Creativity, Spirituality & Making a Buck with David Nichtern

With both insight and vulnerability, Author Annette Knopp explores how our earliest attachment experiences shape the way we love, relate, and walk in this world.
Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and preserve the complete Ram Dass Here and Now archive. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Give here: BHNN 10th Birthday Fundraiser
In this episode, David and Annette chat about:
Connecting to our own personal experiences within a creative process
The intersection of healing and liberation
Annette’s journey through complex post-traumatic stress disorder
How our unhealed parental projections create issues within our relationships
Attachment trauma and somatic healing work
How our psychological blueprint begins as early as the womb
The theory of being a ‘good enough’ parent 30% of the time
Offering repair and having a baseline of secure attachment
Working with our unmet needs through awareness and observation
Looking at the message (imprint) rather than the messenger (trigger)
The motherly presence that is within the path of healing
Join Dharma Moon’s for their 100-hour course on teaching mindfulness meditation or for a course on meditation and embodied wisdom
About Annette Knopp:
Annette Knopp is the author of Mystic Nomad: A Woman's Wild Journey to True Connection and co-founder of Blue Spirit Retreat Center in Costa Rica. A meditation teacher, somatic educator, and nature mystic rooted in 30 years of personal contemplative practice, she weaves Indo-Tibetan meditation, Andean earth-based practices, and modern Western approaches to trauma resolution into transformative teaching and mentorship. Her work bridges ancient wisdom and contemporary healing in service of human dignity, wholeness, and embodied connection.
Grab a copy of Annette’s book, Mystic Nomad: A Woman's Wild Journey to True Connection, or join her in Costa Rica for an upcoming retreat.
“These imprints are laid down in phases before we have the brain development to have even a narrative around it. When we work in trauma with people, it’s all about making what has been implicit, explicit.” –Annette Knopp
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Student of The Art of War, Jim Gimian, shares how we can relate constructively to conflict and win without fighting.
In this episode, David and Jim have a conversation about:
The classic Chinese text, The Art of War, by Sun Tzu
The refined wisdom of understanding conflict
‘Taking Whole’: the concept of winning without fighting
How leaders (and all people) can learn from The Art of War
Past conflicts, karma, and vicious coincidence
Being present for the opportunities that arrive
Letting phenomena play rather than counteracting
How the brain is hard-wired for bias and prediction
Tapping into our natural connection to others
Ruthlessly evaluating your biases & projections out of compassion for the bigger whole
Realistically dealing with challenges without perpetuating aggression

Check out Jim Gimian's course, Rules of Victory, to learn about leadership strategies for today’s challenges from The Art of War. You can also inquire about getting personalized coaching from him!
Join Dharma Moon’s for their 100-hour course on teaching mindfulness meditation
About Jim Gimian:
James Gimian has been studying and teaching The Art of War (the Sun Tzu Bing Fa) since 1980. He served as the general editor of the best-selling translation The Art of War: The Denma Translation (2001) which received critical acclaim from military officers, business leaders, and Asian Studies scholars. Gimian followed that with The Rules of Victory: How to Transform Chaos and Conflict—Strategies from the Art of War (2008), co-authored with Barry Boyce.
Gimian has been presenting lessons from the Art of War to business and non-profit leaders in North America, Australia, and Europe since 1985. His work takes the form of seminars, leadership training programs, consulting, and coaching. The core of this work is presenting the text’s profound strategic thought in clear, simple, and accessible training that enables today’s leaders to employ these tools in their work and lives amidst the challenges of an increasingly complex and uncertain world.
Gimian has served in leadership roles in the magazine and book publishing industry since 1972, including stints at Shambhala Publications, publisher of Lion’s Roar magazine, and most recently founding publisher of Mindful magazine and Mindful.org, a media launch in 2012 that has grown to reach over 2 million people per month. Gimian also founded Trident Booksellers and Café in Boulder, Colorado in 1980, which continues to serve as an employee-owned community institution. He became a student of the Venerable Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in the early 1970s and has continued the practice and study of the dharma since that time. Gimian currently serves as the Executive Director of the Foundation for a Mindful Society.
“The problem with complex systems to fix things is you never have time to go back and read the manual when shit hits the fan. That’s why this work has to be at the level of being, not at the level of learning tricks because they’re like bandages, they’re going to fall off. You’re only going to respond with whatever is integrated into your being as a way of seeing the world and acting and being in the world.“ –Jim Gimian
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Sará King and Kierstin Gray join The CSM Podcast to discuss their tech company, MindHeart AI, which uses an interactive map of human awareness for personal health and planetary well-being.
MindHeart AI is a liberatory technology company centering the neuroscience of well being as a catalyst for intergenerational planetary healing. Utilizing the Systems Based Awareness Map, the world’s first interactive map of human awareness, they are building a scalable, equitable platform combined with experiences that they call MindHeart Activations - in person events that support collective healing through combining culturally relevant forms of somatics, contemplative practices, land-based rituals and retreats, music and art. MindHeart AI is designed to create an infrastructure of care as a loving response to the rising loneliness, stress, isolation and depression experienced across the world.
In this episode, David, Sará and Kierstin:
Taking responsibility for the technology we create
Reducing the harm that human beings are doing to the planet and each other
AI as a reflection of ourselves for better understanding of our emotions and identity
The way that humans influence AI, for better and worse
Empowering others to create MindHeart Activations in their community
The connection between water scarcity, trauma, and AI
Dr. Sará’s contribution to the documentary Every Living Thing
Holding collective grief and sadness while still tapping into our agency
Join Dharma Moon’s for a free online talk about embodied wisdom on Thursday May 14th or sign up for their 100-hour course on teaching mindfulness meditation
About Dr. Sará King:
Dr. Sará King is a Mother, a neuroscientist, political and learning scientist, medical anthropologist, social entrepreneur, public speaker, and certified yoga and meditation instructor. She is an internationally recognized thought leader in the interdisciplinary field that examines the relationship between complementary alternative medicine, social justice, art, and mindfulness from the perspective of neuroscience. Dr. King is the co-founder of MindHeart AI.
Keep up with Dr. King on Instagram or HERE
About Kierstin Gray:
Kierstin Grey is the program director at Argodesign and the co-founder of MindHeart AI. She is a consultant specializing in using technology and service design thinking principles to bring about transformative change for her clients. She has designed a framework that centers around the building of narratives that use existing talents and skills within an organization to enable innovative change to resolve business problems. Combined with the best practices of design and delivery, she helps businesses implement products and projects that meet their business objectives and cultivate deeper and more efficient engagement with customers.
“If we’re confused, AI is going to be confused. That’s the reason why it's important for us to be clear on who we are, what we believe, who we value, how we love, how we relate to each other—those things influence how we design emergent technologies like AI.” –Kierstin Gray
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Author and executive Bryan Welch shares how the grief of losing his child profoundly reshaped his heart, deepening his capacity for connection and compassion toward others.
Grab a copy of Bryan’s book, The Gift of a Broken Heart, HERE
In this episode, David and Bryan chat about:
How grief can transform us in a beautiful way
Bryan’s journey through the loss of his son, Noah
Developing a deeper sense of compassion through Buddhism
Grief as a bridge of connection between ourselves and others
Allowing ourselves to be vulnerable
Narratives of our own safety as narratives of superiority
Forgiveness and considering how the ego wants to be responsible
Our involuntary reactions to grief, when compared to those of animals
Permission to cry & the relief we can feel from allowing emotions to wash over us
Sign up for Dharma Moon’s upcoming 8-week Buddhist Psychology Course HERE.
About Bryan Welch:
Bryan Welch is an author, business executive, farmer, and entrepreneur. For nineteen years, from its founding, he ran Ogden Publications, Mother Earth News, Mother Earth Living, Utne Reader, and several other leading media brands focused on sustainability and natural health. More recently, he served as co-CEO of Silk Grass Holdings, a family office developing 32,000 acres of regenerative organic farms and wildlife preserves in Belize. He was founder and CEO of B The Change Media, a multiplatform media company focused on business as a force for good in the world; and was CEO of Mindful Communications, a media and corporate meditation-training company; and CEO of Foster Care Technologies, a B Corporation that provides software that improves placements of children in foster care. Welch has served on the boards of the Silk Grass Farms, the Magazine Publishers Association, the Social Venture Network, Down Home Ranch Foundation, and several nonprofits. He has also served on corporate boards of directors and advisory boards of companies involved in natural foods, agriculture, food processing, e-commerce, corporate training, and the media. He holds a master’s degree from Harvard University, where he studied at the Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Business School. As a Buddhist, Welch is a longtime meditator and advocate for mindfulness practices. Keep up with Bryan on Facebook and check out thegiftofabrokenheart.com.
“I spent some energy over the course of my life separating myself psychologically from the suffering from others, from the potential for my own suffering, and when I was up against it, I didn’t have those reasons to separate myself any longer. I felt a new sense of kinship with other people who were suffering. It occurred to me that as part of the healing, I wanted to see if I could preserve the new warmth I felt, the new openheartedness I felt. When your child dies of mental illness and addiction, you don’t want the pain and turmoil to be their legacy.” –Bryan Welch
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Blending creativity, business, and parenthood, Jonathan and Miya Eden join David Nichtern to discuss bringing stories to life through animation.
Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.
In this episode, David, Jonathan and Miya explore:
How Jonathan and Miya met and became both personal and creative collaborators
The process of animating and creating content for Pengwee and Ruby
Animating meditative processes and a modified story of the Buddha
The impact of Miya’s late grandmother on her life and creative process
A special hello from Arthur, Miya and Jonathan’s young son
How to hold space for career development, creative pursuits, and being a parent
The business side of creative work and dealing with finances, problem-solving, etc.
Why creativity and bringing entertainment to others is so important to Jonathan
About Jonathan and Miya Eden:
With a degree in Character Animation from the California Institute of Arts (CalArts 2012) Jonathan Eden has over a decade of rich experience in the field of Animation. Working currently as an Animator for Comedy Central's Emmy-winning South Park, Jonathan has a history of prestigious work from large networks which include Disney, Hasbro, and HBO; as well as animating projects for the New York Times, Thom Browne, and Cubcoats. Miya, a professional dancer, choreographer, and director, came together with Jonathan to help create quality animation content for Strawberry Moons Media. You can learn more about Jonathan and Miya’s other creative projects, HERE at Nobody Couple Studios.
Check out Strawberry Moons Media on YouTube, where you can find access to entertainment with meaning, mindful living tips, and mindful lessons for children.
About David Nichtern:
David Nichtern, founder of Dharma Moon, is a senior Buddhist teacher who has been practicing and teaching meditation for over 40 years. He was one of the initial American students of renowned meditation master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and studied closely with him soon after his arrival in the United States in 1970. He is also a business consultant with companies creating a variety of offerings, integrating meditation in a larger health and well-being context. David is also a multiple Grammy-nominated and Emmy Award-winning musician. David’s journey has crisscrossed with the Maharaji/Ram Dass sangha for decades. He has produced multiple Krishna Das albums and frequently joins the Bhaktettes live on guitar. He considers himself to be a first cousin and an honorary member of the Bhakti community.
“For me, creativity is about expressing yourself and your unique view and doing it in a way that can bring either joy or entertainment to others. Seeing people react to something I’ve animated or a drawing is a great feeling, it’s something you’ve uniquely created with your perspective that no one else can do.” –Jonathan Eden
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.