Stephen Porges and Karen Onderko: All Healing Begins with Safety
In every social interaction, we convey signals of trust and accessibility to those around us. In other words, whatever's happening within your nervous system is seen and felt by others. Dr. Stephen Porges's groundbreaking Polyvagal Theory has led to a revolution in mental health, showing us that when you bring conscious awareness to your own inner state, you can choose to self-regulate (and ultimately to co-regulate), stop the cycle of fight-flight-freeze, and become a source of empathic connection and mutual safety for yourself and the people in your life.
Join Tami Simon in conversation with Dr. Porges and Karen Onderko, coauthors of the new book Safe and Sound to learn about: the origins of Polyvagal Theory; the minimization of bodily feelings and emotions in mental health care; the evolutionary hierarchy of our brainstem's survival mechanisms; the concept of co-regulation; the neurobiology of trust; neuroception and the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP); why the intonation qualities of vocalization are more powerful than the words we say; the amazing vagus nerve; applying the SSP for trauma healing; self-compassion and honoring the body's wisdom; the transformative potential of a felt moment of safety; how to remain open and accessible without becoming overwhelmed by vulnerability; breathwork, qigong, and other neural exercises that facilitate the social engagement system; and more.
Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.
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1:01:43
Rha Goddess: True Ambition: Shine Bright. Stand Tall.
What comes up for you when someone calls you ambitious? Are you offended? Appreciative? A little of both? What about the word “sacrifice”? Whether it’s in your career or your personal life, where do you draw the line when it comes to deferring your own wants, needs, and desires in service of someone else’s agenda? In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with author and entrepreneurial soul coach Rha Goddess about her new book, Intentional Ambition, addressing these life-changing questions.
Tune in for an inspiring, provocative, and in many ways healing conversation that digs into: a more balanced definition of “success”; wounded ambition and the fear of taking risks; how our resistance to disappointment creates disappointment; the dilemma of “living on halftime”; restoration after a breakdown; distorted determination; sacrifice and suffering; reconnecting with our humanity and building a society where everyone thrives; the “belly full” personality type; the five ways ambition can be wounded—and the five healing “redemptions”; systemic roadblocks and overcoming that which thwarts us on our path; reclaiming—the first step in renegotiation; refusing to buy into the “scare of scarcity”; embracing the truth of our wholeness and worthiness; rewriting your inner narrative; and more.
Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.
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1:05:26
Megan Sherer: Being Single: An Intentional Experiment
Have you ever found yourself in an intimate relationship that seemed great at first but quickly devolved into something extremely dissatisfying? Maybe you ignored the red flags you saw on that first date or told yourself it’s still better than being alone. Why do we do this to ourselves? How can we break the pattern? In this episode of Insights at the Edge, join Tami Simon in conversation with coach and somatic therapist Megan Sherer, sharing empowering teachings and approaches contained in the new book Choose Your Self: How to Embrace Being Single, Heal Core Wounds, and Build a Life You Love.
Give a listen as Tami and Megan discuss: becoming one’s own closest friend; working with shame; overcoming our fear of loneliness; feeling your feelings (instead of intellectualizing); the inherent difficulty of the path of healing and growth; when self-love is really hard; emotional availability; separating your self-worth from your relationship status; trust in life; aligning your values and your choices; the difference between a body and a soul; creativity and purpose; somatic therapy, trauma work, and the human nervous system; the concept of “situationships”; grace in times of transition; establishing healthy boundaries; and more.
Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.
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58:59
Michael Neill: You Have Permission to Love Your Life
“I want to love my life, but I can’t until…” It’s a mantra recited by millions of us on a daily basis. But is it true? Are we doomed to struggle, stress, and continually defer our fulfillment? In this podcast, join Tami Simon in conversation with celebrated wisdom teacher and bestselling author Michael Neill to discover how we can stop impeding the flow of our inherent joy, creativity, and sense of stability—and start loving life, for real.
Tami and Michael discuss: the high-functioning depressive and the dysfunctional depressive; the nature of insecurity; why the mind is more a projector than a camera; when “the mirage is real”; questioning your thoughts vs. thinking about them; the art and practice of dropping thought; taking things seriously without the “heaviness”; the intelligent aliveness of the natural world; universal consciousness vs. personal awareness; shifting from suffering to safety; how to love uncertainty; choosing happiness over misery; being yourself; feelings, fears, and the path to a quieter mind; looking to see “the formless in the form”; and more.
Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.
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56:18
Richard Rohr: Gratuitous Goodness in an Age of Outrage
The prophets and mystics of the Judeo-Christian tradition each had their ways of bringing attention to the hypocrisies and injustices of their particular period in history. Here in the year 2025, as we navigate our own time of disruption and upheaval, how can we as individuals raise our voices and become the compassionate, conscious change agents our world so desperately needs? In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with Franciscan friar and ecumenical teacher Richard Rohr about his new book, The Tears of Things, and what we can learn from the “sacred revolutionaries” who came before us.
Tune in to explore: the prophet’s mission and “making good trouble”; self-critical thinking (and how it’s unknown to most major institutions); sacred criticism and the revelation of the shadow; the paradigm of order, disorder, and reorder; outrage, cosmic sadness, and unlimited praise; using anger to cover up sadness; grief work and “getting to the hallelujah”; discovering the foundation of hope; contemplative thinking; conversion and transformation; opening to grace; letting go of control; why “what we don’t want to see is the problem”; waking up from our collective illusion (especially around power and control); living in a deceit-allowing culture; the word “evil”; an ever-present sense of goodness in the world; holding the tension of opposing truths; gratuitous goodness; realizing a joy that cannot be taken from you; the prophet Jeremiah and the Book of Lamentations; why the opposite of faith is not doubt but certainty; acting from the highest levels of motivation; and more.
Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.
Tami Simon, Founder and Publisher of Sounds True interviews spiritual teachers, visionary writers, and living luminaries about their newest work and current challenges—the growing edge of their inner inquiry and outer contribution to the world.
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