Voices of Esalen

• Courage to Connect: Shame-Blocking and Flirtation Skills with Dr. Jacob Towery

  In this lively episode, psychiatrist Dr. Jacob Towery invites us into the heart of his upcoming Esalen workshop on overcoming shyness, releasing shame, and embracing authentic connection. A Stanford-trained psychiatrist, Dr. Towery works with adolescents and adults in private practice. His approach blends evidence-based therapy with playfulness, skillful vulnerability, and social courage. Here, he guides live shame-blocking and flirtation exercises with two brave Esalen staff members, Liz Lea and Wuya Xu. What unfolds is a real-time demonstration of how presence, lightheartedness, and risk-taking can unlock more joy in our interactions. Whether you’re looking to meet someone new, rekindle romance, or simply feel more at ease around other humans, this episode offers some practical tools and a fresh take on what it means to be fully yourself in relationship. Finding Humans Less Scary at Esalen Institute September 8-12, 2025 https://www.esalen.org/workshops/finding-humans-less-scary-0912025

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• Jacoby Ballard: Queer Dharma and the Path to Liberation

  Jacoby Ballard is a trans yoga teacher, social justice educator, and author of A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditations for Liberation. In this episode of Voices of Esalen, Ballard shares reflections on how contemplative and wellness spaces can deeply support queer and trans communities, especially in a time of heightened visibility, vulnerability, and political resistance. The conversation moves through themes of embodiment, parenthood, and liberation. Ballard offers insights into the experience of raising a trans child, discusses the role of anger as both a signal and a sacred force, and explores what freedom actually feels like in his body. Grounded in decades of practice and activism, Ballard's perspective invites listeners to consider how personal healing and collective liberation are intertwined. This episode is for anyone interested in the intersections of spirituality, identity, justice, and what it means to truly show up for one another, in body, mind, and heart.

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• Anaïs Nin: The Sensual Art of Writing

  Anaïs Nin was a literary pioneer who wrote boldly about the inner lives of women long before it was culturally accepted. Her work, including Delta of Venus, Little Birds, The House of Incest, and her 16-volume diary, continues to influence generations of writers. Nin’s life was as unconventional as her prose. She trained in psychoanalysis with Otto Rank, conducted passionate affairs with both Henry Miller and his wife June, and for a time maintained two simultaneous marriages on opposite coasts. Her diaries chronicle these transgressions with brutal honesty and no small amount of poetic insight. She also had a deep connection to Big Sur and to Esalen. She once described this coastline as “a curving hand cupped around a secret." In many ways, she was a secret, too: mysterious, erotic, intuitive and ahead of her time. This is Anaïs Nin in her own voice, in 1972, with the original Q and A/ audience interaction.

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• Living Authentically: A Non-Binary Dialogue with Sarah/Sawyer Lavelle and Abigail/Bo Barnes

  In this episode of Voices of Esalen, host Sam Stern sits down with two members of the Esalen community, Sarah Lavelle (also known as Sawyer) and Abigail Barnes (also known as Bo), for a heartfelt conversation about non-binary identity, self-expression, and the journey of living beyond the binary. Topics include personal stories, pronouns, the evolving language of gender, and the beauty and difficulty of being one’s authentic self in a world still learning how to understand. Sawyer is a longtime full-spectrum doula, facilitator, and devoted practitioner of meditation, Buddha-dharma, and Relational Gestalt Practice in the tradition of Dick Price and Dorothy Charles. A seeker of liberation for all beings, they embody presence and compassion in all they do. Abigail is a teacher at Big Sur Park School and a beloved presence in the Esalen lodge. Passionate about solitude, Kaula Tantric yoga, and the study of Gestalt, they will soon continue their journey in Stockholm, Sweden, exploring consciousness and education across cultures. Whether you’re deeply familiar with non-binary experiences or just beginning to learn, this conversation offers something for everyone: insight, openness, and the radical courage of being. Additional Resources: https://www.assignedmedia.org/ https://bookshop.org/p/books/who-s-afraid-of-gender-judith-butler/19994814?ean=9781250371911&next=t https://transequality.org/issues/resources/understanding-nonbinary-people-how-to-be-respectful-and-supportive https://transequality.org/resources/supporting-transgender-people-your-life-guide-being-good-ally https://www.thetrevorproject.org/ https://www.hrc.org/resources/get-the-facts-about-transgender-non-binary-athletes

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• Hallucinate the Future: Ari Kuschnir on AI Filmmaking, Time Travel, and Viral Transmutations

  Ari Kuschnir is a filmmaker, creative strategist, and the founder of the production company m ss ng p eces. His work is driven by themes of empathy, consciousness, and transformation. In this episode, Ari joins Sam for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of storytelling, particularly in the arena of AI filmmaking. They explore the ethical and emotional landscape of generative AI, and his new Esalen-inspired short video, a surreal time-traveling narrative conjured through text-to-video tools. Also included: — How AI filmmaking serves as a collective dream engine and wish-fulfillment machine — The origin story Ari's "Transmutation" series and why they work in the medium of AI film — Whether cinema and art can become a tool for cultural repair and personal empowerment — The strange kinship between algorithmic hallucination and spiritual insight This is a rich and intimate conversation with a trailblazing artist that centers around what it means to create meaningful media in a time of profound transformation.

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