As I hold ‘ Perserverance’  in my hands, my senses come alive. I can feel the wisdom oozing from the book through its cover. The size of the book is very lovely and easy to hold, with its pretty soft pages, delicately illustrated, I love flipping through it and finding nugget after nugget of wisdom. Each page a new offering, an insightful perspective, a quotation, poem or essay to take in and to satisfy the evolving soul.

I really look forward to my conversation with Meg on Heart Beat Sept.1 as she joins me to share more about her book and her pioneering work in the area of leadership and organizational change .  Please join us by listening live at 4pm ET on Wednesday Sept.1st. When you log in to BlogTalkRadio, join us in the chat room and send in your questions. All shows are available for download immediately following the broadcast. Also be sure to join Heart Beat on facebook to stay updated on upcoming shows. Enjoy!

( Audio is available for online streaming and download below).

Preparing for, and then engaging in a meaningful and important conversation with Andrew was undeniably soul -satisfying, deeply enriching and moving. In fact I have since listened to our conversation several times (and most recently while adding some music to the interview) and each time am elevated to new heights by the hope he invites us all to discover and take upon ourselves to realize, and by the sheer depth from which his words emanate.  Andrew Harvey is a renowned and distinguished mystical scholar, Rumi translator and explicator, poet, novelist, spiritual teacher, architect of Sacred Activism, and author of over 30 books. His newest book The Hope A Guide to Sacred Activism provided the basis for our conversation on Heart Beat.

In this conversation you will hear Andrew talk very personally and intimately about : Sacred activism- what we can do right now to become sacred activists and help birth a new world- suggested practices and disciplines to maintain hope and inspired action-why it is so important to live from our heart in these rapidly changing times- the importance of deep shadow work,  joy, love and justice and much more.

Please enjoy this conversation.

Are We Wired For Good?

Author and Professor of Psychology at UC Berkley Dacher Keltner kindly joined me in conversation this month on Heart Beat to discuss his new book “Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life”. We had a very compelling and enjoyable conversation about the science behind living a meaningful life (you can listen to it below).

On an intuitive level you may feel your innate goodness and know your capacity to share more of it.  You may also feel that we are all made to be good however deep inside the potential is.  Thanks to Dacher Keltner’s work, now there is scientific evidence to support your hunch and knowing, and research that suggests we are more than motivated  by self-interest and competition, according to Dacher Keltner, we are wired for good. In fact Keltner suggests our survival depends on who is the kindest.  You can listen below to find out how.

In this conversation you’ll hear about Dacher’s remarkable work  and personal experience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the importance of touch (“touching triggers trust and generosity”), laughter, prosocial emotions (love, compassion, gratitude, awe etc..) valuable and fascinating research on the importance of our vagus nerve , “which is centrally involved in compassion” (along with recommendations of how to cultivate it) and simply, how we are born to be good. I highly recommend reading “Born to Be Good”. It is personal, extremely informative, insightful and it is  research rich with a lot of heart. Keltner’s continuation of Darwin’s little known work on human emotions shows that survival is actually a matter of who is the kindest. Have a listen and find out for yourself.  Enjoy your goodness!

Dacher Keltner on Laughter (from ” Born to be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life p.145):

” Laughter may just be the first step to Nirvana. When people laugh, they are enjoying a vacation from the conflicts of social living. They are exhaling, blowing out, and their bodies are moving towards a peaceful state, incapable of fight  or flight. People see their lives from a different point of view, with new perspective and detachment. Their laughter spreads to others in milliseconds, through the firing of networks of mirror neurons. In shared laughter people touch, they make eye contact, their breathing and muscle actions are in sync, they enjoy the realm of intimate play. Conflicts are softened, and often resolved. Hierarchies negotiated. Attraction and intimacy are created. …people move closer to one another in peaceful ways“.

You can find out more about Dacher Keltner’s work at the Greater Good Science Center here

Psychotherapist and researcher, Dr. Elaine Aron, author of The Highly Sensitive Person, introduced the world to the ‘highly sensitive person’ and the associated traits of  high sensitivity. According to Dr. Aron  “the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) has a sensitive nervous system, is aware of subtleties in his/her surroundings, and is more easily overwhelmed when in a highly stimulating environment.” Through her research, she discovered that between 15- 20% of the population exhibits high sensitivity. Dr. Aron explains that the traits of a highly sensitive person are innate,  normal and she also encourages HSPs to really understand and value their sensitivity. On Dr. Aron’s web site it says “Sensitivity is anything but a flaw. Many HSPs are often unusually creative and productive workers, attentive and thoughtful partners, and intellectually gifted individuals”. You can take the test designed by Dr. Elaine Aron and determine whether you have these traits and are perhaps an HSP. Self-test.

I like to stay away from labeling myself or remaining  in any one category or “group”  but nonetheless I have been intrigued by Dr. Aron’s research and insights and I do in fact  identify with the traits of a highly sensitive person. Not to mention growing up and even still today, I often hear these words ” Julie, you are so sensitive (in other words too sensitive)”.  Since learning more about what it means to be sensitive  over the years and in my continued self-discovery and research on intuition, now when I hear these words about being too sensitive, I smile back and say ” yes, I know and I’m so glad” .  Afterall, it is not who I am fully and completely but it is an important part.

There are lots of  great resources on the web pertaining to this topic. One great resource I am a member of is Jenna Avery’s Sensitive Professsionals Network. Jenna is a life coach for sensitive souls and has created a really neat professional network for sensitive professionals worldwide. Since being a member I have connected with other great professionals there. Grace Kerina is one such individual. She kindly invited me to be profiled on her web site, Highly Sensitive Power. She asked me some really interesting questions and our exchange can be found here .

May you embrace who you are more fully each day. All the best!