Be Here Now Network Guest Podcast

• Ep. 234 - Walking Each Other Home: A Psychedelic Perspective on Healing and Connection, Ram Dass Explorer's Club with Matt Zeemon and Jackie Dobrinska

  Drawing on neuroscience, psychology, and lived experience, Matt Zeemon discusses the power of psychedelics for quieting the ego, rekindling love, facing pain, and opening the heart.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.This time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Matt Zeemon explores:Psychedelics as catalysts for healing, not curesMatt’s first psychedelic experience and reconnecting with his motherWestern psychological medicine as a bandaid approach versus working to find the root causeBreaking repetitive thinking patterns ourselvesUncovering what relative risk meansThe mental health crisis in our country, especially among veterans How we all have psychedelic usage within our lineage The social politics of psychedelic substances Ways to create safe, sacred space for yourself and others on their journeysWhat it truly means to walk each other homeAbout Matt Zeemon:Matt Zemon, MSc, is a best-selling author and thought leader at the intersection of psychedelics, science, and spiritual experience. With a Master’s in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health, he blends modern research with timeless wisdom to support safe, intentional psychedelic use. Inspired by teachers like Ram Dass, Matt’s work empowers spiritual seekers, veterans, and others on the path of healing and transformation. Learn more about Matt on his website.About The Host, Jackie Dobrinska:Jackie Dobrinska is the Director of Education, Community & Inclusion for Ram Dass’ Love, Serve, Remember Foundation and the current host of Ram Dass’ Here & Now podcast. She is also a teacher, coach, and spiritual director with the privilege of marrying two decades of mystical studies with 15 years of expertise in holistic wellness. As an inter-spiritual minister, Jackie was ordained in Creation Spirituality in 2016 and has also studied extensively in several other lineages – the plant-medicine-based Pachakuti Mesa Tradition, Sri Vidya Tantra, Western European Shamanism, Christian Mysticism, the Wise Woman Tradition, and others. Today, in addition to building courses and community for LSRF, she leads workshops and coaches individuals to discover, nourish and live from their most authentic selves. “With these medicines, we have the real ability to heal ourselves. It’s not that the medicines did it, it’s that we rewrote our own stories. We are the medicine when we use psychedelics and entheogens. They don’t bring back people we’ve lost, they don’t change the past, they bring it close where we can look at it, discover it, understand it, and decide how to make more of our present. That’s why psychedelics are catalysts and not cures.” –Matt ZeemonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• Ep. 233 - Live It Up with Trudy Goodman

  Offering listeners a way to live life fully, Trudy Goodman explores how to overcome the brain's negative bias by inclining the mind toward appreciation. Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this episode, Trudy Goodman gives a lecture on:The mind’s tendency to view things negatively How evolutionary wiring shapes what we notice and what we missA powerful teaching from loved ones at the end of life: do all things with joyRemembering that our heart is inclined toward that which we pay attention toHow micro-moments of mindfulness accumulate into lasting transformationBuilding new neural pathways through steady, repeated practiceLiving fully with both joy and difficulty instead of moving into denialEnsuring that we do not overlook that which will grow our spiritual wealthRealizing that both our feelings about a situation and the situation itself do not really matterWhy the Buddha wanted us to look deeply at our suffering and to question itTaking in the goodness of your very own beingThis recording was originally published on Dharmaseed.About Trudy Goodman:Trudy is a Vipassana teacher in the Theravada lineage and the Founding Teacher of InsightLA. For 25 years, in Cambridge, MA, Trudy practiced mindfulness-based psychotherapy with children, teenagers, couples and individuals. Trudy conducts retreats, engages in activism work, and teaches workshops worldwide and online. She is also the voice of Trudy the Love Barbarian in the Netflix series, The Midnight Gospel. You can learn more about Trudy’s flourishing array of wonderful offerings at TrudyGoodman.com“This took me so long to understand in my practice: that what I think about what’s happening doesn’t matter. Actually, what’s happening doesn’t even matter. All that matters is do we know it? Can we be with it without being hard on ourselves, shaming ourselves, blaming somebody else? All that matters is our quality of attention to it.” –Trudy GoodmanSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• Ep. 232 - Contentment On The Buddhist Path with Gil Fronsdal

  Connecting to the timelessness of the present moment, Gil Fronsdal offers practical steps towards the only source of true happiness: contentment.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.This time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Gil Fronsdal explores:Seeing the timeless present through photographs Enjoying the preciousness of our limited time here on earth How corporate, capitalist America prefers people who are discontentWhat the Buddha said about the vital importance of contentment How many desires often dissipate on their own if you ride them outThe ways in which desire alienates us from ourselves The embodied quality of contentment and being in touch with ourselvesFreedom in the Buddhist sense: freedom ‘from’ rather than freedom ‘to do’Cultivating contentment by valuing it and seeing it as an important part of lifeActivities which encourage contentment versus remaining franticFacing discontentment head-on so that it does not drive us This recording was originally published on Dharmaseed. “Contentment is a falling away of anxiety, restlessness, reaching forward, fear, being fragmented, and disconnected. It is a kind of settling. If we’re driven by desires, fears, preoccupations, or fantasies, often our energy, our center of attention, is upwelling in an unhealthy way. As we are contented, we feel the settling down, settling down into the center of gravity.” –Gil Fronsdal About Gil Fronsdal:Gil Fronsdal is the co-teacher for the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California; he has been teaching since 1990. He has practiced Zen and Vipassana in the U.S. and Asia since 1975. He was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985, and in 1989 began training with Jack Kornfield to be a Vipassana teacher. Gil teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where he is part of its Teachers Council. Gil was ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982, and in 1995 received Dharma Transmission from Mel Weitsman, the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. He currently serves on the SF Zen Center Elders’ Council. In 2011 he founded IMC’s Insight Retreat Center. He is the author of The Issue at Hand, essays on mindfulness practice; A Monastery Within; a book on the five hindrances called Unhindered; and the translator of The Dhammapada, published by Shambhala Publications. You may listen to Gil’s talks on Audio Dharma.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• Ep. 231 - Taming the Mind with Buddhist Martial Artist Damiano Seiryū Finizio and Vincent Moore

  Uncovering the deep connection between Buddhism and Martial Arts, Damiano Seiryū Finizio joins Vincent Moore to explore what it truly means to face our most powerful opponent: the mind.This conversation was originally recorded on Paths of Practice Podcast. Listen to more episodes HERE.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.This time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Damiano and Vincent discuss:What initially brought Damiano to Buddhism after growing up in Italy, a predominantly Catholic countryHow Buddhism can be harmonious with martial arts Working on self-development and mutual growth rather than sparring Maintaining perfect mental presence during times of physical discomfort Following the Buddhist precepts and adopting a vegan diet for the principal of no-harmMountains as natural energy centersDamiano’s global work and exposure to unique cultures in Vietnam, Cambodia, The Canary Islands, and moreBringing the message of peace, awareness, and compassion into the westDamiano’s advice for beginners walking the Buddhist pathAbout Damiano Seiryū Finizio:Damiano Finizio was born in Italy in 1992. He began practicing traditional Japanese martial arts in 2012, where he met the Buddhist monk Seiun, who transformed his curiosity for Eastern disciplines and philosophies into dedicated practice. In 2014, he officially took refuge in the Dharma at Tenryuzanji Temple, receiving the name Seiryu, symbolizing his deep bond with his teacher and the temple. Since 2020, he has been living and working in Spain as a hostel owner, while also working seasonally in Italy and Croatia as a trip leader during the warmer months. Despite his commitments, he remains an active member of the Tenryuzanji community and continues to participate in its activities whenever possible.For more information about Tenryuzanji Temple, please click HERE. To keep up with Damiano, visit his Instagram.“The advice is don’t do it yourself. It’s very likely to happen that you’re trying to tame your mind, but if you don’t know how to do it, most likely your mind will tame you and make you feel like you’re moving forward, but you’re just looking for comfort. This is why a teacher is important.“ –Damiano Seiryū FinizioAbout Vincent Moore:Vincent Moore is a creative and creative consultant living in San Francisco, California, with over a decade of experience in the entertainment industry and holds a graduate degree in Buddhist Studies. For years, he performed regularly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, an improv and sketch comedy theatre based in New York and Los Angeles. As an actor, Vincent performed on Comedy Central, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Seth Meyers, Above Average, and The UCB Show on Seeso. As a writer, he developed for television as well as stage, including work with the Blue Man Group, and his own written projects have been featured on websites such as Funny or Die. Additionally, he received a Masters of Buddhist Studies from the Institute of Buddhist Studies with a Certificate in Soto Zen Studies and engages in a personal Buddhist practice within the Soto Zen tradition. Vincent is also the creator and host of the podcast, Paths of Practice, which features interviews with Buddhists from all over the world. Learn more on Vincent’s website HERE.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• Ep. 230 - Psychedelic Peer Support, Ram Dass Explorer's Club with Joshua White and Jackie Dobrinska

  Founder of Fireside Project, Joshua White, reflects on becoming a ‘loving rock’ and how Ram Dass’s teachings sparked his creation of a psychedelic peer support line.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.This time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Joshua White outlines:How Joshua grew up feeling alienated from his Jewish rootsThe realization that we truly can just be observers of our own thoughtsThe inner knowing that there is more to this world Service as the highest form of psychedelic integrationBeing a ‘loving-rock’ for people in a psychedelic experienceBecoming an environment in which someone can come up for airConnecting with our sense of ‘enoughness’ rather than brokennessActive listening and simply showing up for another person as a loving witnessWelcoming all emotions and not referring to any as ‘wrong’About Joshua White:Joshua (he/him) is Fireside Project’s founder, the world's first psychedelic peer support line. He is a lawyer, peer support advocate, and psychedelic researcher who believes in the power of peer support and the role of support lines as foundational components of an equitable mental-health ecosystem.Prior to founding Fireside Project, Joshua volunteered for many years as a counselor on Safe & Sound’s TALK Line and a psychedelic peer support provider for the Zendo Project.Before devoting his life to the psychedelic field, Joshua spent more than a decade as a Deputy City Attorney at the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, where he focused on suing businesses exploiting vulnerable communities, serving as general counsel to City departments, and co-teaching a nationally renowned clinic at Yale Law School. He also clerked on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and practiced civil litigation at Conrad | Metlitzky | Kane. “Ram Dass’s experience encountering Maharaj-ji and having these magical experiences with him and all of the impact LSD and other psychedelics had on him, really showed me that these substances could be responsible tools for profound inner work.” –Joshua WhiteAbout The Host, Jackie Dobrinska:Jackie Dobrinska is the Director of Education, Community & Inclusion for Ram Dass’ Love, Serve, Remember Foundation and the current host of Ram Dass’ Here & Now podcast. She is also a teacher, coach, and spiritual director with the privilege of marrying two decades of mystical studies with 15 years of expertise in holistic wellness. As an inter-spiritual minister, Jackie was ordained in Creation Spirituality in 2016 and has also studied extensively in several other lineages – the plant-medicine-based Pachakuti Mesa Tradition, Sri Vidya Tantra, Western European Shamanism, Christian Mysticism, the Wise Woman Tradition, and others. Today, in addition to building courses and community for LSRF, she leads workshops and coaches individuals to discover, nourish and live from their most authentic selves. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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