Episode 128: Venerable Ani Choyang: A Buddhist Nun’s Path to Liberation
Release Date: 06/26/2025
Episode 146: Remembering Robert Thurman: Part 3: Nothing is Nothing
Sacred Stream Radio
In the third episode of the special series Remembering Robert Thurman, we return for part two of Bob’s first talk at the Sacred Stream in 2008. With more than 80 people crowded into Laura and Isa’s San Francisco living room, Bob captivated the audience, bringing his extraordinary humor, intellect, and enthusiasm to this gathering of Sacred Stream students and friends. In this part of the talk, he takes us deep into the Buddhist cosmos, exploring the nature of emptiness and challenging our assumptions about what it means to exist. With characteristic delight, he declares that “emptiness...
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Episode 145: Hal Adler: The Art of Leadership
Sacred Stream Radio
In this episode, Laura Chandler is joined by executive coach Hal Adler, founder of Leadership Landing and Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D., founding director of the Foundation of the Sacred Stream and creator of Depth Hypnosis. Hal has spent decades helping leaders and organizations cultivate greater awareness, authenticity, and impact. A lifelong musician and composer, he brings creativity, deep listening, and collaborative spirit of music to his work with leaders. Isa has spent more than three decades integrating wisdom traditions—including Buddhism, shamanism, energy medicine, and psychology—to...
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Episode 144: Remembering Robert Thurman: Part 2: Buddhism is Realism
Sacred Stream Radio
In the second episode of the special series Remembering Robert Thurman, we return to one of the first talks Robert Thurman gave at Sacred Stream, in 2008. On that particular fall evening, another event was taking place at the Sacred Stream Center, so Laura Chandler and Isa Gucciardi invited everyone into their San Francisco living room instead. More than 80 people crowded into the house for what remains one of Bob’s most popular Sacred Stream lectures. This previously unreleased material has been divided into two episodes. At the heart of the first part of this teaching is one of Bob’s...
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Episode 143: Suzanne Ross: From Awakening to Ascension
Sacred Stream Radio
On this episode, Laura Chandler talks with Suzanne Ross – inspirational speaker, intuitive guide, and the founder of both the Sedona Ascension Retreat and the San Diego Transcendence Retreat. Suzanne is also the author of the Up! book series—featuring and She has dedicated her life to exploring consciousness, spirituality, and the evolution of human awareness, bringing together some of today’s leading spiritual teachers with seekers from around the world. In their talk, Suzanne and Laura discuss Suzanne’s path, the evolution of consciousness, and the importance of creating...
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Episode 142: Remembering Robert Thurman: Part 1: The Dalai Lama & China
Sacred Stream Radio
In the first episode of the Remembering Robert Thurman series, Laura Chandler reflects on the recent passing of Robert A.F. Thurman—renowned Buddhist scholar, bestselling author, educator, and one of the world’s foremost interpreters of Tibetan Buddhism. A close friend, mentor, and longtime supporter of the Sacred Stream, Bob devoted his life to making the profound wisdom of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition accessible to modern audiences. He was the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor Emeritus of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, co-founder of Tibet House US, and a lifelong...
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Episode 141: Eben Alexander: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey Beyond the Brain
Sacred Stream Radio
On this episode of Sacred Stream Radio Podcast, Laura Chandler welcomes renowned neurosurgeon and consciousness researcher Dr. Eben Alexander. After a profound near-death experience during a week-long coma, Dr. Alexander’s understanding of the mind, brain, and the nature of reality was forever transformed. His bestselling memoir, , which chronicles that extraordinary journey beyond ordinary consciousness, spent 41 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. In this conversation, Laura and Dr. Alexander explore consciousness beyond the brain, the use of binaural tones and sound technologies...
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Episode 140: Deborah Santana: Loving the Fire
Sacred Stream Radio
On this episode, Laura speaks with author and activist Deborah Santana about her new memoir, —a story of awakening, courage, and the transformative power of finding one’s voice. Deborah shares the arc of her life from growing up as the daughter of pioneering interracial parents to her years alongside legendary musician Carlos Santana. While she embraced many roles—partner, mother, and supporter—this conversation centers on the pivotal moment when she chose to step forward fully as herself, reclaiming her voice and redefining her purpose. At the heart of this episode is Deborah’s...
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Episode 139: Joanna Adler: Listening to the Body
Sacred Stream Radio
Welcome to the Sacred Stream Radio Podcast, brought to you by the Foundation of the Sacred Stream and Red Cow Productions. Hosted by Laura Chandler, this episode features a conversation with licensed clinical psychologist, Depth Hypnosis Practitioner, and executive coach, Joanna Adler. Together, they explore the wisdom of the body—how it stores information, including trauma, and how learning to listen more deeply to its signals can support profound healing across physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions. Joanna Adler brings a unique integration of clinical expertise and depth-oriented...
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Episode 138: Oneika Mays: Bringing Presence to Prisons
Sacred Stream Radio
On this episode, Laura speaks with author, yoga instructor, and meditation teacher Oneika Mays. They are talking about her new book, . Oneika spent nearly 15 years teaching meditation in yoga studios, hospitals, and correctional facilities, including at Rikers Island. As a queer Black teacher, she emphasizes that meditation isn’t just for those who have it all figured out—it’s for all of us: the anxious, the heartbroken, the angry, the lost, and those who have been marginalized or overlooked. Pull up a cushion and settle in for this candid conversation on meditation, identity, and...
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Episode 137: Linda Wobeskya: Zero Balancing
Sacred Stream Radio
Welcome to the . In this episode, talks with Zero Balancing Practitioner and teacher, Linda Wobeskya. Zero Balancing is a hands-on bodywork system conceptually related to acupuncture and grounded in the Eastern understanding of energy and its relationship to physical structure. Unlike acupuncture, however, Zero Balancing uses skilled touch rather than needles and works directly with the energy held within the bones rather than along meridian lines. Within this paradigm, imbalance between structure and energy contributes to pain, stress, reduced function, and diminished well-being. Linda...
info_outlineWelcome to the Sacred Stream Radio Podcast. I’m your host, Laura Chandler, and on today’s episode, I speak with Tibetan Buddhist nun, Venerable Ani Choyang. Ani is part of a distinguished group of Tibetan nuns on the path to earning the highest degree in Buddhist Philosophy—an honor that, until recently, was reserved exclusively for men. Her academic achievements extend beyond traditional studies into the realm of Western science.
In this conversation, Ani shares the powerful story of her escape from Chinese-occupied Tibet, where she spent her early years working in a factory with limited access to education. She speaks about the challenges and triumphs of learning the Tibetan language and discovering Tibetan culture for the first time at age 18. We also explore her inspiring academic journey and her unwavering commitment to expanding educational opportunities for nuns and women alike.
Ani Choyang was the first nun from Tibet to be awarded the prestigious Tenzin Gyatso Science Scholarship from Emory University in Atlanta. She has also completed an internship in neuroscience at Northwestern University and is currently involved in a groundbreaking research project on lucid dreaming and dream yoga. Ani is a resident nun and science teacher at Jangchub Choeling Nunnery in Mundgod, India. She also serves as the Coordinator of the Library and Learning Center, a new facility under development at the nunnery that will offer nuns a comprehensive education in both Buddhist studies and Western subjects.