Strong Back, Soft Front: The Practice of a Lifetime | Elizabeth Lesser

In the more than forty years since she co-founded Omega Institute—now the world’s largest center for spiritual retreat and personal growth—Elizabeth Lesser has been an intimate witness to the ways in which people weather change and transition. 

In our conversation I shared the question we have been exploring on the show for years.

A question that can serve as a natural companion to the experience of change, and transition we so often face in the many facets of our lives:

When my heart begins to close, how do I open it again?

Her response was that this question, may be the one that she’s explored more than any other in her life. 

Today we’ll explore the practice of opening the heart and mind again when it begins to close.

The conversation is broken into 3 parts:

In part one:

Elizabeth will share insights she’s gained over the years about opening the heart and finding the courage to blossom into who we were meant to be.

In part two:

She'll offer some of her hard-earned wisdom about staying open, curious, and engaged in tough conversations. Whether it be across the political divide or elsewhere.

She'll also share some of her personal story about an experience with her sister that centered around uncovering the depth of their love through the life-and-death experience of a bone marrow transplant. 

Particularly how this experience opened the door for them to engage in a practice of being radically honest with each other. A practice that ultimately transformed them both.

In part three:

We’ll discuss perhaps the most challenging form of opening. 

Relaxing into uncertainty.  Cultivating the ability to let go and relax into the vulnerability of being human. 

And as we wrap up Elizabeth will leave us with a closing thought around why a spiritual practice is so important for the challenging times we are facing now.

Today's conversation is just scratching the surface on these themes. For more, I would highly encourage you to pick up a copy of her beautiful book, Broken Open.

Did you find today's episode inspiring? Here are other conversations we think you'll love:

Finding the Strength to Meet Adversity | Mark Nepo
Neuroscience, Spirituality, and the Quest for an Inspired Life | Dr. Lisa Miller

More about Elizabeth:

ELIZABETH LESSER  is the author of several books, including New York Times Bestseller Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow and Marrow: Love, Loss & What Matters Most. She is the cofounder of Omega Institute, recognized internationally for its workshops and conferences in wellness, spirituality, creativity, and social change. In 2011, she gave a popular TED talk called “Take The Other to Lunch,” a call for civility and understanding as we negotiate our differences as human beings. She gave her second TED talk in 2016, about the power of truth-telling. She is also one of Oprah’s Super Soul 100, a collection of a hundred leaders who are using their voices and talent to elevate humanity. Fore more about Elizabeth please visit: Elizabethlesser.org. and for more about the programming and wide variety of offerings at Omega Institute please visit https://www.eomega.org/

Enjoying the show? Please rate it wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

Thanks for listening!