenn Aparicio Parry, Ph.D. is an educator, international speaker, entrepreneur, and visionary whose life-long passion is to re-form thinking and education into a coherent, cohesive whole. He's the founder and past president of the SEED Institute, and is currently the president of the think tank The Circle for Original Thinking. Parry organized and participated in the groundbreaking Language of Spirit Conferences from 1999 - 2011 that brought together Indigenous Native Elders and Western scientists in dialogue. This series of conferences was moderated by Leroy Little Bear. Parry is an avid outdoorsman and makes his home in the foothills of the Sandia Mount

At a very young age, Gendler became enamored with elements of creativity such as words, colors and beauty. After years of writing, painting and teaching, she has come to know herself as an “Anthropologist of the Imagination.” She offers insight into qualities that make us human, such as joy, beauty, curiosity, and courtesy. She suggests some ways to spark our creativity.  J. Ruth Gendler is an artist and a writer, and has been a teacher of writing and art for more than twenty years. She leads workshops in writing and creativity throughout the United States, and has been an artist in residence with California Poets in the Schools and Young Audiences of the Bay Area. She has worked with elementary, middle school and high school students teaching through California Poets in the Schools, and writes about the transformative power of art. In October 2007 the Lineage Dance Company presented a theater piece based on her book The Book of Qualities (Harper Perennial 1988), now in its 52nd printing. Her books also

Every person has their own timing when it comes to grieving. Claire Willis suggests that grief is a sign of deep love rather than a problem to be solved. She recommends that we allow ourselves to remain in the great brokenness of loss with our eyes and hearts open—thus grief is an invitation to grow and eventually can lead to finding meaning in the experience of loss. Claire B. Willis is a clinical social worker who works in the field of oncology and bereavement. She is a cofounder of the Boston nonprofit Facing Cancer Together and regularly leads bereavement, end of life, support, and therapeutic writing groups. As a lay Buddhist chaplain, she focuses on contemplative practices for end-of-life care. She maintains a private practice in Brookline, Massachusetts. She is coauthor with Marnie Crawford Samuelson of Opening to Grief: Finding Your Way from Loss to Peace (Dharma Spring 2020) Interview Date: 1/21/2021   Tags: Claire B. Willis, grief, mourning, bereavement, depression, disenfranchised so

Plotkin encourages us to seek out a soul encounter in order to find our ecological niche and our place in the larger world. He encourages us to do the necessary work to become true “adults,” which has nothing to do with our chronological age. We must do this work in order to give our gifts back to the web of life and become embedded in life-enhancing activities.  Bill Plotkin, Ph.D, has been a psychotherapist, research psychologist, rock musician, river runner, professor of psychology, and mountain-bike racer. As a research psychologist, he studied dreams and nonordinary states of consciousness achieved through meditation, biofeedback, and hypnosis.Currently an ecotherapist, depth psychologist, and wilderness guide, he leads a variety of experiential, nature-based individuation programs. He is the author of Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche (New World Library 2003, Nature and the Human Soul: Creating Wholeness and Community in a Fragmented World (New World Library 2008) and The

Cognitive decline is rampant in today’s world. It’s a toxic jungle regarding pollutants in the air, water, and foods we eat, as well as the negative media we take in. Here our guest touches on how to protect ourselves and our brains as we navigate the neuro-toxic forces that are currently pitched against everyone on the planet. Brant Cortright, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and Professor of Psychology at California Institute of Integral Studies. His consulting practice specializes in brain health and neuroscience-informed depth therapy. He is the author of: Psychotherapy and Spirit: Theory and Practice in Transpersonal Psychotherapy (Suny Series, Philosophy of Psychology) (State University of New York Press 1997), Integral Psychology: Yoga, Growth, and Opening the Heart (Suny Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology) (State University of New York Press 2007), The Neurogenesis Diet & Lifestyle: Upgrade Your Brain, Upgrade Your Life (Psyche Media 2015), Holistic Healing for Anxiety, Depression,

The “laziness lie” ignores the many barriers we must deal with in meeting our goals. Being lazy can be a self-protection. Lacking motivation is rational if you haven’t been convinced that there’s any value in it. They say, “I might disagree with somebody else's priorities but if they don't care about doing something that doesn't matter to them, that's pretty rational.” Devon Price, Ph.D. is a social psychologist, writer, activist, and professor at Loyola University of Chicago’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Their work has appeared in numerous publications such as the Journal of Experimental Psychology, Slate, and has been featured on the front page of Medium numerous times. Devon Price is the author of: Laziness Does Not Exist (Atria Books 2020)Interview Date: 1/7/2021     Tags: Devon Price, Ph.D., laziness, unhoused, homeless, welfare, government assistance, Thor, the Avengers, procrastinate, cyber loaf, workaholic, activism fatigue, grief, grieving, mourning, curios

Prayer is our most universal and yet individual way of communicating with the divine, of connecting with the infinite dimensions of our being. Here we explore some of the many ways we pray. Celeste Yacoboni is an ordained Minister of Walking Prayer, ordained by the Center for Sacred Studies in Sonora, California. Her work focuses on guiding and supporting people through transitions by creating a space of awareness, presence and inspiration which integrates body, mind, spirit and emotions. She leads “How Do You Pray?” workshops in which people share and experience different ways of prayer and connecting to Source. She lives in New Mexico and is the editor of How Do You Pray? Inspiring Responses from Religious Leaders, Spiritual Guides, Healers, Activists & Other Lovers of Humanity (Monkfish Publishing 2014)Interview Date: 8/27 /2014     Tags: MP3, Celeste Yacoboni, Ho’oponopono, prayer, praying, pray, Matthew Fox, Ph.D., Michael Gelb, Ph.D., Michael Meade, ancestors, God, Robin Lim

Play is deeply embedded in our natures. It contributes to optimism and hope for the future. It enables us with the ability to persevere. Brown concludes, “Play is a fundamental survival drive of humanity without which long term survival of our species may be at stake.” He describes research showing that most sociopaths suffer from play deprivation in their childhood. Stuart Brown. M.D. is a pioneer researcher on the effects of play. He’s the founder of the National Institute for Play in Carmel, California. In 1987, he was the producer of the classic documentary film The Hero's Journey, the Life and Work of Joseph Campbell and executive producer and originator of the three part PBS series, The Promise of Play. He is the author of: Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul (co-author Christopher Vaughan) (Avery 2010) Interview Date: 2/3/2014    Tags: Stuart Brown, M.D., play, Charles Whitman, rigidity in thinking, compulsiveness, depression,

Robin shares how industrial agriculture has distanced us from the hands that grow and process our food. She explores why eating from your bioregion is good for you, good for your community, and good for the planet. As we commit, in some small way, to eating within a radius of where we live, we help turn the tide toward sustainable living and reconnect to community. Vicki Robin has been a pioneer at the forefront of the sustainable living movement. She has helped launch many sustainability initiatives including: The New Road Map Foundation, The Simplicity Forum, The Turning Tide Coalition, Sustainable Seattle, The Center for a New American Dream, Transition Whidbey, and more. In the 1990’s she served on the President’s Council on Sustainable Development’s Task Force on Population and Consumption. Her books include Your Money or Your Life (Co-Author Joe Dominguez) (Penguin Books 2008, revised) and Blessing the Hands That Feed Us: What Eating Closer to Home Can Teach Us About Food (Viking 2014)Interview Dat

In this time of constant distractions and disappointment we become exhausted and heartsick as our good work is ignored. Wheatley speaks with fierce honesty as she gives us the map of where we are. She also gives us tools that enliven and reinvigorate us in our work and relationships. Margaret Wheatley is an internationally acclaimed writer, speaker, and teacher. She is co-founder and President Emerita of The Berkana Institute, a charitable foundation that works with people around the world who strengthen their communities using the wisdom and wealth already present in their people, traditions, and environment. Her books include Leadership and the New Science (Berrett-Kohler 1998), Perseverance (Berrett-Kohler 2010), Turning To One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope in the Future (Berrett-Kohler 2009), So Far from Home: Lost and Found In Our Brave New World (Barrett-Kohler 2012) and Who Do We Choose To Be: Facing Reality, Claiming Leadership, Restoring Sanity (Berrett-Kohler 2017)Inte

Whether you are a Christian, a Jew, belong to any other denomination, or have no religious affiliation, you may be surprised to know that the Bible represents generations who have resisted tyranny in impossible circumstances when the future looked bleak. She also highlights the many women in the Bible who were first to resist the tyranny of unjust rulers. Jennifer Butler is an ordained Presbyterian minister with her Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. She is the founding Executive Director of Faith in Public Life and former chair of the White House Council of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Butler is a staunch advocate for women’s rights and human rights and is passionate about the need to counter religious extremism. She served in the Peace Corps from 1989 to 1991 in a Mayan village in Belize, Central America, where she discovered she had a talent as a community organizer. She is the author of Who Stole My Bible: Reclaiming Scripture as a Handbook for Resisting Tyranny (

How can fundraising be fun? Wiersma’s enthusiasm for gathering together while contributing to the larger community is infectious. She’s a mighty force for positive good. Tune in and discover how to come up with ideas and creative ways to raise money so that you too can be a catalyst for good and be energized to create awe-inspiring events in your community. Betsy is a consummate organizer and has been at it since she was a teenager. Missing the camaraderie of her biological sisters when she moved from the Midwest to Colorado she gathered a “chosen” sisterhood of friends who’s motto is to “Do good and have fun.” In 2005 she, with her friends, began the CampExperience <tm>  Network which is a three day retreat for women consisting of brief presentations by some awesome and accomplished women, delightful activities, and raising money for charities in unique and entertaining ways. Wiersma was honored as one of the top 25 women in Colorado by the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and is recipient of the Franc

Meade, once more, shares with us a cornucopia of myths, including Jason and the Argonauts, as we explore this dangerous and narrow passage we are entering in our collective history. He points out that, even with opposing viewpoints, we are all traveling together in one ship and that mythic imagination will carry us successfully forward during these threshold times. Meade describes the landscape leading up to the Presidential election of 2020, “We are worn down, worn out. Burned out and exhausted—COVID crisis, political crisis, climate crisis… economic crisis, and equal opportunity and justice for all. We are divided and socially distanced We have to look for underlying unities and that requires, more than anything, imagination -- the kind of imagination that suggests that we are all connected somehow -- All connected to the soul of the world. And where [we are] secretly connected to the deep self.”  Michael Meade is a renowned storyteller, author, scholar of mythology, and student of ritual in traditiona

Sim Van der Ryn has been leading the way for a more regenerative, resilient, and sustainable future as a pioneer of the green building movement. This movement emphasizes the value to our health and well-being of a direct connection to nature. Designing in collaboration with nature is a major tool toward creating a vital new architecture for an empathic world. Van der Ryn has been a leading proponent of the green building movement (even before it was known as that), and for more than a half a century has been leading the way to a more regenerative, resilient, and sustainable future. His books include The Integral Urban House: Self-Reliant Living in the City (Random House 1982) and Design for an Empathic World: Reconnecting to People, Nature, and Self (Island Press 2013)Interview Date: 1/22/2014   Tags: Sim Van der Ryn, nature deficit disorder, regenerative architecture, Christos’ fence, People’s Park, Occupy movement, resilience, green building, closed environments, toxic environments, watercolo

Hassouri goes through the reactions of shock, resistance, grief, acceptance, and finally pride when her 13-year old child tells her that she is transgender. What would happen if society weren't so strict with gender roles and thought more in terms of a gender spectrum? What would we look like as a society if we didn't assign binary roles to the different genders? Paria Hassouri, M.D. is a pediatrician, mother of three, and a transgender rights advocate. She’s a proud Iranian-American and has written articles that have appeared in multiple media outlets including the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and the Huffington Post. is She is the author of a memoir: Found in Transition: A Mother’s Evolution During Her Child’s Gender Change (New World Library 2020) Interview Date: 10/26/2020  Tags: Paria Hassouri, transgender, trans, bisexual, gay, LGBTQIA, gender spectrum, autism spectrum, binary world, cisgender, Social Change/Politics, Parenting, Relationship/Partnership/Sexuality

This program explores a pervasive ailment of our age which is Nature Deficit Disorder. “The more high-tech our lives become, the more nature we need.” Louv also adds, “Conservation is no longer enough. For everything we receive from nature, we need to give back, we need to nurture nature, as much as it nurtures us.” Richard Louv’s writings and books have helped launch an international movement to connect children, families, and communities to nature. He is cofounder and chair emeritus of the nonprofit Children & Nature Network. In 2008 he was awarded the Audubon Medal which he shares with such notables as Rachel Carson, E.O. Wilson, and Sir David Attenborough. Richard Louv is the author of many books including:Last Child in the Woods (Algonquin Books 2008), The Nature Principle: Reconnecting with Life in a Virtual Age (Algonquin Books 2012) and Our Wild Calling: How Connecting with Animals Can Transform Our Lives—and Save Theirs (Algonquin Books 2019) Interview Date: 10/8/2020