At age 22, Tami Simon started Sounds True with a dream, a tape recorder, and a $50,000 inheritance she received upon the death of her father. Though she had no business experience and only a vague idea of what she wanted the company to be, Tami had her guiding principle strongly in place: to “disseminate spiritual wisdom.” In the early days, Tami began by recording conferences and interviews with teachers like Ram Dass and Stephen Levine. She broadcasted portions of these recordings on a radio show that she hosted on Boulder County Public Radio, and then made the cassettes of the entire recordings available for purchase. She also began to connect with the Boulder music scene by offering cassette duplication service to local artists.

1988

Tami Simon joined forces with direct marketing catalog expert Devon Christensen. During the next years, they developed the Sounds True catalog—which would become the primary engine for connecting the company directly to customers in the decade to come. Tami concentrated on editing the conference recordings for better quality, while Devon, who became a 20-percent owner through sweat equity, solidified the identity of the packaging and direct mail catalog.

1990

Sounds True published its first breakout audio title: Women Who Run With the Wolves by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés. This program was unusual in that it began as an original audio program, and later became a bestselling book. This was the first program that put Sounds True “on the map” for a larger audience. This title also marked a shift away from conference recordings to audio programs recorded in a studio setting. Tami realized that in the studio, an author could speak directly with the listener, creating a more intimate experience than recording a lecture given to a large audience. This approach also allowed Sounds True to design and craft the audio learning experience with the listener in mind. This led to the evolution of Sound True’s signature style—unscripted recordings that capture the charisma, energetic transmission, and “living wisdom” of the teacher.

Also this year, Tami brought the first dog to the Sounds True offices. This set a precedent that would be cherished by dog-owning employees and their four-legged companions for years to come.

1991

Sounds True developed its first bookstore-friendly packaging for audio programs and expanded into bookstores, marking the company’s first foray from catalog-only sales into retail distribution.

1993

Sounds True created its first audio learning courses—Soul Life with Thomas Moore and The Present Moment with Thich Nhat Hanh. This new format, featuring longer audio teaching sessions for more in-depth learning, was designed to provide the equivalent teaching of a college course or a continuing education class.

1995

Tami moved her home from one Boulder apartment to another, and in the process of the move, she threw two boxes of old cassette teaching programs into the dumpster. At this moment, she became convinced that someone else could have benefited from these cassettes and that Sounds True needed to find a way to make recycling of old audio programs easy for its customers.

From this inspiration arose Sounds True’s partnership with the Prison Library Project, which has become one of the company’s most unusual and successful donation programs. Since then, Sounds True has received countless letters from prisoners who have been exposed to authentic spiritual teachings for the first time through this program and who are moved to make positive changes in their lives. Today, Sounds True’s donation project also includes libraries, low-income hospices, and more.

In 1995, Sounds True also appeared on Inc. magazine’s list of the nation’s 500 fastest-growing privately held companies. The company was selected for this list again in 1996.

1996

Sounds True released Energy Anatomy by Caroline Myss. This was the first audio learning course to sell more than 100,000 copies, and has become one of the bestselling titles in Sounds True’s history.

Also during this year, Sounds True made its first venture into publishing music with traditional Celtic songs from Nóirín Ní Riain and the Tibetan flute music of Nawang Khechog.

At this point in the company’s history, Sounds True became strongly focused on the importance of spiritual practice, and getting people to actually engage in regular spiritual practice in whatever way possible. In the service of this idea, Sounds True released its first video, Meditation for Beginners with Jack Kornfield, and its first correspondence course, Insight Meditation with Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein.

1997

Sounds True had outgrown its offices, and decided to design and construct its first new building in the Colorado Technology Center in Louisville, Colorado. The office is 13,100 square feet and features its own digital recording studio.

1999

Sounds True embarked upon a partnership with the Andrew Weil Newsletter, and published Breathing with Dr. Andrew Weil. This program remains Sounds True’s all-time bestseller.

2002

After 14 years, Devon Christensen left the company, selling his 20-percent ownership share to be redistributed in the company.

2003

The first Sounds True listening stations arrived in retail stores, including booksellers, spas, and gift shops. This project began with 50 listening stations—by 2006, there were more than 700 in stores including Wild Oats, Whole Foods, and independent bookstores.

2004

Sounds True launched its book division with a line of books integrated with CDs. These titles combine the written word and audio instruction on CD for an enhanced learning experience. The flagship authors for this project were Stephen LaBerge with Lucid Dreaming, Sandra Ingerman with Shamanic Journeying, and Jack Kornfield with Meditation for Beginners.

2005

Sounds True entered the world of conventional book publishing with the release of David Deida’s The Way of the Superior Man and the company’s first two original hardcover books, Gangaji’s The Diamond in Your Pocket and Angeles Arrien’s The Second Half of Life.

In July 2005, Sounds True completed construction of a 15,000-square-foot warehouse building, adjacent to its corporate offices.

2007

Sounds True launched its downloadable media store, offering an ever-expanding library of its titles available for digital delivery. The store features complete audio programs and music albums including classic recordings no longer available in traditional media, as well as the iMeditate series of short, inexpensive guided sessions led by popular teachers.

To accommodate our growth, Sounds True completed construction on a new wing to its publishing building, adding 28 new offices.

2008

Sounds True hosted its first Webstream Live event, featuring a series of live West Coast events with Eckhart Tolle, webcasted around the world. Listeners from 40 different countries tuned in to see and hear more than 10 hours of original material from Eckhart. The complete archives are now available for purchase.

2009

Sounds True launched our free weekly podcast, Insights at the Edge. In this series, Tami Simon interviews leading teachers such as Michael Bernard Beckwith, David Whyte, and Geneen Roth—delving deep into their beliefs, teachings, and personal experiences on their own journeys.

2009 also saw the debut of withinsight.com, Sounds True’s free online resource. With guides for meditation, life purpose, energy healing, and intuitive development, withinsight.com provides in-depth information and guided practices for anyone seeking to explore these branches of the spiritual path.

These offerings have given Sounds True the opportunity to fulfill our mission of disseminating spiritual wisdom by providing valuable content that is freely available to anyone with access to the Internet.

In the fall of 2009, Sounds True launched a new series of online courses and events, each featuring live interactive meetings with sought-after teachers and authors. Our first online course with continuing education credits was Mindfulness and the Brain with Jack Kornfield and Dr. Daniel J. Siegel.

2010

Sounds True entered into an exclusive distribution partnership with The Relaxation Company, with over 100 music and audio titles in the field of relaxation, sound healing, sleep, yoga, and meditation.

2011

In the summer of 2011, we launched our Sounds True Radio service, offering two free streaming channels—one for music from the Sounds True library for healing, relaxation, and celebration, and the other for interviews with top authors, teachers, and spiritual luminaries. We also introduced our Direct Access membership program, with three levels of participation for special discounts and free offerings.

Expanding into new territories on the digital frontier, Sounds True launched our first mobile apps, providing access to timeless wisdom in a new interactive format.

2012

This year marked an exciting new chapter in the history of Sounds True with the launch of the Wake Up Festival: A 5-Day Experience of Transformation. Held in late August in beautiful Estes Park, Colorado, the Wake Up Festival gathered together more than 25 authors, teachers, and artists along with nearly a thousand attendees in a celebration of the limitless possibilities of the spiritual journey.

2013

In March 2013, Sounds True launched our company blog, Many Voices, as a way to connect with readers around the world. Every entry is written by employees of Sounds True to share personal experiences of what happens behind the scenes at Sounds True and provide the latest news about authors and events.

Sounds True also greatly expanded our mobile app offerings, launching hundreds of apps for the iTunes and Android stores and creating flexible, cost-effective ways to bring life-changing teachings to mobile devices.

2014

This year, Sounds True became the exclusive distributor for audio and video titles published by Eckhart Teachings. Since the publication of The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle has been one of the foremost spiritual teachers of our time. The Eckhart Teachings library contains more than 80 hours of recorded sessions with this modern luminary.

Sounds True also became the exclusive North American distributor for New Earth Records, with an extensive library of music titles to support relaxation, meditation, yoga, and the healing arts.

Now with a library of more than 300 episodes, Sounds True’s Insights at the Edge podcast enjoys more than 3 million downloads per year. This free offering features Tami Simon’s interviews with teachers, authors, and emerging voices, exploring the wisdom they’ve gained and challenges they’ve encountered on their journey.

2015

Sounds True launched The Power of Awareness, the gold standard in online meditation training, featuring Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. This program represents a new and innovative approach to training in a relational field, as it includes online sessions with a personal meditation mentor.

The Psychotherapy 2.0 Online Training Summit, created in partnership with Dr. Diane Poole Heller, signified the beginning of our new professional division and committed efforts to support psychotherapists, counselors, and other healing arts professionals with online training and CE credits.

Sounds True further expanded its relationship with Eckhart Teachings this year by taking on the management of Eckhart Tolle Now, a digital subscription site with unlimited access to Eckhart’s greatest teachings.

In a landmark event, Sounds True published our first-ever children’s book, Good Night Yoga. This book became a surprise bestseller and one of our all-time most successful first releases, leading the way for the launch of our new children’s book division.

2016

In March 2016, Sounds True launched our first online community with Year of Ceremony, a monthly offering that brings together leading shamanic teachers with practitioners in an online circle of sacred ceremony on each full moon.

Sounds True founder Tami Simon finally released her original audio program, Being True, which distills essential lessons learned from her 30 years of spiritual exploration. The first 90 minutes of this audio are available for free on our website.

2017

Sounds True partnered with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach to launch the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, our first professional certification training. This two-year course prepares teachers to bring practices for mindfulness, compassion, and lovingkindness into the world, allowing participants to earn certification from the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley. 

2018

This year saw the official launch of the Sounds True Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization designed to make transformational education widely available to communities in need no matter what their financial circumstances are—including survivors of violence, at-risk youth, prisoners, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and those in developing countries. We are also focused on training social leaders in the skills of mindful awareness from areas such as law enforcement, education, social justice, and environmental activism. If you’re interested in supporting the Sounds True Foundation and its mission to create a kinder and wiser world, you can learn more on the Foundation’s website.

2019

In order to reach more people than ever before, Sounds True entered an exclusive distribution relationship with Macmillan Publishers, one of the top 5 publishers in the world. This is an exciting opportunity to make life-changing teachings available to readers and listeners around the world through expanded distribution into retail stores, gift shops, and mass market channels.

2020

In a year of enormous global and cultural challenges, Sounds True recognized the need to take important and unprecedented steps in order to better serve our mission, our people, our customers, and the world.

• To support a shift toward a more compassionate, humane, and sustainable way of approaching business, we launched The Inner MBA program—a nine-month immersion program to train leaders, entrepreneurs, managers, and employees on how to powerfully grow themselves and their companies.

• To respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, we committed to offering more free tools than ever before to help people support their health and reduce stress. We also switched to a completely virtual workplace for the first time in our history.

• To do our part in the social justice movement exemplified by Black Lives Matter, we are elevating our sense of responsibility and accountability at Sounds True. We’ve partnered with the diversity and inclusion specialists at TMI Consulting for a two-year, top-to-bottom process to investigate and update every aspect of our business—including internal hiring, acquisition and editing of our books and programs, marketing, and any other way we can live up to our values of inclusiveness, justice, and awakening in the world.

2022

This year marked the launch of Sounds True One, a membership-based online community and home for 24-7 wisdom and personal connection with teachers and fellow seekers. Here, members enjoy access to transformative insights, practices, original shows and docuseries, peer conversations, book clubs, and community gatherings led by many celebrated teachers and spiritual luminaries.