Mindful Leadership With Marc Lesser

Doing The Impossible: Guided Meditation, Talk, and Zen Puzzler

Working skillfully and effectively with difficulties and challenges. Training ourselves to meet and transform difficulty. Marc begins with a short guided meditation followed by a talk on the topic of meeting challenge. This session's Zen puzzler is "Can you step from the top of a one hundered foot pole?" - a traditional Zen teaching about doing what looks impossible.

Transforming Resistance To Finding Freedom with Sharon Salzberg

Sharon Salzberg has become America's meditation teacher. In this episode Sharon talks about places of resistance as "tight spots" and methods of transforming resistance to more openness and freedom. Marc and Sharon discuss the practice of loving kindness as well as shame, an emotion that has positive and negative qualities. They discuss the power of presence and the role of meditation.
Sharon Salzberg is a New York Times bestselling author and teacher of Buddhist meditation practices in the West. In 1974, she co-founded the Insight Meditation Society at Barre, Massachusetts. Her emphasis is on Vipassanā (insight) and mettā (loving-kindness) methods, and has been leading meditation retreats around the world for over three decades. Her books include Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness, A Heart as Wide as the World, and Real Happiness - The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program among others.
 

Ordinary and Sacred: Guided Meditation, Talk, and Zen Puzzler

We are all ordinary human beings living in an ordinary world. And yet...we are also sacred, extraordinary beings, living in an extraordinary, sacred world. Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki describes that we usually only see one side and ignore what is sacred and mysterious. During this session we have a short guided meditation, follwed by a talk on living in both the ordinary and sacred world. Today's Zen puzzler is based on a traditional Zen koan -- a buffalo goes through a window, and every part of it goes through, except for the tail. Why doesn't the tail go through?

The Power of Belonging with MaryAnne Howland

MaryAnne Howland, storyteller, entrepreneur and social change agent, talks about the game-changing work that she is doing for justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. Mary and Marc talk about the power of belonging and mindful listening and about the importance of dreaming.
MaryAnne Howland is the founder and CEO of Ibis Communications, a branding marketing solutions firm in Nashville, Tennessee. The success of her business has been recognized by the Clinton administration and she has attended several summits at the White House. In 2012, she launched the Global Diversity Leadership Exchange, a forum to facilitate dialogue on diversity, sustainability, and inclusion, which has held annual summits at the New York Stock Exchange and the United Nations.

The World Is Its Own Magic: Guided Meditation, Talk, and Zen Puzzler

"The real miracle isn't to walk on water. The real miracle is to walk right here on Earth" according to Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. In this episode a short guided meditation is followed by a teaching, emphasizing shifting from busyness to being more focused, engaged, and spacious. The practice of spaciousnes is essential in today's complex world. The Zen puzzler is based on a traditional Zen koan -- Is the flag moving, the wind moving, or is it your mind that is moving?

Open Heart, Focused Mind with Dan Siegel

Marc and Dr. Dan Siegel discuss the deep inner work of awareness, the power of belonging, and the illusion of the self and shifting from me to "we." Dan shares a meditation practice that he calls the "Wheel of Awareness."
Daniel Siegel, MD, is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and the Founding Co-director of its Mindful Awareness Research Center. He is also the Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute, an organization that focuses on the development of mindsight, teaches insight, empathy, and integration in individuals, families and communities. 
He is a bestselling author of several books, including Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence, Mind: A Journey to the Heart of Being Human, and The Developing Mind.

Surprise Yourself: Guided Meditation, Talk, and Zen Puzzler

What surprises you about your life right now? For me, the answer is "everything!" Enjoy this short talk and meditation on the power of surprise, a guided meditation, followed by a puzzler. Today's puzzler is: A statement made by Zen teacher Dogen, from the 13th century: To study yourself is to go beyond yourself" -- exploring what that means and how it can support your wellbeing.

Zen, Acting, and the Power of Ritual with Peter Coyote

Marc and Peter explore Peter’s story of how he came to his acting path, as well as his path to Zen practice. They talk about "precise forms for a flexible mind" vs. "flexible forms for a precise mind", meditation, the power of ritual, the liberating effect of mask work, as well as bringing Zen practice into everyday life.
Peter Coyote has performed as an actor for some of the world’s most distinguished filmmakers, including: Barry Levinson, Roman Polanski, Pedro Almodovar, Steven Spielberg, Walter Hill, Martin Ritt, Steven Soderberg, Diane Kurys, Sidney Pollack and Jean Paul Rappeneau. He is an ordained Buddhist priest who has been practicing for 34 years. Mr. Coyote has been engaged in political and social causes since his early teens and is a long time passionate advocate for wildlife and wild nature.

Enjoy Your Life: Guided Meditation, Talk, and Zen Puzzler

Marc begins with a guided meditation, followed by a short talk on impermanence as a path toward joy. "The evanescence of things is the reason why you enjoy your life" according to the Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki. Recognizing and embodying the fleeting nature of our lives is a way to practice with finding more appreciation and joy in everything we experience. The episode closes with a bi-weekly Zen Puzzler: Where is the place where there is no hot and no cold?

Dealing with Uncertainty with Leo Babauta

Marc sits down with his friend Leo Babauta. Leo is the founder of one of the most interesting and successful blogs on the internet called Zen Habits. He's also the author of several books, including The Power Of Less. Marc and Leo talk about meaning and meaningful work and the question how Zen practice can be integrated with, and support, our work and our lives. Leo also offers some powerful practices, especially around finding grounding in the body in the midst of uncertainty.
Leo Babauta is a simplicity blogger and author. He created Zen Habits, a Top 25 blog with a million readers, which chronicles and shares what he’s learned while changing a number of habits. He’s also a best-selling author, husband, father of six children, and a vegan. In 2010 he moved from Guam to California, where he leads a simple life. A student of Zen, Leo is on a mission to help the world open through uncertainty training.