CIIS Public Programs
Episodes
Suzy Ross: The Map To Wholeness
02 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Suzy Ross is an assistant professor and coordinator of recreation therapy and complementary and alternative medicine at San Jose State University, Cal...
Kazu Haga: On Healing Resistance
26 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With over 20 years of experience practicing and teaching Kingian Nonviolence, leading trainer Kazu Haga offers a practical approach to resolving confl...
P. Carl: On Becoming A Man
19 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For most of his life, Boston-based artist P.Carl lived as a girl and a queer woman, building a career, a life, and a loving marriage, yet still waitin...
Elizabeth Allison: On Ecology and Spirituality
12 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ecology and Religion Professor Elizabeth Allison provides an exploration into spiritual ecology. Discover how deepening our relations...
Don Lattin: On Being a Psychedelic Journalist
05 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For more than four decades, Don Lattin has written about the social, spiritual, and political aspects of the psychedelic drug movement as a newspaper ...
Elizabeth Markle: On Community As Medicine
27 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Elizabeth Markle is a clinical psychologist turned radical community health innovator who brings decades of intentional community experience to her re...
Chani Nicholas: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance
20 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Chani Nicholas is a beloved astrologer and queer feminist activist with a loyal online following. For her, astrology isn’t about passively accepting...
Dr. Sarah Rose Cavanagh: The Science of Collective Consciousness
13 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In her latest book, Hivemind: The New Science of Tribalism in Our Divided World, psychologist and emotion regulation specialist Dr. Sarah Rose Cavanag...
Staci K. Haines: On Somatics and Social Justice
06 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Somatic therapy combines talk therapy and bodywork to treat a wide range of psychological and physiological conditions, ranging from stress and anxiet...
Mesma Belsaré: Decoding Sacred Geometry In Indian Art
30 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With an immensely rich and complex history spanning several millennia, India offers an overwhelming palette of visual options. Indian classical art is...
Dolores Huerta: On Activism And The Future Of America
23 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
An equal partner in co-founding the first farm workers unions with Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta has become one of the most defiant feminists of the tw...
Abby Chava Stein: Becoming Eve
16 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Abby Chava Stein is the tenth-generation descendant of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Hasidic movement. In 2015, she came out as a woman, and s...
Leah Vernon: Musings Of A Fat, Black Muslim
09 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Leah Vernon is a style blogger, plus-size Muslim model, public speaker, and activist. In her book, Unashamed: Musings of a Fat, Black Muslim, she take...
Sasha Sagan: For Small Creatures Such As We
02 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Author, editor, and filmmaker Sasha Sagan was raised by secular parents—the astronomer Carl Sagan and the writer and producer Ann Druyan. They taugh...
Nicholas Powers: Psychedelics and Social Justice
26 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Poet, journalist, and professor Nicholas Powers describes his youth as growing up with tales of counter culture for bedtime stories. In this episode...
Shaman Durek: On Personal Transformation
19 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Shaman Durek, a sixth-generation shaman, is the inheritor of a rich legacy of ancient wisdom. He applies this deep-rooted knowledge in a thoroughly mo...
Lawrence Millman: Mushroom Lore
12 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, naturalist Maya Elson talks with Lawrence Millman about his life and work as an author and mycologist exploring the fascinating world...
Tiffany Shlain: On The Power Of Unplugging
05 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Marina Gorbis, Executive Director of the Institute for the Future, talks with internet pioneer and renowned filmmaker Tiffany Shlain ...
Nishta J. Mehra: The Life of an Intersectional American Family
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Author Nishta J. Mehra is the daughter of Indian American immigrants, the wife of a white woman from Texas, and the mother of an adopted black child. ...
Dennis McKenna: On Psychedelic Medicines
21 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Join renowned ethnopharmacologist and author Dennis McKenna for this engaging talk combining ethnobotany, psychopharmacology, history, and the philoso...
Liz Plank: A New Vision For Mindful Masculinity
14 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In her book, For the Love of Men, award-wining journalist Liz Plank offers a witty, insightful, and deeply researched guide for what we can all do abo...
Peter Pomerantsev: Adventures in the War Against Reality
07 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The rise and transformation of information warfare is perhaps one of the most significant global trends of the last few years. The result is a circus ...
Mari Andrew: On Creativity, Empathy, and Resiliency
31 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Mari Andrew is an author and illustrator who shares her work daily on Instagram with over 1 million devoted fans around the world. Her first book, Am ...
Suketu Mehta: An Immigrant's Manifesto
24 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There are few subjects in American life that prompt more discussion and controversy than immigration. Drawing on his own experience as an Indian-born ...
Tim Desmond: Mindfulness Practices for Real Life
17 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How can we be more mindful when our world seems broken beyond repair? Tim Desmond—esteemed Buddhist scholar and lecturer on Psychology at Yale Medic...
Amanda Montell: A Feminist Guide To Taking Back Language
10 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Join Bay Area author and organizer Kim Tran for a brash and enlightening conversation with reporter and linguist Amanda Montell about gendered languag...
D. Watkins: A Word from Forgotten Black America
03 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Join equity expert Y-Vonne Hutchinson for this conversation with author, editor, and Baltimore native D. Watkins about the lessons he’s learned navi...
Alka Arora: On Feminism’s Fourth Wave
26 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Gender reconciliation activist and CIIS Professor Alka Arora offers an expansive and deeply ecological vision—inviting us to move beyond critique to...
George Estreich: Disability and Biotechnology
19 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, bioethics professor Osagie K. Obasogie talks with author George Estreich about what he has learned as the father of a young woman wit...
Hannah Paasch: Enneagram for Millennials
12 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Enneagram is a personality typing system with ancient symbolic origins that has a sneaky way of revealing who we are and why we do the things we d...
Jacob Sherman: Philosophy In A Time Of Crisis
05 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this talk, philosophy professor Jacob Sherman discusses the role that philosophy might play in diagnosing and responding to the our global climate ...
Nicole Sallak Anderson and Edward Lee: The Co-Evolution of AI and Humans
29 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As artificial intelligence evolves, so too does human culture. In this conversation, futurist Nicole Sallak Anderson and UC Berkeley professor Edward ...
Porchlight Storytelling: Show Me as I Want to be Seen
22 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This episode features Bay Area performers and writers including a BART train operator, a recent Pride Parade Grand Marshall, and more. Presented in co...
Erica Williams Simon: Change Your Story, Change Your Life
15 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this conversation, psychologist Christine Brooks talks with author and social critic Erica Williams Simon about how she got “story smart” to ch...
don Jose Ruiz: On Shamanic Dreaming
08 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Join Native American psychologist Leslie Gray for this conversation with don Jose Ruiz about his life and work traveling the world to share the teachi...
Annaka Harris: On Consciousness And The Mystery Of The Mind
01 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Join author Rob Reid in conversation with author and editor Annaka Harris as they examine the idea of consciousness—taking us through evolving defin...
DaMaris B. Hill: On The Incarceration Of African American Women
25 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, diversity and inclusion specialist Denise Boston has a conversation with author and academic DaMaris B. Hill that spans poetry, histo...
Jeff Hancock and Sally Lehrman: Trust and Deception in the Digital Age
18 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Join Stanford’s social media expert, Jeff Hancock, and Director of the Trust Project, Sally Lehrman, as they examine the erosion of truth online, ho...
Beatriz Labate: The Globalization of Ayahuasca
11 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, psychotherapist and CIIS professor Gisele Fernandes-Osterhold has a conversation with social anthropologist and researcher Beatriz La...
Trebbe Johnson: Radical Joy for Hard Times
27 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Professor and activist Jennifer Wells talks with author and community organizer Trebbe Johnson about her lifelong dedication to finding and making bea...
Rachel Lindsay: Mental Health and the Practice of Making Art
20 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, therapist Ivy Tiegel talks with cartoonist Rachel Lindsay about Rx, her graphic memoir, and her experiences working as an artist with...
Jessica Semaan: On The Healing Power Of Poetry
12 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this conversation with psychologist Jyoti Rao, poet Jessica Semaan discusses her latest work, Child of the Moon, and how creating poetry has helped...
Ed Morales: The Rise Of Latinx America
06 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Journalist Ed Morales is joined by CIIS Professor Antonio Ramirez for this conversation on the American Latinx experience and the powerful cultural im...
Irshad Manji: Don't Label Me
30 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Author Irshad Manji talks with KQED journalist Kat Snow to discuss her experiences as a refugee from Africa, a Muslim immigrant to the US, and her Mor...
Stephen Jenkinson: Cultivating Elderhood
23 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, author Stephen Jenkinson and CIIS Dean of Alumni Richard Buggs explore what it means to live, and die well.
Daniel McQueen: On Conscious Cannabis
16 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Psychedelic therapist Daniel McQueen and CIIS’s Natalie Metz explore the potential for healing and personal transformation through the intentional u...
An Xiao Mina: Memes To Movements
09 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Technologist and digital media scholar An Xiao Mina and curator Dorothy R. Santos explore the long, winding road from innocuous cat memes to the centr...
Damon Young: What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker
02 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Author Damon Young is joined in conversation by artist A-lan Holt from Stanford's Institute for Diversity in the Arts to discuss the ever-shifting def...
Lynne Twist: On The Soul of Money
25 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Author Lynne Twist is joined in conversation by CIIS Provost Liz Beaven to discuss the power money wields over our lives and how we can empower oursel...
Jessica Lanyadoo: Mystical Advice For Living Your Best Life
18 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Astrologer and psychic medium Jessica Lanyadoo is joined in conversation by CIIS student and local actor Madeline H.D. Brown to discuss self-compassio...
Gabor Mate: On Mind Body Unity
10 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, addiction expert Gabor Mate is joined in conversation by CIIS Dean of Alumni Richard Buggs to discuss his groundbreaking work on trau...
Krista Tippett: On Being Wise
28 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Krista Tippett, author and creator of the On Being podcast, is joined in conversation by author Laurel Braitman to explore the art and mystery of livi...
Nicolle Zapien: Reframing Infidelity
21 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
CIIS Professor and psychologist Nicolle Zapien discusses her recent research into cases of infidelity, and how we can reframe the way we think about i...
David Ulin: Books And Resistance
14 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, book critic David Ulin and author Matthew Zapruder discuss how reading can function as an act of engaged citizenship and resistance.
Pilar Jennings: Buddhism and Psychology
07 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Author and psychoanalyst, Pilar Jennings is joined by CIIS’s Sergio Rodriguez-Castillo for a conversation about the intersection of Buddhism and psy...
Jabari Asim: We Can't Breathe
28 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Author Jabari Asim and CIIS’s Dean of Diversity and Inclusion Denise Boston in conversation about his new book. It's about a different side of Ameri...
Julie Carpenter and Brianna Booth: AI and Sex
21 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Artificial intelligence research scientist Julie Carpenter, and human sexuality researcher Brianna Booth explore the future of human-robot sexual inte...
Oren Jay Sofer: Nonviolent Communication
14 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Author and teacher Oren Jay Sofer in conversation with CIIS’s Terese Gjernes about mindful and nonviolent communication skills.
Nik Sharma: A Brown Kitchen
07 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Chef Nik Sharma talks with CIIS Dean of Alumni Richard Buggs to share the stories and recipes that have shaped his life and work. This conversation wa...
Huda Al-Marashi: First Comes Marriage
31 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Author Huda Al-Marashi talks with CIIS Professor Daniela Koenig about the process of navigating love and expectations while straddling two cultures.
Adrienne Mayor: Gods And Robots
24 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Author Adrienne Mayor is joined by CIIS Professor Carolyn Cooke to explore how some of today's most advanced innovations in robotics and artificial in...
Mario Martinez: On Cultural Longevity
17 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Clinical neuropsychologist Mario Martinez is joined by CIIS’s Natalie Metz to discuss his research on aging and longevity.
Marlee Grace: Creativity and Radical Self Care
03 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Improviser and writer Marlee Grace talks with Julia Plevin, the creator of Forest Bathing Club about Marlee’s book: How To Not Always Be Working.
Elizabeth Gilbert: Magic, Creativity, and Fear
20 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Elizabeth Gilbert, author of nine books, including the blockbuster Eat, Pray, Love, in conversation with author and illustrator Lisa Congdon, about cr...
Steven Johnson: The Science of Making Decisions
13 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Author Steven Johnson and CIIS Professor Carolyn Cooke consider how to make decisions - drawings lessons from cognitive science, social psychology, mi...
John Kaag: Hiking With Nietzsche
06 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Philosopher John Kaag and author Mark Greif discuss Nietzsche's ideals and how they relate to the messy experience of living in the 21st century.
JM Holmes: How Are You Going To Save Yourself
22 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Award winning young author JM Holmes is joined in conversation by Stephanie Anne Johnson to discuss the inspiration for his debut collection of short ...
Sharmila Sen: Not Quite Not White
15 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Sharmila Sen, executive editor of Harvard University Press, discusses her recent book about growing up as an immigrant in America with CIIS Professor ...
Lindy West: On Loud Feminism
08 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Writer and commentator Lindy West is joined in conversation by body positivity activist Jes Baker for a conversation on feminism, politics, and activi...
David Hu: Animals And The Robots Of The Future
01 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, mechanical engineer and author David Hu talks with Kat Snow from KQED Public Radio about how scientists are inspired by animals to de...
Natalie Starkey: Catching Stardust
25 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Geologist and cosmochemist Natalie Starkey is joined in conversation by CIIS’s Joshua Fields to explore her work studying the composition and behavi...
Vince Beiser: The World In A Grain
17 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Journalist Vince Beiser is joined in conversation by CIIS Professor Jacob Sherman to explore the compelling true story of a hugely important and dimin...
Kathy Littles: Museums As Contested Spaces
11 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Kathy Littles, the Dean of the School of Consciousness and Transformation at CIIS, explores how western museums have historically held power and autho...
Y-Vonne Hutchinson and Clair Brown: The Future Of Work
03 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
International labor lawyer, Y-Vonne Hutchinson, and Professor of Economics at UC Berkeley, Clair Brown, explore the positive and negative impacts of t...
Boots Riley: Art and Activism
26 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Boots Riley, the writer and director of Sorry To Bother You, and lead singer of The Coup discusses creativity and activism with local writer Chinaka H...
Cameron Awkward-Rich: The Poetics Of Identity
19 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, poet and scholar Cameron Awkward-Rich discusses his work, which broke new ground in Trans, Queer, Black, and American poetry. He was ...
Alinne Barrera and Steven Chan: Mental Health and Technology
12 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, psychologist and professor Alinne Barrera joins psychiatrist and UCSF Clinical Informatics fellow Steven Chan to explore how recent a...
Leah Weiss: How We Work
05 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Stanford Professor and author Leah Weiss is joined in conversation by CIIS Dean of Alumni Richard Buggs to explore practical, evidence-based strategie...
J. Stuart Ablon: The Science Behind Changing Minds
29 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, psychologist and author Stuart Ablon is joined in conversation by Nicolle Zapien, CIIS’s Dean of Professional Psychology and Health...
Doug Vakoch: Sending Messages to Aliens
22 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Doug Vakoch, the President of Messaging Extra Terrestrial Intelligence - or METI, and CIIS professor, examines the social and cultura...
Julia Serano: On Transfeminism
01 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Author and activist Julia Serano is joined by CIIS professor Zara Zimbardo for a conversation about how to make feminist and queer movements more incl...
David Graeber: On Meaningless Jobs
18 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Author and anthropologist David Graeber is joined by debt researcher Jason Wozniak for a conversation about the phenomena of meaningless jobs.
Franchesca Ramsey: That Escalated Quickly
06 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, comedian, activist, and author Franchesca Ramsey is joined in conversation by author and comedian Sarah Cooper about the many ways we...
Paul Stamets: How Mushrooms Will Save The World
20 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Mycologist and author Paul Stamets explores the magical world of mushrooms, deepening our understanding of the planet and its people.
Angela Davis: A Life of Activism
06 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Activist, author, and former Black Panther Party member Angela Davis talks with CIIS Professor Danielle Drake about her life and work.
Kathleen Harrison: On Ethnobotany
23 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Ethnobotanist Kathleen Harrison is joined in conversation by CIIS's Natalie Metz to explore entheogens and the rich and complex relationship between p...
Alan Lightman: Searching for Stars
16 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Physicist and author Alan Lightman is joined in conversation by CIIS’s Matthew Segell to explore our quest for truth and meaning, and the role of re...
Chelsea Manning: On Activism
09 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Chelsea Manning is joined by CIIS professor Carolyn Cooke to explore the ethical questions presented by artificial intelligence, and to discuss transg...
Charlan Nemeth: In Defense Of Troublemakers
02 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Berkeley Professor of Psychology and author Charlan Nemeth is joined by CIIS Provost Liz Beaven to discuss the usefulness of dissent and how we can ma...
Maria McFarland Sanchez-Moreno: Heroism and Change in Colombia
25 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Human rights advocate and author Maria McFarland Sanchez-Moreno is joined by Brady Morales-Woolery to discuss corruption in Colombia’s military and ...
Laura Montoya and Megan Rose Dickey: AI and Gender
18 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Artificial Intelligence engineer Laura Montoya is joined by TechCrunch diversity reporter, Megan Rose Dickey to explore the role of gender in Artifici...
Stephen Murphy-Shigemastu: Transforming Self And Society
11 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu explores how to live with mindfulness, compassion, and responsibility. He is joined in conversation by CIIS professor Helge ...
Sara Acevedo: Living Disability
05 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Disability studies scholar Sara Acevedo discusses disability culture and identity, from the perspective of disability communities themselves. Visit ww...
Ayelet Waldman: A Really Good Day
29 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Author Ayelet Waldman is joined in conversation by CIIS writing professor Carolyn Cooke to discuss her personal experiment with the therapeutic value ...
Celeste Headlee: Conversations That Matter
21 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Journalist Celeste Headlee is joined by CIIS professor Zara Zimbardo to discuss ways to have meaningful conversations in a politically and socially po...
Sergio Rodriguez-Castillo: Spirituality in the Workplace
14 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
CIIS professor Sergio Rodriguez-Castillo examines why it makes sense to invite spirituality into the workplace, and how to do it.
Deepak Chopra: The Healing Self
07 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode integrative health pioneer Deepak Chopra explores practical ways to experience higher consciousness, transformation, and healing.
Joy DeGruy: Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome
28 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, author Joy DeGruy is joined in conversation by CIIS Dean of Diversity and Inclusion Denise Boston to explore how trans-generational t...
Minal Hajratwala: Where Are You From?
21 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, journalist and poet Minal Hajratwala draws from the realms of creativity and politicized somatics to talk about migration and the bod...
Ijeoma Oluo: So You Want To Talk About Race
14 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Author Ijeoma Oluo is joined in conversation by CIIS Dean of Diversity and Inclusion Denise Boston. They explore Ijeoma’s new book, So You Want To T...