Sam Stern (he/him) is a Senior Content Creator at Esalen and host of the million-download podcast Voices of Esalen,

where he’s interviewed voices shaping psychology, spirituality, and culture, including Sonya Renee Taylor, Michael Pollan, Bayo Akomolafe, and Stanislav Grof. His interview with Dr. Richard Schwartz, founder of Internal Family Systems therapy, is featured in Schwartz’s book No Bad Parts.

A dedicated historian of Esalen and of the human potential movement, Sam’s multimedia lectures on the history of altered states, the rise of the New Age, and Esalen’s global impact have reached wide audiences across disciplines. 

Sam is a cum laude graduate of Brown University, where he received the William J. Weston Award for excellence in Film and Video. His MFA in Critical Studies and Integrated Media at CalArts fostered a sensibility of critical literacy and creative experimentation uniquely befitting today’s unfolding moment in AI. 

At Esalen, he frequently teaches on human-centered AI, guiding others to approach emergent technologies with curiosity, critical thinking, and play.