Over the last ten years, Alyson Atma Simms has gone through more than her fair share of loss. With each passing of a loved one, Alyson explains that every experience is different, and grief is never linear. As a yoga teacher, Alyson is intimate

Episode 17: The Rebellious Act of Loving Yourself

Oct 21st, 2019 43m 42s

As a Kripalu Yoga instructor and somatic movement therapist, Janet Farnsworth is no stranger to the on-going war we have with our bodies — the constant barrage of voices that berate our imperfections, damning our “flaws” and holding us to the i

Episode 16: Let Your Life Speak

May 12th, 2019 37m 43s

Growing up the daughter of a Japanese American mother and a father of French-Canadian descent, Fran Tatu was raised with an immense capacity for compassion for others. Her parents were human rights activists, her father a U.S. diplomat, and bet

Episode 15: Son of a Rainbow

Apr 29th, 2019 49m 20s

For centuries, our species has used storytelling for entertainment, to document our history, to heal our hearts, and even to survive. Without it, our world would be less colorful, more binary, and certainly less magical. As a novelist and playw

Episode 14: Failure to Merge

Mar 31st, 2019 30m 16s

So much of our lives is spent in transit that it's easy to take for granted the road underneath us, always assuming it’ll be there to get us where we need to go. Imagine the stories we could learn if roads could talk. In her new book of poetry,

Episode 13: The Girl Who Ran Into the Fire

Mar 3rd, 2019 35m 40s

For much of her life, Simone Allmen was no stranger to dangerous situations. Having lived on a commune in New Mexico and hopping all over the world, she eventually found herself in L.A. falling in love with documentary filmmaking. In 2005, she

Episode 12: We Are Called to Change the World

Jan 27th, 2019 55m 54s

What do you do when you are called to change the world? In 1969, the answer for Mrs. Pamela Stanescu was, “I guess I’ll teach!” For 45 years, Mrs. Stanescu remained a constant in the halls of Warner Robins High School, teaching everything from

Episode 11: Turning Points

Dec 10th, 2018 27m 7s

Life is filled with turning points that can make or break us. For Ashley Monical, walking away from a $30,000 Kickstarter campaign, a newly released album and all the exciting promotional opportunities that come along with it, was just one of m

Episode 10: An Extraordinary Journey

Nov 25th, 2018 36m 24s

What would you do if you were told that you could die at any minute? For most people, remaining calm is not an option. For Gary Ramsey, it was the only option. As a teacher of the Alexander Technique, his sense of awareness of the present momen

Episode 9: Have a Good Life

Oct 28th, 2018 31m 30s

There are people who come into your life with different offerings on how to see the world. When I was 23, I met a woman whose fascination with death radically jolted my brain. “We do death wrong,” Kristi Curry said to me, as we sat around at he

Episode 8: Why I Marched

Jan 30th, 2017 42m 48s

In this special 2017 season premiere episode of Shaping Sapiens, we'll witness sounds and stories from the Women's March on Washington from different marchers in different cities across the country. As a participant in the march myself, I've co

Episode 7: Being Funny is Brave

Oct 24th, 2016 26m 15s

What do you get when you mix spunk, humor, and a great pixie hair cut? You get a comedian from Brooklyn with an insatiable hunger for life. Chani Lisbon is one of eleven Jewish Orthodox children, and her affinity for comedy stemmed from an inna

Episode 6: The Fire Still Burns

Sep 25th, 2016 33m 18s

They say when you have a dream, the whole universe will conspire to make that dream a reality. At first, that dream can feel so right, so seductive, so sure. Especially when you're a 20-something die-hard rock-and-roller. But, inevitably, life

Episode 5: This is Not About Cancer

Sep 4th, 2016 22m 51s

How does one fight cancer? With vengeance? Tears? Determination? Prayers? Hope? Our guest today chooses to fight it with fire. This conversation takes place just a few hours after receiving her 6th chemotherapy treatment. I wasn't even sure if

Episode 4: Mountain Lion Time

May 29th, 2016 36m 55s

Sometimes you hear a story that is so extraordinary, you can't help feeling like you just got off one of the most insane, merciless rollercoaster rides of your life. Our guest today has that kind of story, one that leads the listener through ev

Episode 3: #MomLife

May 8th, 2016 26m 10s

Who knew 10 years ago two small town pageant girls would be sitting down together one day to talk about motherhood and the relentless pursuit of honoring our teenage dreams despite all the sharp twists and turns of life? In this special Mother'

Episode 2: Great Expectations

Apr 15th, 2016 26m 31s

Have you ever had a friend that when you're with them, it feels as if you can conquer the entire world together? That anything you can possibly dream really can come true? I'm fortunate to have a friend like that, and her name is Mechi. Though

Episode 1: Comfort Zone

Mar 25th, 2016 24m 29s

Every once in a while, you come across a person who has a story that is so extraordinary, it feels like they've lived a life destined to become an Academy Award-winning movie. Last September, I had the honor of hearing Barbara Abelhauser tell h

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