This week's episode is a special one. Voices of Esalen host Sam Stern is joined by Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond, both brilliant writers and co-hosts of the podcast Dear Sugar Radio, an existentialist and compassionate take on the age-old form of the advice column.

Cheryl Strayed is well known for her memoir, the #1 New York Times bestseller Wild, which was made into a feature film released in 2014. She is also the author of Tiny Beautiful Things, Torch, and Brave Enough.

Steve Almond is the author of CandyFreak, My Life in Heavy Metal, God Bless America, and many other terrific books.

In their far-ranging conversation with Sam, Cheryl and Steve share their wisdom and convey their understanding of writing as an exploration of human nature and human experience.

Music for this episode is from Weinland - the track is Hardly Worth Saving used under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.

Mark Whitwell is a brilliant yogi and an impassioned teacher, the student of Krishnamacharya, and an all-around funny, sweet, wonderful dude. I was privileged enough to sit with him for an afternoon, hear him play his sitar, and speak about many topics, chief among them his book, The Promise of Love, Sex, and Intimacy: How a Simple Breathing Practice Will Enrich Your Life Forever.

Our music today is Jason Shaw's "Running Waters", licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License.

"The purpose of THE MAX is to discover yourself beyond who you know yourself to be. It is a voyage through your own humanity—a journey to discover the extent of your self-expressive power."

Paula Shaw has been leading a workshop called "The Max" at Esalen for nearly 30 years. Today, we talk to her about the roots of The Max, touching upon her history with est and her experiences with the Actor's Theater of New York.

The music for this episode is Sleep Seeds by Graham Bole from the album "First New Day," licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.

Ian-Michael Hébert, Property Development Manager at Esalen Institute, comes aboard to talk to host Sam Stern about the state of Esalen's campus renewal project, the challenges and triumphs of sustainable building, and plans for the future.

They discuss Stanislav Grof's holotropic breathing, shamanic portals, perinatal matrices, re-experiencing one's own birth, fatherhood and how amazing it is, visions of a post-capitalistic society, intergenerational alchemy, Ian-Michael's admiration for Dick Price and the Murphy family, his roots in the wilds of Alaska, Esalen as a refuge for revolutionaries, and much more.

The music for this episode is Dave Depper's All the Pieces Come Together, licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.

Dr. Sam Berne is known internationally as a pioneer in vision science, integrative health, and subtle energy therapies. He has developed innovative methods for healing the mind-body-spirit through eye therapy.

In this episode, Dr. Berne talks through a process and offers concrete techniques to host Sam Stern to strengthen his vision, while exploring somato-emotional territory.

"When you can engage the powerful feelings of others without the need to control or tame them, that’s radical aliveness."

Ann Bradney is the founder and director of the Radical Aliveness Institute, where she facilitates challenging and exciting work that asks individuals to be fully present and honest to their energy and emotions.

"When you can learn to hold a space where conflict and challenge are welcome because they serve as doorways to fresh insights, that’s also radical aliveness."

The music for this episode is VYVCH's Barely Baked, included under an Attribution-NonCommercial License.

Susan Collin Marks is an internationally renowned peacemaker and peacekeeper. She's worked for nearly three decades forging peace, including in her native South Africa, where she worked intimately with the nation's transition from apartheid after the release of Nelson Mandela from prison. Additionally, she has helped facilitate ongoing dialogue in the Middle East and established peace-building programs in Africa. Honors include a Peace Fellowship at the United States Institute for Peace, the Institute for Noetic Science’s Creative Altruism award, a Skoll Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurship, President Jimmy Carter’s Waging Peace Award, and an Honorary Doctorate from the UN University of Peace.

Susan is also an outstandingly warm and generous person. Our conversation was far-ranging, and included her insights into how peace functions on a personal level, as well as her history with Esalen Institute.

The music for this episode is Siesta by Jahzzar, licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 International License.

Julie Szabo is the coordinator of Web of Change, an organization dedicated to examining the influence of escalating technology on the movement of social change. We spoke about many issues pursuant to being an activist in today's changing landscape, including increased racial diversity, the need for conscious self-care, a diversification of critical issues, the death of click-bait and the return to long-form, and much more.

Music for this episode is 3 to the 6 to the 0 by Velella Vellella, licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.

Michaela Boehm is a teacher and clinician specializing in deep intimacy and the art of maintaining healthy polarity within self and relationship.

She received a formal, classical Tantric education from a female teacher in a Kashmiri Shaivism tradition from the age of 16. She is also the co-founder of a Malibu celebrity drug rehabilitation center, and for 13 years has taught with David Deida.

This conversation is a lot of fun, and touches upon Michaela's life and her ten-year marriage, the possibility of healthy sexual media, polygamy and its pitfalls, and ways to maintain a healthy balance with a partner.

The theme song for this episode is Daily Beetle by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0.

Look for upcoming workshops with Michaela Boehm.

Dr. Rick Hanson, author of Buddha's Brain and Hardwiring Happiness joins us to discuss neuroscience, love, happiness, and wisdom.

We get into a wealth of topics, including neuroplasticity, contentment, mindfulness, and basic practices that can enable us to better find happiness.

Theme music from Bensound.com.