New Dimensions

Leffers explores consciousness through Spiral Dynamics reimagined as “facets” rather than hierarchy, from survival and belonging to care and authentic living, each with love-based gifts and fear-based shadows, and highlights practices like meditation to support this unfolding. Regina Leffers, Ph.D. is the retired Director of the Center of Excellence for the Built Environment, and Professor of Sustainable Construction for the College of Engineering at Purdue University in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Her undergraduate degrees are in Psychology and Philosophy, and her doctoral degree is in Philosophy from Purdue University. She teaches classes on consciousness and meditation and has practiced meditation since 1980. She is the author of: Sustainable Construction and Design (Pearson 2009), I Am A Miracle Magnet: (In Ten Easy Steps) (CreateSpace 2016), The Green Age: Transforming Your Life Choices for the 21st Century (Green Age Press 2011), What Is Consciousness (Regina Leffers 2019), Rethinking the Heart of Being Human (CreateSpace 2013), My Darling: Memoirs of a Buddha Girl (Regina Leffers 2023) and This Is Consciousness (Regina Leffers 2025) Interview Date: 12/5/2025 Tags: Regina Leffers, consciousness, facets of consciousness, Spiral Dynamics, levels of consciousness, love and fear, brainwaves, alpha brainwave, forgiveness, gratitude, trauma and healing, abusive father, neurofeedback, meditation, heart–brain coherence, HeartMath, empathy, belonging, individuation, compliance, risk and reindividuate, care and empathy, authentic living, connectivity, synchronicity, spiritual growth, self-development, polarization, othering, Religion, Science, Spirituality, Personal Transformation

We’re immersed in a universe of invisible energy fields, like swimmers in a vast ocean. Often beyond awareness, these forces shape and are shaped by us. This dialogue explores the Personal, Social, and Noetic fields and how conscious awareness of them helps us create a more just and compassionate world. Alan Briskin, Ph.D. earned his doctorate in organizational psychology and is a pioneer in the field of organizational learning. He is co-founder of the Collective Wisdom Initiative and has been consultant to many large corporations including Lucasfilm, Sutter Health, Kaiser Permanente, and the Goi Peace Foundation. His books include: The Stirring of Soul in the Workplace (Berrett-Koehler 1998),The Power of Collective Wisdom and the Trap of Collective Folly (co-authors, Sheryl Erickson, Tom Callanan, and John Ott)(Berrett-Koehler 2009) and Daily Miracles: Stories and Practices of Humanity and Excellence in Health Care (co-author Jan Boller) (Sigma Theta Tau International; 1st edition 2006) Mary V. Gelinas, Ed.D. is an organizational development consultant devoted to the art of conscious social change. As an educator and consultant with more than forty years of experience working in brain research, contemplative practices, social psychology, and systems thinking. Her organizational redesign projects focus on innovative and inclusive solutions for business, government, health care, and education, for such diverse clients as the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is the author of: Talk Matters: Saving the World One Word at a Time. (Friesen Press 2026) Briskin and Gelinas are the co-authors of Space is Not Empty: How Hidden Fields Are Shaping Your Life and Our World (Friesen Press 2025) Interview Date: 11/14/2025 Tags: Alan Briskin, Mary V. Genlinas, Personal fields, Social fields, Noetic fields, wondering, curiosity, David Bohm, Carl Rogers, shifting the norm, fields are permeable, group disruption, noticing, certainty, uncertainty, body wisdom, Personal Transformation, Psychology, Science, Social Change/Politics

Parry reminds us of the subtle, ancient longing of the soul calling for reunion and wholeness, and that love exists beyond the veils of time and dances outside the confines of space. He unveils the secret: Western time moves like an arrow, whereas Indigenous wisdom traces a circle, an eternal spiral where every place is holy ground and every moment pulses with presence. Glenn Aparicio Parry, Ph.D. is an educator, an ecopsychologist, and an author known for integrating indigenous wisdom and holistic thinking into contemporary society. He is the founder and past president of Seed Institute, where he facilitated landmark dialogues between Native American elders and Western scientists. He currently serves as president of The Circle For Original Thinking and host of its weekly podcast. His books include Original Thinking: A Radical Revisioning Of Time, Humanity And Nature (North Atlantic Books 2015), Original Politics: Making America Sacred Again (SelectBooks 2020), and Original Love: The Timeless Source Of Wholeness.(SelectBooks 2026) Interview Date: 10/10/2025 Tags: Glenn Aparicio Parry, Grandfather Leon Secatero, Jean Gebser, Greek myth of Eros, Psyche, love, Descartes, Isaac Newton, rational thought, original love, Dan Moonhawk Alford, linear perspective of time, forest bathing, strife, Empedocles, Marcellus “Bear Heart” Williams, magical mind, psychokinesis, feminine wisdom, forest bathing, moon rituals, two-eyed seeing, gratitude, photos of Earth from space, grief, loss, Personal Transformation, Psychology, Indigenous Wisdom

This deep dialogue explores the shift from traditional economic metrics like GDP to regenerative economics, emphasizing interconnectedness and living systems. Fullerton and Cox discuss the need to move from extractive to exchange-based economies, highlighting the importance of right relationships and resilience over efficiency. John Fullerton is the founder and president of Capital Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming finance and economics to serve life and the planet through “Regenerative Economics”. In 2001, he walked away from a two-decade career at JPMorgan, where he served as Managing Director and oversaw capital markets, derivatives, and investment businesses globally, including acting as Chief Investment Officer for Lab Morgan. LLC. Now, besides his work at Capital Institute, Fullerton is a member of the Club of Rome and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Savory Institute, dedicated to regenerating the World’s Grasslands. He’s the author of several books including: Regenerative Economics: Revolutionary Thinking for a World in Crisis (2025 New Society Publishers) Faye Cox is the founder of Hourbooks Press, a small independent publisher that creates short books—each designed to be read in about an hour. Hourbooks is dedicated to sharing essential knowledge that fosters positive change in the world. Cox has a Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Oxford, and has two decades of leadership roles in systems change design. John Fullerton and Faye Cox are collaborators on Regenerative Economics: Creating Conditions for Health & Abundance on a Living Planet. (Hourbooks Press 2025) Interview Date: 10/3/2025 Tags: John Fullerton, Faye Cox, Hourbooks Press, complexity, symbiosis, circular economics, cradle to cradle economics, Regenesis Group, Bob Ulanowicz, Money/Economics, Ecology/Nature/Environment, Community

Michael Cepress is a "triple citizen of the arts," engaged in performing arts, visual arts, and fashion design. He invites us to recognize the limitless potential for good that emerges when artistic expression serves and uplifts the greater good, weaving diverse forms of art into purposeful community action. Michael Cepress is a multidisciplinary artist celebrated for his dynamic creativity—he is a musician, a storyteller and poet, a craftsman, a designer, and a cultural curator. In addition to his musical talents he has excelled in textile arts and fashion design, with exhibitions of his work showcased internationally. Michael recognizes the boundless potential for good that arises when artistic expression serves and uplifts the greater good, weaving together the varied forms of art into purposeful community action. Interview Date: 9/11/2025. Tags: Michael Cepress, Native Funk and Flash, Alexandra Jacopetti Hart, Richard Rohr, Swami Kriyananda, quilting, fashion, Art & Creativity

This physicist and mystic combine their wisdom and experience to encourage us at this time of “choice point” for humanity. They describe what occurs in our brain when surprises happen and how that provides the opportunity to instantly change a long-standing habit. Hade describes the importance of knowing our core values in order to be resilient. William Arntz is a physicist and filmmaker and creator of the film, “What the BLEEP Do We Know!?” Deirdre Hade is a modern-day mystic, poet and leading visionary in the ancient arts of the wisdom traditions, and creator of “The Radiance Journey” a path to mystical knowledge that unites the magical with the material. Together, husband and wife team William Arntz and Deidre Hade explore how science merges with mystical prophecy to help us navigate the upheaval and ever-changing surprises in these post-modern times. Arntz and Hade are the co-creators of the book: The (not so) Little Book of Surprises (Waterside Press2016), with the award winning photography of Endre Balogh. Interview Date: 9/5/2017 Tags: Deirdre Hade, William Arntz, What The Bleep Do We Know, illumination, mysticism, scientism, curiosity, intuition, Sodom and Gomorrah, faith, Age of Surprises, habits, neuroplasticity, resilience, core virtues, core values, despair, fear, awe, soul, angelic presence, archangels, Philosophy, Science, Spirituality, intuition/psychic

Karma is incompletely understood and frequently misapplied. For those who wish to understand karmic law more deeply, here we explore the parallels between different spiritual traditions, spiritual insights, and doctrines regarding karma, as they relate to individual responsibility for leading our best lives. Philip Goldberg is an acclaimed author, public speaker, and spiritual counselor. He has studied and taught about the world's spiritual wisdom for more than 50 years. Goldberg teaches private online courses on the Bhagavad-Gita, The Upanishads, and other topics. He hosts the Podcast, “Spirit Matters with Philip Goldberg” at mindbodyspirit.fm. His books include American Veda: from Emerson to the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation, How Indian Spirituality Changed the West (Harmony 2010), The Life of Yogananda: The Story of the Yogi Who Became the First Modern Guru (Hay House 2018), Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times: Powerful Tools to Cultivate Calm, Clarity, and Courage (Hay House 2020) and Karmic Relief: Harnessing the Laws of Cause-and-Effect for a Joyful Meaningful Life (Monkfish 2025) Interview Date: 8/8/2025 Tags: Philip Goldberg, consequences, Upanishads, Vedanta, Bhagavad Gita, Book of Job, H.H. the Dalai Lama, Ram Dass, Hinduism. Metta Practice, Yoga Sutras, The Golden Rule, Rabbi Hillel, Aquarian Age, Armageddon, Buddhism, Personal Transformation, Psychology

Sam Daley-Harris provides powerful structures of support so that our courage is what drives us, not our fear. He encourages us to move beyond only donating money, signing petitions, or writing letters to the editor. He tells us that deep effectiveness in citizen advocacy is about deep engagement and participating in a cause that you care about. Daley-Harris founded RESULTS and the RESULTS Educational Fund in 1980. RESULTS is an international grassroots, citizen’s lobby committed to healing the break between people and government, and creating the political will to end hunger and the worst aspects of poverty. He is the author of Reclaiming Our Democracy: Every Citizen’s Guide to Transformational Advocacy (revised edition) (Rivertown Books 2024) Interview Date: 8/1/2025 Tags: Sam Daley-Harris, Alex Steffin, citizen engagement, deep listening, grassroots lobbying, community building, climate change, citizen empowerment, legislative advocacy, Marshall Ganz, Rusty Schweickart, Hunger Project, deep listening, Vintage Vanguard, affordable housing, low-income housing, U.N. Children's Fund, Senator John Curtis, Tom Greenaway, Ellie Sparks, Citizens Climate Lobby, Bill McKibben, Community, Personal Transformation, Social Change/Politics

Cousineau explores how perfectionism leads to burnout, stress, and anxiety. She introduces the concept of "inner algorithms" as coping patterns formed in stressful situations. She advocates for a mind-body approach to overcoming perfectionism, highlighting the importance of self-compassion and the EVOLVE method. Tara Cousineau, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist at Harvard University’s Counseling and Mental Health Services. She’s professionally trained in mind-body medicine, energy psychology, mindfulness, self-compassion, and other psychological methods. She is the author of The Kindness Cure: How The Science Of Compassion Can Heal Your Heart And Your World (New Harbinger Publications 2018) and The Perfectionist’s Dilemma: Learn the Art of Self Compassion and Become a Happy Achiever (Alcove Press 2025) Interview Date: 7/18/2025 Tags: Tara Cousineau, Kindfulness, kindsight, joy, social media, procrastination, mindfulness, inner algorithms, Byron Katie, talk therapy, body therapy, IFS, Internal Family Systems, Richard C Schwartz, procrastination, Scarlett O’Hara, Tara Brach, mantras, Rick Hanson, Donna Eden, EFT. Emotional Freedom Technique, “Tapping,” Personal Transformation, Psychology

Are we living in and collectively participating in a planetary nervous system? Are we all creative participants guiding Earth’s destiny? Here, we focus on the noosphere, which represents the third major evolutionary layer enveloping Earth, following the geosphere (inanimate matter) and the biosphere (biological life). Brian Thomas Swimme, Ph.D. is Professor of Evolutionary Cosmology at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. He is the Director of the Third Story of the Universe at The Human Energy Project He is the host of the Emmy-award winning PBS special "Journey of the Universe," written with Mary Evelyn Tucker. He is also the host of the 35-part video series "Story of the Noosphere," created for the Human Energy Project. Monica DeRaspe-Bolles is a doctoral student at the California Institute of Integral Studies in the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness program. Her area of research is the “Third Story of the Universe” and the potential emergence of a new structure of experience fostering cosmogenic awakening. She is a collaborator with Brian Swimme on the video series “Story of the Noosphere.” They are the co-authors of the book The Story of the Noosphere (Orbis Books 2024) Interview Date: 7/11/2025 Tags: Brian Thomas Swimme, Monica DeRaspe-Bolles, Noosphere, geosphere, biosphere, James Webb telescope, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Vladimir Vernadsky, Jiffy time, Arno Penzias, Robert Wilson, universal mind, planetary mind, Zarathustra, entelechy, diversification, conscious recall, Personal Transformation, Philosophy, Science, Community

Alderman highlights the rapid expansion of information exposure over the past 50 years, leading to an "algorithmic undertow" that channels individuals into echo chambers. Here we explore how to become digitally mature and mindfully intentional in our engagement with the increasingly fragmented social landscape. Bruce Alderman, MA, is an affiliate faculty professor at John F. Kennedy University in the Consciousness and Transformative Studies and Holistic Counseling Psychology departments. He is the Associate Director of the Blue Sky Leaders Certificate Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies His essays and white papers have been published in many prestigious publications and anthologies on consciousness studies, and he is co-creator, producer, and occasional host of the YouTube series The Integral Stage. Interview Date: 6/13/2025 Tags: Bruce Alderman, Penn Gillette, algorithmic undertow, echo chambers, information bubbles, Roy Bhaskar, demi realities, critical realism, digital realities, Bohemian dialog, David Bohm, Jainism, Anekāntavāda, non one-sidedness, non one-pointedness. critical realism, integral theory, Ken Wilber, integral theory, Personal Transformation, Philosophy, Psychology, technology

Mindfulness is not about holding the busy world at bay, it’s to cultivate a more alive, responsive, effective and warm-hearted way of being within the world as it already exists and within a life you already live. This deep dialogue explores how to find composure right in the midst of the storm and ways to integrate mindfulness into our daily life.Marc Lesser’s books include Less: Accomplishing More by Doing Less (New World Library 2009), Know Yourself, Forget Yourself (New World Library 2013) and Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader: Lessons From Google and a Zen Monastery Kitchen (New World Library 2019). Interview Date: 6/7/2019 Tags: MP3, Marc Lesser, mindfulness, Norman Fischer, Tassajara Zen Center, Macmindfulness, loving kindness, sympathetic joy, listening, Michael Pollan, self-sufficient, collaboration, acceptance, simplicity, radical responsibility for yourself, Shunryu Suzuki Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, blame, showing up, compassion, Robert Gass, ground truth, Meditation, Philosophy, Personal Transformation, Buddhism, Work/Livelihood

Sun explores breaking the cycles of fear and hurt by making conscious choices and connecting to one's own power and intuition. She sees current global challenges as indicators of an evolutionary leap in consciousness urging us to explore the integration of intuitive and rational thinking, also known as right brain/left brain thinking. Patricia Sun is a scientific mystic, philosopher, spiritual teacher, and consciousness pioneer. She has traveled the world empowering people to tap into their inherent creative capacity, resulting in new ways of thinking. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 3-1/2 years from the University of California, Berkeley, with degrees in Social Sciences and Psychology and Conservation and Natural Resources. She concentrates directly on creative solutions: "re-creating" thought patterns and "re-perceiving" experience. She’s considered to be a teacher's teacher and leads workshops and gives private consultations. Interview Date: 5/23/2025. Tags: Patricia Sun, genius, imagination, interconnectedness of life, paradox, rational mind, intuition, right brain, left brain, perspective, despair, collective consciousness, astrology, Niels Bohr, love, imaginal cells, duality, creativity, either/or thinking, trust, Health & Healing, Personal Transformation, Philosophy, Psychology

Guzmán shares her personal experience of growing up in a politically divided family. She highlights the need for in-person interactions, attention, and containment in dialogues. She also discusses the role of media in perpetuating polarization and the potential for small-scale conversations to impact larger institutions like politics and media. Mónica Guzmán is a journalist and entrepreneur and is the Senior Fellow for Public Practice at Braver Angels, a grassroots, cross partisan, organization working to depolarize America. She is cofounder of the newsletter The Evergrey out of Seattle Washington and is the proud liberal daughter of conservative parents and is a dual US/Mexican citizen. She is the author of I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times (BenBella Books 2022). Interview Date: 5/15/2025 Tags: Mónica Guzmán, listening, storytelling, uncertainty, assumption, biases, curiosity, Murial Rukeyser, Braver Angels, depolarizing America, attention, attention economy, Personal Transformation, Social Change/Politics, Community

There are no shortcuts in navigating growing older. As we pass into the second half of our lives, we will face the challenge of accepting the forces of limitation. The reality of aging is that it is an apprenticeship into life with the invitation of new ways of seeing, feeling, and being. Here we explore the challenges and gifts of growing older. Mark Nepo is a poet and philosopher and a most eloquent spiritual teacher. In 2015 he was given a Life-Achievement Award by AgeNation and in 2016 was named by Watkins Mind Body Spirit as one of the Most Spiritually Influential Living People. He was part of Oprah Winfrey’s The Life You Want Tour in 2014 and has appeared several times with Oprah on her Super Soul Sunday program on OWN TV. As a cancer survivor, Mark devotes his writing and teaching to the journey of inner transformation and the life of relationship. Mark Nepo is the author of many audio learning projects and over 20 books Interview Date: 5/9/2025 Tags: Mark Nepo, aging, curiosity, limitations, Odyssey, Odysseus, Helen Luke, Tiresias, position of mastery, confidence, aging dog, Claude Monet, Personal Transformation, Philosophy, Community, Death & Dying

Design experts explore how we can engage with uncertainty and shape the future with clarity, creativity, and intention. Drawing from their work at Stanford’s d.school and their book Assembling Tomorrow, they offer tools for navigating rapid technological change while anchoring our creations in empathy, responsibility, and hope. Carissa Carter is the academic director at Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (the d.school) and a former geologist. Her work focuses on systems thinking, climate innovation, and design futures. Scott Doorley is the creative director at Stanford’s d.school. He has worked at the intersection of storytelling, physical space, and creative education, and has a background in film and media. They are co-authors of Assembling Tomorrow: A Guide to Designing a Thriving Future Interview Date: 4/4/2025 Tags: Carissa Carter, Scott Doorley, design, future, innovation, creativity, ethics, emotion, healing, runaway design, AI, synthetic biology, maps, metaphors, empathy, humility, Michael Bierut, Antonio Damasio, Gregory Bateson, Creativity, Philosophy, Technology, Design Thinking, Systems Thinking