Wonderstruck
Wonderstruck is a podcast about awe and wonder, exploring experiences that are profoundly moving, humbling, and uncanny. Hosted by psychologist and yoga teacher Elizabeth Rovere, it features conversations with scientists, shamans, philosophers, poets, mystics, and experiencers. The show delves into questions about consciousness, being, and reality, treating mystery as a place for transformation. It aims to reveal a world wilder and stranger than imagined.
Episodes
33: Hiroko Yoda on What Japanese Spirituality Can Teach Us About Happiness
When her mother died, Hiroko Yoda was brought to her knees. What pulled her back was something that had been there all along, the ancient spiritual traditions of her home country, Japan. What followed was a decade-long journey through shrines and temples, sacred mountains, and waterfalls, culminating in her latest book, Eight Million Ways to Happiness.The title comes from an ancient Japanese idea:
32: The Secret Lives of Plants and Fungi with Merlin Sheldrake and Zoë Schlanger
If we understood the true complexity of the natural world, would we call it conscious? Would we begin to question the boundaries we put between ourselves and everything around us?We explore these questions with biologist Merlin Sheldrake and science journalist Zoë Schlanger. Their bestselling books, "Entangled Life" and "The Light Eaters", required monk-like study and deep immersion in the natural
31: Mystic Poet Chelan Harkin on Poetry, Prayer and Unlocking Creative Flow
Mystic poet Chelan Harkin doesn't write poems, she transmits them. At 21, after giving herself permission to write a "bad poem" every day, a creative channel cracked open and poems have flowed through her ever since. Her work has drawn comparisons to Rumi, Hafiz and Khalil Gibran. Poets whose words slip beneath the thinking mind to reach something deeper, older and more alive within us.
30: Daoist Teacher George Thompson on What Tai Chi Taught Him About Anxiety
Can a mountain teach us how to live in peace? In his early twenties, George Thompson was living with intense anxiety and a deep sense of meaninglessness. His body carried constant tension, and the voice in his head told him that he was not good enough. That crisis became the catalyst for a decision that would change the direction of his life.George travelled alone to China’s sacred Wudang Mountain
29: Psychoanalyst Macario Giraldo on How the Unconscious Shapes Our Lives
From a coffee farm in rural Colombia to the psychoanalytic couch, Macario Giraldo has spent his life listening for the quiet forces that shape a human life: language, loss, desire, and love.At the age of ten, Macario left his family to join the La Salle Christian Brothers, a Catholic religious order that would become his home for the next twenty-five years. Beneath the structure of faith and vocat
28: Dr. Monica Gagliano on How Plants Know Things We Don’t
Plants are our ancient teachers, whispering and nudging… if only we’d listen. Dr. Monica Gagliano is an evolutionary ecologist who has turned the green world into something wonderfully surprising. Her research reveals plants that listen, remember, make choices and even teach one another. Some can sense eclipses before they happen. Others communicate in ways we’re only just beginning to catch up wi
27: Psychotherapist Mark Vernon on the Meaning Crisis and Rediscovering the Sacred
Mark Vernon is a former priest turned psychotherapist who has spent the last 30 years exploring one central question: how do we find meaning in a secular age?After a crisis of faith pulled him away from the Church’s inner sanctum in his youth, Mark turned to Plato and Jung in pursuit of a deeper understanding of purpose, connection, and the soul. Today, his writing bridges ancient philosophy, reli
26: Philosopher Bayo Akomolafe - Beyond Fixing the World: Embracing the Cracks and Creating Sanctuary
What if the cracks in our world aren't flaws, but thresholds into the unknown? In this episode of Wonderstruck, we sit with philosopher, poet, and playful trickster Bayo Akomolafe. Bayo's vision invites us to linger in mystery rather than rush to solutions. He takes us into the unfolding terrain of post-activism, where possibility, not certainty, becomes our guide.In this conversation, we explore:
25: Mycologist Giuliana Furci - Fungi Will Change How You See the World
Fungi are everywhere. Under our feet, in our food, in our medicines. Yet they remain one of the most overlooked kingdoms of life. In this episode of Wonderstruck, we speak to mycologist Giuliana Furci, a self-taught champion for fungi and founder of the first NGO in the world dedicated to fungal conservation, the Fungi Foundation. She reveals how mushrooms shape ecosystems, inspire culture, a
24: Jeffrey Kripal - Embracing the Impossible: Ontological Shock and the Extraordinary
A lot of what Jeffrey Kripal writes about and explores doesn’t fit into our current worldview. A professor at Rice University, where he holds the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought, Jeff specializes in extreme religious experiences, a new comparativism in the study of religion, the paranormal, and the extraordinary dimensions of human existence. He helped create the groundb
23: Diane Goldner - I Didn’t Believe in Energy Healing... Until It Worked
What if pain wasn’t just a problem to fix, but a portal to something deeper?Diane Goldner didn’t set out to become a healer. As an investigative journalist writing for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, she approached energy healing with the sharp eye of a skeptic, ready to expose what didn’t hold up. But instead, she found something that flipped her world upside down. Today, she
22: Dr. Iain McGilchrist and John Cleese - Laughter is the Heart of Life
John Cleese and Dr. Iain McGilchrist are good friends who share a deep appreciation for the power of humor and a fascination with neuroscience and consciousness. McGilchrist recalls falling asleep laughing at an episode of Fawlty Towers—only to wake up the next morning still laughing.Cleese has spent a lifetime using humor not just to entertain but to challenge rigid thinking, expose absurdities,
21: Dr. Àlex Gómez-Marín - Tuning into the Edges of Consciousness
A lot of what Dr. Alex Gomez-Marin explores challenges the boundaries of traditional science. A physicist and neuroscientist, Alex leads the Behavior of Organisms Laboratory at the Instituto de Neurociencias in Alicante, Spain, and serves as the director of the Pari Center in Italy. His groundbreaking work spans neuroscience, physics, and the study of consciousness, with a focus on what he calls “
20: Vandana Shiva - From Soil to Soul: "We are not separate from nature; we are nature."
Vandana Shiva is not just an activist, she is a visionary, a force of nature, and a firebrand for a world in crisis. She doesn’t merely challenge the mechanistic view of life; she dismantles it with the precision of a physicist and the passion of a poet. In its place, she offers something far more powerful: a universe alive with intelligence, diversity, and self-organization. This is a cosmos wher
19: Zentatsu Richard Baker Roshi And Tatsudo Nicole Baden Roshi - Shifting Perception To Change The World
For Wonderstruck's Season 2 finale, host Elizabeth Rovere introduces a special conversation between Zentatsu Richard Baker Roshi, one of Zen's leading voices, and his Dharma Successor and Dharma Sangha colleague Tatsudo Nicole Baden Roshi. The mentor-protégé duo display their compassion and respect for one another while introducing vital ideas about navigating existence, seeking connecti
18: Robert Peng - The Making Of A Qigong Master
Healer, author and world-renowned qigong master Robert Peng traces his singular journey and shares stories about the teacher that changed his life. Recovering from a childhood illness during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, Peng started apprenticing with a legendary monk named Xiao Yao. Having witnessed and learned from his master’s extraordinary, and seemingly supernatural pow
17: Emma Mumford - Surrendering Into Serenity And Manifestation
Emma Mumford is the best-selling author of Hurt, Healing, Healed, and Spiritual Queen, and host of Spiritual Queen’s Badass Podcast. There, she covers topics like manifestation, out of body experiences, The Law of Attraction and processing trauma. Emma’s own spiritual awakening came as a surprise. She had found professional success after years of personal struggle, becoming a p
16: William Robert - Confronting Tragedy, Confronting Ourselves
What do you want? Who are you bound to? Who are you, really? And what will you do when faced with difficult decisions? These are some of the questions at the heart of religion and tragedy, dramas about extreme situations, impossible choices, and their consequences. William Robert, a professor of religion at Syracuse University, studies religion by studying tragedies, since both ask the same kinds
15: Dr. Sue Morter - Awaken To The Truth Of Who You Are
Seeking relief from her migraine headaches, Dr. Sue Morter turned to meditation. As a new meditator, 24 years ago, she sat down to meditate as part of a group. As she followed along chanting a mantra, her mind was stilled and she was instantaneously transported into a higher state of consciousness, that she explains "was completely altered from where we operate on a daily basis." Dr
14: Tatsudo Nicole Baden Roshi - Embracing Zen And The Path To Shared Aliveness
Nicole Baden's life in Zen began with a crisis. She was 17, overwhelmed and felt she may not survive. With help from her father, and her own intuition, Nicole looked for relief in the form of her 18th birthday gift: a trip to a Zen meditation retreat. Hoping to quiet her existential dread, what Nicole took away from that trip was even greater. It set her on a path that would entirely change h
13: Michael Murphy - Esalen's Wild West And The Pursuit Of A Greater Consciousness
In 1950, a 19-year-old Stanford University sophomore named Michael Murphy had a serendipitous encounter that changed his life. Murphy had prepared to sit through more of his pre-med coursework. Instead, he wound up in a lecture hall where the great religions scholar and professor Frederic Spiegelberg delivered a message that shook Murphy to his core, altering his
12: Doctor John Douillard - Magical Vision, Biophotons, And The Life-Changing Power Of Ayurveda
Doctor John Douillard is one of the world’s foremost natural health experts and a leading voice in the fields of Ayurveda and sports medicine. As a certified ayurvedic practitioner, John draws from ancient Indian medical knowledge and cutting edge medical research to treat the ailments of the modern world. A prolific author, podcaster and YouTube presence, millions of viewers have watche
11: Radha Agrawal - The More We Participate, The More We Belong
Visionary creator of communities and author of the book Belong, Radha Agrawal is the co-founder and CEO of Daybreaker, a one of a kind wellness movement and gathering of sunrise dancers that has held extraordinary events on five continents—for almost half a million people, including Oprah—over the course of the last ten years. While integrating music, movement and community, all in
10: Sravana Borkataky-Varma - Tantra's Truths And Secrets
Focusing on esoteric rituals, gender and bodies in Hindu traditions, Sravana Borkataky-Varma is a research fellow at Harvard Divinity School, an instructional assistant professor of Comparative Cultural Studies at the University of Houston, and sits on the Board of Trustees at Esalen Institute. From early childhood, Sravana experienced both clairvoyance and clairaudience. She sees and hears things
09: Father Francis Tiso Part 2 - Light, Death, And Mystical Ecstasy
In Father Francis Tiso’s second Wonderstruck sit-down with host, Elizabeth Rovere, he reveals more about his Himalayan adventure and gets personal about his own experiences with wonder and awe. From visions of Jesus Christ, to encountering holy visitors in his dreams, Father Tiso shares how his own spiritual practices, and his pursuit of wisdom, prepare him to embody and understand different level
08: Father Francis Tiso Part 1 - Becoming A Rainbow And Other Transcendent Encounters
Father Francis Tiso, a Catholic Priest and renowned scholar of Tibetan Buddhism, shares the unforgettable story behind his riveting book Rainbow Body and Resurrection: Spiritual Attainment, the Dissolution of the Material Body, and the Case of Khenpo A Chö. Khenpo A Chö was a Tibetan monk who, through retreat, prayer, and meditation, prepared his body to turn into radiant light upon his own d
07: Mary Reilly Nichols - The Whole World Became White Light
Mary Reilly Nichols, director of the Yoga Studies program at Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Science in New York City, reflects on her transformational relationship with wonder, dating back to her time as a student at Harvard in the 1970s. When Mary first began feeling currents of energy coursing up her spine and into the crown of her head, hearing wind chimes and choral music unheard by
06: John Vervaeke - The Meaning Crisis And Beyond
Through setting out to find meaning in his own life, John Vervaeke, a professor in the psychology department at the University of Toronto—and a YouTube sensation—has developed a fascinating framework and adopted a series of practices through which others can pursue and achieve a deeply meaningful life, too. In sharing his research and findings from the world of 4E cognition and consciousness (embo
05: Daniela Riva - Stomp Your Feet And Awaken
As a student of Bharatanatyam, a form of sacred Indian classical dance, Daniela Riva connects with the divine using choreography that dates back more than two millennia. In developing her expertise, and her following as a performer, teacher, and author, Daniela tells Wonderstruck's Elizabeth Rovere that it took years of dedication and surrender to understand how to move pr
04: Dacher Keltner - Awe Is For Everyone
Groundbreaking scientist, psychology professor and best-selling author Dacher Keltner's latest book, AWE: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life is an instant classic. Supported by field work, cultural survey, and autobiography, this essential volume explores the many benefits of pursuing, encountering, and embracing awe as an emotion--and as a regular
03: Russell Brand - “I Forget Myself And Remember Who I Am”
Russell Brand, comedian, actor, author, seeker, and Stay Free podcast host reveals to Wonderstruck’s Elizabeth Rovere why spiritual pursuits keep him alive, which teachings anchor him, and how he manages his own “beautiful monsters” in the hope of converting anxiety into action and accessing efficacy through chaos. With singular humor, wide-ranging scholarship, and a heart-led connection to the pr
02: Rahshaana Green - Loosening The Grip On Perfectionism
Through her private yoga and coaching practices, and in her role teaching Compassion-Based Resilience Training at Nalanda Institute in New York City, Rahshaana Green helps students manage stress and heal reactivity by developing greater clarity, self-knowledge, and grace. But, as Rahshaana tells Wonderstruck’s Elizabeth Rovere, her own path to becoming a practitioner meant over
01: Fearne Cotton - Fire, Flowers, And Prayers For The Sea
Growing up in a British working class, non-religious family, TV presenter, best-selling author and Happy Place podcast host, Fearne Cotton, felt the presence of the spiritual world from an early age. "I just looked at the stars and felt completely overwhelmed," she tells Wonderstruck host, Elizabeth Rovere. "It was like, wow, there's something else going on here. It can't just be going t
Coming Soon - Wonderstruck With Elizabeth Rovere
Be open to the wonder in your own life! Host Elizabeth Rovere, clinical psychologist, yoga teacher, Harvard Divinity School graduate, and seeker, introduces Wonderstruck, a new podcast about the transformational experiences of awe and wonder. From radical visions to fire-based rituals, from pursuing a rainbow body in Tibet to finding the luminous in your everyday walk, we dive deep into the what,
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