Iain S. Thomas

Iain S. Thomas is one of the world’s most popular poets and is the bestselling creator and author of numerous books, including I Wrote This for You, an experimental and pioneering prose and photography project. He has spoken, toured, and read his work all over the world and appeared on panels at numerous conferences, including BookCon in New York and the Sharjah International Book Fair in the UAE. He lives in New York.

Jasmine Wang

Jasmine Wang is a technologist and philosopher and is a 2020 Thiel Fellow and 2019 Interact Fellow. She has worked with the Partnership on AI, the Future of Humanity Institute, OpenAI, Microsoft Research, and the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms. She lives in New York.

Author photo © Jenny Zhang

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Iain S. Thomas & Jasmine Wang: Can AI Answer Life...

Mention to someone the words “artificial intelligence,” and chances are you’ll get a very emotional response. For some, the thought of AI triggers fear, anger, and suspicion; for others, great excitement and anticipation. 

In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with technologist and philosopher Jasmine Wang along with poet Iain S. Thomas, coauthors of the new book What Makes Us Human? An Artificial Intelligence Answers Life’s Biggest Questions. Whatever your view on AI, we think you’ll find this conversation profoundly interesting and informative! 

Listen now as Tami, Jasmine, and Iain discuss the artificial intelligence known as GPT-3; holding an attitude of “critical techno optimism”; finding kinship with digital beings; the question of sentience; the sometimes “hallucinatory” nature of generative AI; the three main aspects of deep learning technology—classification, recommendation, and generation; AI as a creativity compounder; bringing a moral lens to the development and deployment of AI; the central human themes of presence, love, and interconnectedness; acting with intent and living with meaning; 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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Paul Selig: A Journey to the Upper Room: An Attunement...

How do we move beyond fear and separation to experience our true divine nature—especially in times of collective upheaval and uncertainty?

This week, Tami Simon welcomes Paul Selig, a channeler, author, and teacher who has brought through 13 extraordinary books from non-physical guides he describes as teaching from “the upper room.” Born an atheist and trained at Yale, Paul experienced a spontaneous kundalini awakening in 1987 that left him clairvoyant and fundamentally changed his understanding of reality. Since then, he has served as what he calls a “spoken stenographer” for teachings on consciousness, awakening, and our capacity to align with the divine.

Join Tami and Paul to explore:

  • Paul’s dramatic awakening experience and emergence as a channel
  • What it feels like to receive and transmit channeled wisdom
  • The “upper room”—a vibrational state beyond fear and separation
  • How to recognize when we’re acting from fear versus divine knowing
  • The clearing process that accompanies spiritual awakening
  • Why this particular time calls for radical transformation of old structures
  • The powerful attunement: “I am in God, I am of God, I am with God”
  • How to maintain trust and openness when part of us still holds back
  • Practical ways to realign with source amidst chaos and uncertainty

If you’re navigating this time of collective change and seeking a deeper connection to your divine nature, this conversation offers both inspiration and practical guidance for claiming the upper room—that aspect of consciousness where we already dwell in union with all that is.

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One.

Lee Harris: Be a Future Human and Find the New

What if the ability to channel wisdom and connect with higher guidance isn’t reserved for a select few, but accessible to anyone willing to open their heart?

This week, Tami Simon welcomes Lee Harris, a globally acclaimed energy intuitive, musician, and channeler of a group of intelligences called the Zs. Lee reaches over 1 million people monthly through his vibrant online community, The Portal, and is the author of The Future Human (with Regina Meredith) and the Conversations with the Zs series. In this profound exchange, Lee shares his journey from hearing his guides for the first time on a London subway at age 23 to becoming one of the most trusted voices in contemporary channeling.

Join Tami and Lee to explore:

  • How channeling works and why it’s becoming more accessible to everyday seekers
  • Practical techniques for connecting with your own guides through automatic writing and intuitive practice
  • The distinction between thinking and knowing—and why heart intelligence surpasses mental intelligence
  • Why the “flexible heart” is essential for healing trauma and moving through life’s challenges
  • How to ask for help from angels and guides in simple, powerful ways
  • The role of love as currency in humanity’s next evolutionary phase
  • Why we often fear the very love we claim to seek
  • How to serve love in daily life and contribute to raising Earth’s frequency midpoint
  • Plus: A direct channeling from the Zs with guidance for navigating these transformative times

If you’re ready to deepen your connection to intuitive wisdom, open your heart more fully, and understand your role in humanity’s shift toward love-based consciousness, this conversation offers both inspiration and practical pathways forward.

Listen now to discover how heart intelligence and channeled wisdom can transform your life and our world.

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One.

Sister Joan Chittister: Presence and Perpetual Goodnes...

What does enlightenment look like in Christian tradition? How do we cultivate the kind of presence that transforms ordinary moments into sacred encounters?

This week on Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon shares a rebroadcast of one of her most cherished interviews—a conversation recorded at Mount St. Benedict’s Monastery in Erie, Pennsylvania with Sister Joan Chittister, just before her 83rd birthday. Sister Joan is an American Benedictine nun, theologian, and author of more than 50 books who has spent over 40 years advocating for peace, human rights, women’s issues, and church renewal.

Join Tami and Sister Joan to explore:

  • The Christian path from contemplation to unity and “seeing the world through God’s eyes”
  • Sister Joan’s mystical experience of light as a teenager and how it shaped her entire spiritual life
  • The sacrament of the present moment and what true presence actually requires
  • Why opening your heart sometimes means closing it to certain things
  • How spiritual traditions are evolving and what religion offers in an increasingly secular age
  • The prayer Sister Joan repeats before every talk: accepting “whatsoever deaths thou shall choose to send me”
  • Why consciousness—not mindfulness techniques—is the foundation of contemplative living

This is a conversation about what a lifetime of monastic practice reveals, the electricity of divine presence, and how struggle itself becomes the crucible for transformation.

Want to go deeper? Listen to the complete seven-hour conversation in the audio series Catching Fire at soundstrue.com

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