CIIS Public Programs
Education & Explainer
About
This is a podcast for people who are curious about the world and themselves featuring talks and conversations presented by the Public Programs department of California Institute of Integral Studies, a non-profit university in San Francisco. Listen here or on your favorite podcast app to a diverse array of visionaries, artists, and scholars sharing compelling experiences, offering new perspectives, and expanding creative horizons.
Episodes
- Richard Tarnas: On Psychedelic Initiation in Postmodern Culture
Cultural historian Richard Tarnas discusses the historical context of the psychedelic awakening of the 1950s and 1960s, the work of Stanislav Grof and C. G. Jung, and the ongoing impact of psychedelics on modern civilization.
- Jonathan Mathias Lassiter: Notes from a Frustrated Black Psychologist
In this episode, psychologist Jonathan Lassiter joins Chevon Stewart to discuss the challenges Black psychologists encounter within the mental health system. They explore how white ideology has negatively impacted Black patients and Americ…
- Rowen White: On Indigenous Seedkeeping and Food Sovereignty
Seedkeeper Rowen White speaks with CIIS Associate Professor Michelle Glowa about Indigenous seedkeeping and food sovereignty. White emphasizes the importance of cultivating a culture of belonging within food systems to foster transformatio…
- Elizabeth Gilbert: On Love, Loss, and Breaking Free
Elizabeth Gilbert and psychotherapist Emily Marinelli discuss themes of love, loss, and personal awakening. The conversation was recorded at the Sydney Goldstein Theater on October 24th, 2025.
- Sundari Johansen & Anjali Rao: On Tantra, Yoga, and Embodied Resistance
Dr. Anna Corwin moderates a discussion between Dr. Sundari Johansen and Anjali Rao on Tantra and Yoga. The conversation delves into the rich histories and multifaceted nature of these practices, moving beyond common perceptions of exercise…
- Dr. Lucie Fielding: On A Pleasure-Centered Approach to Trans Sexualities
In her work, sex therapist and author Dr. Lucie Fielding seeks to move trans sexualities from the margins of gender-affirmative clinical practice to centering pleasure and sparking creativity and empathic attunement within the client-provi…
- Alka Arora, Jeanine M. Canty, and Sara H. Salazar: Multicultural Women’s Voices on Ecological and Social Healing
This is the CIIS Public Programs Podcast, featuring talks and conversations recorded live by California Institute of Integral Studies, a non-profit university located in San Francisco on unceded Ramaytush Ohlone Land. * It is possible to h…
- Ann Tashi Slater: On Embracing Impermanence
Life is perpetually, endlessly filled with change: new jobs and new loves, unfamiliar places and faces. And entwined in that change is loss: loss of what was or is, or what could have been. Amid this shifting landscape, author Ann Tashi Sl…
- Francis Weller: On Caring for Our Souls in Uncertain Times
In this episode, CIIS Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness professor Sean Kelly has a deep and fortifying conversation with psychotherapist and author Francis Weller. * Together they explore ways of moving together through the anxietie…
- Dr. Britt Frank: On Personal Transformation With Parts Work
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * Parts Work, also known as Internal Family Systems, developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, is a transfor…
- Dr. Rhaina Cohen: On the Power of Friendships
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * Why do we assume romantic relationships are more important than friendships? In this episode, clini…
- Dr. Manvir Singh: Understanding Shamanism
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * This is the CIIS Public Programs Podcast, featuring talks and conversations recorded live by Califo…
- John J. Prendergast: On Opening Your Deepest Ground
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * In Dr. John J. Prendergast’s decades of experience as a psychotherapist and spiritual teacher, the…
- Kazu Haga: On Fierce Vulnerability
We are living in a world where the depths of division, violence, and destruction can no longer be ignored. Escalated forms of harm require an equally escalated response. Yet social movements often use tactics that tend to escalate an “us v…
- Carla Fernandez: On Renegade Grief
This is the CIIS Public Programs Podcast, featuring talks and conversations recorded live by California Institute of Integral Studies, a non-profit university located in San Francisco on unceded Ramaytush Ohlone Land. * Shaped by her own e…
- Jennifer N. Levin: On Generation Care
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * More than 10 million millennials are caring for aging parents before they've been able to fully lau…
- Loretta J. Ross: How to Start Making Real Change With Those You’d Rather Cancel
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * A Black Feminist, activist, professor, and author, Loretta J. Ross has spent five remarkable decade…
- Jessica Lanyadoo: On Navigating Through the Astrology of These Times
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * In challenging times, it can be important to access a multitude of healing pathways, and we can use…
- Dean Spade: On Liberating Our Relationships for a Better World
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * Lifelong activist and educator Dean Spade dares us to decide that our interpersonal actions are not…
- Aida Mariam Davis: On Kindred Creation and Black Futures
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * In her work, author, organizer, and designer Aida Mariam Davis explores the historical and ongoing…
- Nicole Russell-Wharton: On Breaking Generational Silence
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * Generational silence is a term applied to families who have experienced suppressed thoughts or repr…
- Richard Tarnas: On Depth Psychology, Spirituality, and the Human Journey
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * This special episode features CIIS Professor Emeritus and cultural historian Richard Tarnas sharing…
- Dr. Debashish Banerji and Dr. Sara Granovetter: A Jungian and Zen Approach to the Untamed Self in the Ten Oxherding Pictures
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * The Ten Oxherding Pictures is an image series that visualizes the Buddhist training path to enlight…
- Rōshi Norma Wong: An Indigenous & Zen Perspective on Living Into a World Beyond Crisis
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * In this episode, 86th generation Zen master and Indigenous Hawaiian leader Rōshi Norma Wong is join…
- Sasha Sagan: For Small Creatures Such As We
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * As we approach the first season change of the year, we are finding ourselves inclined to revisit th…
- Michelle Tea: On Modern Magic
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * Michelle Tea is best known for her book, Modern Tarot, which is now a cult classic. Her latest book…
- Dr. Betty Martin: On the Wheel of Consent
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * For over 40 years somatic sex educator Dr. Betty Martin has explored the nuances of consent. In her…
- Joanna Ebenstein: On Befriending Death
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * Talking about death is often deemed morbid or taboo, but to fully embrace life, scientists, psychol…
- Lorraine Besser: On the Art of The Interesting
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * Emerging research in psychological and philosophical circles is showing us that there is more to th…
- Kari Grain: Critical Hope
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * Each person has a unique, ever-changing relationship to hope. Hope alone can be transformational—bu…
- Emily Marinelli: On Our Love of Movie Sequels from the ‘80s and ‘90s
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * When a film touches us, makes us laugh, and has that feel-good spirit, we want more of it. We want…
- Dr. Marie Thouin: On the Power of Positive Empathy in Consensual Non-Monogamy
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * In the context of non-monogamy, compersion or the emotion of positive empathy is understood as shar…
- Camille Sapara Barton: On Tending Grief
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * Majority cultural norms in the United States suppress our ability to truly feel our grief and each…
- Langston Kahn: On Shamanic Tools for Reclaiming Wholeness in a Culture of Trauma
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * In anticipation of our upcoming workshop exploring shamanic tools for liberating our true longing w…
- Tricia Rainwater: On Repairing Ties to Indigenous Ceremony and Culture Through Art
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * Choctaw multimedia artist Tricia Rainwater’s wide-ranging work is rooted in themes of identity and…
- Dr. Thema Bryant: On Trauma Recovery and Reclaiming Yourself
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * Dr. Thema Bryant is a psychologist and leading mental health expert with more than two decades of e…
- Prentis Hemphill: On What it Takes to Heal
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * As we continue to navigate years of collective upheaval, are there ways for us to face the complexi…
- Devon Price: Laziness Does Not Exist
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * This week, we are diving into our archives in preparation for the northern hemisphere’s upcoming wi…
- Dr. Roger Kuhn: On Two-Spirit Identity and the Body as a Portal to Freedom
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * What role does dominant culture play in how we experience the sensations, thoughts, feelings, and d…
- Peter Levine: On an Autobiography of Trauma
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * Renowned developer of Somatic Experiencing Dr. Peter A. Levine changed the way psychologists, docto…
- Bianca Laureano: Vital Voices From the Frontlines of Human Sexuality
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * Historically, the field of sexuality research in the United States has not included the experiences…
- Christopher Marmolejo: On Tarot and Divinatory Literacy for Liberation
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * Christopher Marmolejo is a Brown, queer, and trans writer, diviner, and educator who uses divinatio…
- Alice Wong and Mia Mingus: On Disability Intimacy
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * Alice Wong is an acclaimed disabled activist whose work and writing has shaped the modern conversat…
- Judith Orloff: On the Genius Of Empathy
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * Empathy is so much more than feeling deeply—it holds transformative power to heal ourselves, streng…
- Dr. Judy Ho: On the New Rules of Attachment
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * Did you know that attachment styles impact more than romantic relationships? As it turns out, most…
- Alexis Nikole Nelson: On Food Justice Through Foraging
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * Alexis Nikole Nelson aka Black Forager uses her platform to engage with millions—yelling, singing,…
- Layla K. Feghali: On the Land in Our Bones
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * This is the CIIS Public Programs Podcast, featuring talks and conversations recorded live by Califo…
- Ijeoma Oluo: On Being a Revolution
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes (see below) properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * In the #1 New York Times bestseller So You Want To Talk About Race, writer Ijeoma Oluo…
- Bayo Akomolafe: On Postactivism as a Pathway for Healing Ourselves and Our World
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes (see below) properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * Bayo Akomolafe is a posthumanist thinker, philosopher, poet, author and founder of the…
- Abigail Rose Clarke: On Returning Home to Our Bodies
Some podcast apps may not display links from our show notes (see below) properly, so we have included a list of links at the end of this description. * Writer and somatic facilitator Abigail Rose Clarke reminds us that truly meaningful emb…