Can AI save us from ourselves? Would computer algorithms, properly trained, be able to prevent wars and mediate conflicts? Ola Mohajer thinks so!Ola is the Founder and CEO of Transcend. Founded in 2023, Ola combined her experience as a refugee and survivor of war with more than ten years of her professional experience in peace, government, and international development. Visit https://missiontranscend.ai to learn more.Currently, Ola is part of the leadership team at the United States Inst...

Tapping into ancient wisdom to shed light on modern problems is essential for grounded cultural transformation. Today's guest is Natan Margalit—the author of The Pearl and the Flame—a book which synthesizes traditional Jewish insights and contemporary ecological theories to envision a more integrated, connected, and hopeful path for humanity. Natan Margalit is a rabbi and scholar with 30 years of experience in teaching, writing, organizing and congregational leadership. Raised in ...

Can commissioning public art ensure a happy afterlife? Many wealty merchants in medieval Italy sure hoped so! Dr. Brian Pollick opens a window for us into their worldview and how it can enrich our own. Brian was born in England in 1946 but grew up in Toronto after his parentsemigrated in 1952. After getting his BA from York University in 1967 heembarked on multiple careers that included teaching, correctional services,community and family justice services, and Information Technolo...

Being of service to the world means more than just working for a cause you believe in: it's also about striving to live harmoniously with who you truly are.In this episode, Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman describes her own journey to becoming a climate activist and spiritual leader. Through many years of seeking and searching, she discovered the best ways her talents could be utilized to help a planet which is struggling. In this conversation, Rabbi Shoshana and Rabbi Matthew also delve into th...

Four contemplatives share, reflect and face challenging questions. Christian, Buddhist and Muslim healers and teachers join Rabbi Matthew Ponak to discuss the gifts that our traditions can offer the world in these changing times — and the ways in which these traditions are (or ought to be) changing as well.Charlotte Z. Rotterdam is a Buddhist teacher, meditation instructor and contemplative educator. She received the title of Magyu Lopön, lead teacher of the Mother Lineage at Tara...

We're changing things up in this episode! Our guest Rabbi Joel Goldstein asks the questions — challenging Rabbi Matthew about the experimental home ritual "Oasis Time." This innovative practice is inspired by Shabbat but not bound by its traditional customs. Rabbi Matthew and his family have been testing it out in an effort to capture the essence of spiritual refreshment in a shareable way for our time. Join us for thought-provoking dialogue about the edges of religious evolution between two ...

Promoting spiritual health for individuals, churches and organizations of all kinds is Rev. Sandra Summers' speciality. She lays out what it is, why we need it and how to bring it into our lives. We also delve into The Great Resignation's effects on clergy, being authentic, balancing our use of technology and the surprising relationship between pregnancy and intuition. Sandra is a Christian pastor's kid who attempted to stay in college forever before answering her call to ministry....

In this episode, we discuss embodied transformation, spiritual entrepreneurship, Jewish Mysticism, and the current state of modern religious life. Emma Sartwell is the founder and owner of Somatic Spiritual Counseling, a collective of body- and mindfulness-based therapists and coaches. She grew up in a reform Jewish household in Baltimore, MD. After a spiritual crisis in college, she found Buddhist meditation, which led her to Naropa University, a Buddhist-based graduate school in Boulde...

This episode features Rev. Dr. Ian Mevorach talking about the historical Jesus. Rev. Dr. Ian Mevorach is the founding minister and director of the Common Street Spiritual Center in Natick, MA, a love-centered community that values many spiritual paths and is a hub for environmental justice and peace activism. He is an ordained American Baptist minister and holds an M.Div., and a Ph.D. in Ecological Theology and Ethics, from Boston University School of Theology. He is a life-long en...

This episode features Dr. Piers Steel, one of the world's leading experts in the study of procrastination.Piers Steel is a professor in the Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources area and is the Brookfield Research Chair at the Haskayne School of Business. He is a recognized authority on the science of motivation and is known internationally for his productivity research, receiving widespread media coverage.Piers’ particular areas of research interest include culture, motivation and dec...

This episode's guest is Dr. Beth Hedva who lives in Calgary, Canada. Author of Journey from Betrayal to Trust and the award-winning Betrayal, Trust and Forgiveness, she is an internationally recognized healer, counsellor and teacher. A past Director of the International Council of Psychologists and current Co-Chair of the Canadian Institute for Transpersonal and Integrative Sciences, Dr. Hedva was invited to train local recovery workers in the two deadliest disasters of this century. A licens...

Are you cautiously optimistic about the world’s future? I am. My name is Rabbi Matthew Ponak and I’m the host of a brand new podcast: : “We’re in This Shift Together.” Like you, I’m concerned about the well-being of our families, our planet, and our internal realities. As a student of Jewish wisdom, I know that even in the most uncertain times, there is always hope through communal effort and opening ourselves up to new potentials. Today, no single discipline or approach has all the answers f...