When we think of reconnecting to ourselves and to our society, the answers may lie in the simplest of things. To that end, we met with food revolutionary and founder of Chez Panisse - Alice Waters, to return to our roots. At the start of her journey, Waters embarked on an improbable quest to reconnect us to ourselves through delicious food and the organic and regenerative husbandry of the earth. Moving from her kitchen table, to the restaurant, to prison gardens, to gardens for the homeless and on to a national network of Edible Schoolyards, Waters found nourishment for our bodies, our spirit, our society and our planet. Listen in to hear how “we are what we eat” might make us the best we can be. Join us.

We met with social psychologist and business school professor Brian Lowery to explore the foundations of the self - nothing short of what makes us who we are.  Lowery argues that our social communities construct us, but that there isn’t a single “genuine self.”  Rather, we are the composite of all the masks we wear.  This paradox reveals a deep tension between the structure we seek because we like to think the world is stable and coherent, and the complete freedom of becoming our more expansive selves through broader relationships.  Lowery challenges Maslow to say that meaning is a fundamental human need as critical as basic safety.  We want to be seen, and we want to have what is reflected back by others match how we see ourselves.  When we talk about the self, are we talking about the physical self of cells, hormones and DNA, or are we actually talking about the meaning attached to those things?  If the latter, those exist in our social relationships.  Prepare to question your assumptions.  Join us.

We met with Rick Hanson, best-selling author, Senior Fellow of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center and founder of the Global Compassion Coalition, to review what neuroscience tells us about how to rewire our mental circuitry for greater physical and emotional wellbeing in the face of the inevitable negative in our lives. Hanson’s latest book, Making Great Relationships, is the launch point for our discussion, but we meander from the microscopic within to the infinite of the Big Bang Universe in our explorations of human potential. How and what is within range as we start on this journey? Is unconditional lovingness a reasonable destination? Can our brains open our hearts? How do we skillfully counteract our negative bias? How do we stop seeking approval? Can we be loyal to ourselves? How do we repair our relationships? Where does aggression fit into this picture? How does imagination shape reality? How do we contend with impermanence? Can we create a world where millions of people and organizations experience community with each other, work for the common good, and drive systemic change? Hanson is certain to “make his team proud” with the legacy of love that he has helped to build. The energy of our conversation is intimate and magnetic. Spare an hour to be struck by the human potential of all that is within reach, wherever we happen to be standing. Join us.

We met with one of the premier thinkers and teachers of our time, Jack Kornfield, to discuss how we can reclaim our humanity in isolated times, and find an inner state of well-being in the face of our greatest hardships. His sage perspectives on difficult questions were immediately centering and comforting. We touched on advice for living - cultivating compassion, awe and wonder; distinguishing empathy from compassion; navigating compassion fatigue; and finding it even for those we might not like. We explored how building our ability to be deeply aware of our present moment expands our capacity and health. Managing our emotions and keeping our cool is a skill that has helped even the most type-A’s among us be more effective. We discussed how to respond when we witness injustice without contributing to the atmosphere that created the injustice in the first place. We covered what it means that “pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional,” and so much more. Each and every turn in the conversation revealed a new nugget of wisdom for living fully, happily and peacefully. It was an hour beautifully shared. Join us.

We met with Dr. Louann Brizendine to dive into the under-appreciated “forces within” that drive our behavior, our relationships, and so much of our lives. The founder of the Women’s Mood and Hormone Clinic at UCSF, Brizendine wrote several definitive books on the subject, including The Female Brain, The Male Brain, and The Upgrade - How the Female Brain Gets Stronger and Better in Midlife and Beyond, where she reframes the post-menopausal experience as an opportunity to reclaim one’s authentic self. Nobel Prize winner Issac Bashevis Singer summarized the paradox we all experience best when asked if he believed in free will by responding, “I have no choice.” To what degree are we driven by our hormones? How much do they define our sexuality and our gender? What role does sleep, exercise, nutrition and even pollution play? How do we reclaim the driver’s seat while at the same time accepting ourselves and the infinite diversity of those around us? Join us as we uncover real subterranean forces actively at work to varying degrees in all of us.