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Martha & Hayden Sears: A Healthy Pregnancy the Se...

Martha Sears is a registered nurse and former childbirth educator who has co-written more than 25 celebrated books on pregnancy and parenting. Her daughter, Hayden Sears, is a health and nutrition coach who is also the co-host of the Dr. Sears Family Podcast. Together, they have written The Healthy Pregnancy Journal, which will be released by Sounds True in May, 2019. In this special Mother’s Day edition of Insights at the Edge, Sounds True associate publisher Jaime Schwalb speaks with Hayden and Martha about the extraordinary journey of motherhood—from pregnancy through day-to-day parenting. Martha and Hayden detail the Sears family’s growth as parenting experts, as well as the original ideas behind The Healthy Pregnancy Journal. They talk about the benefits of journaling and a full community’s encouragement throughout pregnancy. Finally, Martha, Hayden, and Jaime talk about speaking with one’s partner about basic values before becoming parents, as well as how society’s view of pregnancy has evolved in the last four decades. (67 minutes)

Eric Kaufmann: The Four Virtues of a Leader

Eric Kaufmann is a leadership consultant who has advised executive teams at companies such as Sony and T-Mobile. With Sounds True, Eric has published the book and audiobook The Four Virtues of a Leader: Navigating the Hero’s Journey Through Risk to Results. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Eric about his unusual life and how he came to be a leadership consultant by way of his training in Zen Buddhism. Tami and Eric talk about the journey of leaving the familiar and braving risk to grasp hold of one’s goals. Finally, they discuss the virtues outlined in Eric’s book—focus, courage, grit, and faith—and how all four must be cultivated in order to rise to the challenge of true leadership.
(66 minutes)

Honoring Our Returning Warriors

Dr. Edward Tick is the founding director of Soldier’s Heart veterans’ Safe Return Programs. A psychotherapist and a tireless advocate for war healing and peacemaking, Dr. Tick is the author of the award-winning book War and the Soul, and with Sounds True he has published a new book called Warrior’s Return: Restoring the Soul After War. In this episode, Ed speaks with Tami about how we can heal the broken social contract between warriors and civilians in the United States, the universal warrior archetype, what it means to mature into a spiritual warrior, and his advice for speaking to returning veterans in a way that supports and honors their service. (77 minutes)

Servant Leadership

Tami Simon speaks with Jim Hunter, a world-renowned business leadership consultant and author of the international bestsellers The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership and The World’s Most Powerful Leadership Principle. With Sounds True, Jim has created the audio program The Servant Leadership Training Course: Achieving Success Through Character, Bravery, and Influence. In this episode, Tami speaks with Jim about the keys to leading with integrity and compassion, his best advice for implementing the principles of Servant Leadership in situations where change is difficult, the importance of authenticity in creating strong communities, and the role of love in organizational life. (63 minutes)

Ram Dass: Soul Land

Tami Simon speaks with Ram Dass, whose name means “servant of God.” Ram Dass is a respected spokesman on the integration of Western culture and Eastern philosophy. He is author of the classic book Be Here Now, and the landmark books Grist for the Mill and How Can I Help? With Sounds True, he has created several audio programs, including Experiments in Truth and Love, Service, Devotion, and the Ultimate Surrender. In this episode, Tami speaks with Ram Dass about his understanding of the “I” or the self, his experience of his guru Maharaj-ji living inside of him as a sense of presence, the individual soul, and the atman, which Ram Dass calls the “mega soul.” (64 minutes)

Vitality, Courage, Daring

Tami Simon speaks with Tessa Bielecki, former Mother Abbess of the Spiritual Life Institute, and founder of the Desert Foundation, an organization dedicated to fostering interfaith peace and understanding. She is author of Teresa of Avila: Ecstasy and Common Sense, and with Sounds True, the six-session audio learning program, Wild at Heart: Radical Teachings of the Christian Mystics. In this episode, Tami and Tessa have a heartfelt and honest conversation about how we can bring the vitality of monastic living into our everyday life, why the work of balancing polarities is so important to the Christian Mystic, and the transformative power of courageous acts. (62 minutes)