Connected with Jen and Shannon

Most people think they’re stuck because they don’t know what to do.But what if that’s not the problem?In this episode, we explore a deeper truth:you don’t lack intuition… you just don’t trust it.We’re joined by leadership coach Karen Sigalas to unpack what self-trust really is—and why it’s the foundation for how we lead, decide, and show up in uncertain moments.Together, we dive into:Why self-trust has nothing to do with being rightHow self-awareness without self-compassion turns into self-judgmentThe science behind “intuition” (and why it’s not as woo as you think)What it actually looks like to build trust with yourself—day by dayHow self-trust changes the way we lead, connect, and navigate uncertaintyThis conversation lives at the intersection of logic and intuition, science and lived experience—and invites you to rethink how you relate to your own inner knowing.Because the real shift isn’t finding the right answer…It’s trusting yourself enough to move forward without one.🎧 If you’ve ever second-guessed yourself, overanalyzed a decision, or waited for certainty before taking action—this one’s for you.

What happens when an FBI-trained mind starts trusting intuition?For most of us, logic has always been the gold standard.Analyze it.Prove it.Get it right.But what if the answers you’re looking for…aren’t just in your thoughts?In this episode of Connected with Jen and Shannon, we sit down with Adam Dickinson, a former FBI analyst who now helps people integrate logic and intuition to navigate life with more clarity and alignment.This conversation explores what it really looks like when structure meets sensing—when data meets inner knowing.We dive into:Why we’re over-relying on analysis (and what it’s costing us)Intuition as an additional data point—not the opposite of logicWhat “alignment” actually feels like (hint: calm certainty)The role of the body in decision-makingWhy identity breakdowns can be a powerful turning pointHow to begin trusting yourself without abandoning structureThis is not about choosing between science or spirituality.It’s about learning how to use both.If you’ve ever felt stuck in your head… or disconnected from your gut—this episode will shift how you think about decision-making, awareness, and what it means to truly trust yourself.🎧 Listen now and start tuning into a different kind of intelligence.

Why is it so hard to make friends as adults?In this episode of Connected with Jen and Shannon, we sit down with Rob Lawless, the creator of Rob’s 10K Friends - a decade-long journey to meet 10,000 people, one hour at a time.So far, Rob has connected with more than 7,000 people from over 90 countries, simply by sitting down with strangers and having real conversations. What began as curiosity has become a powerful exploration of belonging, loneliness, and what it means to truly connect with another human being.Together we explore:• Why friendship often becomes harder in adulthood• The loneliness many people quietly carry• How conversations without an agenda create deeper connection• What thousands of conversations have taught Rob about empathy, gratitude, and perspective• Why meaningful connection doesn’t require anything extraordinary — just curiosity, presence, and timeAt a moment when many people feel increasingly disconnected, Rob’s story offers a simple but powerful reminder:Connection starts when we slow down long enough to truly see each other.Connected with Jen and Shannon explores consciousness, communication, and the practices that help us Human Well in a complex world.

If you’ve ever thought…“I care about climate change… but I’m not doing enough.”This conversation is for you.According to climate communication expert Ali Wines, one of the biggest reasons people stay silent about climate change is shame.We think we have to be perfect before we can speak up.Perfect lifestyle. Perfect choices. Perfect solutions.But that mindset is exactly what keeps people stuck.The truth?Most people already care deeply about the planet — they just assume everyone else doesn’t.In this episode, we talk about:•⁠ ⁠why guilt and perfectionism backfire•⁠ ⁠the surprising data about how many people actually care•⁠ ⁠why conversation is one of the most powerful forms of action•⁠ ⁠how reconnecting with nature can change everythingYou don’t have to be perfect to care.You just have to start talking.🎧 Full conversation with Ali Wines, CEO of the Climate Communication Alliance, on Connected with Jen & Shannon.

What if the “coincidences” in your life aren’t random?In this episode of Connected with Jen & Shannon, we sit down with Dr. Butterfly Williams — cultural alchemist, transformative psychologist, and instructor at the California Institute of Integral Studies — to explore synchronicity, Ubuntu, and what it really means to live in alignment.Dr. Butterfly reframes alchemy as something far deeper than turning lead into gold. It’s about transforming consciousness. It’s about integration. And it’s about recognizing that the world may be speaking to us more often than we realize.At the heart of this conversation is a powerful idea:“The world is constantly trying to send you messages of aid and support. It can’t not do this.”If you’ve been noticing patterns… nudges… repeated symbols… or moments that feel orchestrated, this episode will help you interpret them with both openness and discernment.Because synchronicity isn’t magic.It’s alignment.https://www.iruke.org/about-dr-butterfly

What if the anxiety, division, and disconnection we’re feeling isn’t personal failure — but the result of a worldview that taught us we are separate?In this powerful conversation, Oxford physicist and cosmologist Dr. Jude Currivan shares an evidence-based perspective that consciousness isn’t something we have — it’s what we are. And when we begin to see through a lens of wholeness instead of separation, everything changes.In this episode, we explore:•⁠ ⁠Why consciousness may be the foundation of reality•⁠ ⁠How science and spirituality split — and why they’re converging again•⁠ ⁠The “dis-ease of separation” shaping our systems•⁠ ⁠Meta-crisis vs. metamorphosis (are we in a caterpillar → butterfly moment?)•⁠ ⁠Why love may be an evolutionary force of the universe•⁠ ⁠How to live wholeness in your everyday lifeIf we change the lens, we change the world.And it starts with remembering:You were never broken.

Feeling off lately? Like you’re trying harder than ever… and still out of sync?In this conversation with systems thinker Alexander Laszlo, we unpack what it actually means to live in flow — and why you can’t force it.You’ll learn:•⁠ ⁠Why trying harder isn’t the answer•⁠ ⁠What “being aligned” really means•⁠ ⁠How to stay grounded in chaotic times•⁠ ⁠The difference between surrendering and giving up•⁠ ⁠A simple practice to feel more connected today

Join us in a thought-provoking conversation with Dr. John Vervaeke as we delve into the "Meaning Crisis" and explore the intricate connections between wisdom, community, and personal growth. Discover how modern society's search for meaning impacts our sense of belonging and trust, and learn about the practices that can help us reconnect with deeper truths. This episode is a journey into understanding the profound entanglement of science, spirituality, and the human experience.

What the heck is embodiment anyway? In this episode, we delve into the concept of embodiment with Dr. Nick Walker - faculty and scholar of psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies, and 7th - degree black belt in Aikido.Challenging popular notions, we explore how embodiment is not just about being mindful of the body, but about what we are embodying in every moment.Join us as we discuss the implications of this perspective on personal growth and transformation, and how it can empower us to intentionally shape our lives. Discover how the practice of embodiment can lead to positive human transformation and greater agency over our own bodies, emotions and lives.

What if leadership felt more like music?In this episode, we sit down with Greg Thomas and Jewel Kinch-Thomas, founders of the Jazz Leadership Project, to explore how the principles of jazz can transform the way we lead, listen, and collaborate.Greg and Jewel reveal how jazz serves as a cultural technology for connection.We explore how empathy, attunement, and psychological safety become the rhythm section of every great team — and why true leadership doesn’t mean taking center stage, but knowing when to let someone else solo.Because whether you’re leading a company, a classroom, or a conversation…if it ain’t got that swing — it just doesn’t connect.

Join us in this special episode as Sloat Shaw guides us through a transformative meditation designed to unlock creativity. This meditation not only refreshes the mind but also inspires artistic expression, as co-hosts Jen and Shannon discover their own creative sparks. Whether you're an artist or simply seeking inspiration, this episode offers a unique journey into the heart of creativity.

In this episode, we sit down with a contemporary artist with an international presence: painter, printmaker, and teacher Sloat Shaw, whose work weaves together neurobiology, myth, and the living intelligence of nature.Through her story of illness, healing, and creative awakening, Sloat reminds us that art is more than expression - it’s energy in motion. From her early meditations on light and the body to her work bringing energy practices into classrooms, she invites us to imagine what education and life could look like if creativity rather than compliance were at the center.Together, we explore how to draw with energy (not just ink), how to feel myth instead of explain it, and how to let nature teach us to create.If you’ve ever felt the quiet pulse of wonder beneath your daily life, this conversation is for you!

In this must-listen episode we sit down with Cherise Adjodha - a gifted writer and former UN program developer and World Bank consultant who has spent a lifetime catalyzing human connection and reimagining what it means to be human.Cherise brings the kind of wisdom born from witnessing the world’s suffering yet choosing to radiate joy. She invites us to explore three powerful ideas:Being before doingPositive psychology and connection Freedom from self-judgment and what it means to release the “good little girl” narrative and act from compassion instead of guilt.And somewhere in the midst of it all, Cherise gifts us a phrase from her home in St. Lucia — one that became the heartbeat of this episode:“I catch a glad.”A reminder that joy doesn’t need a reason, and that being human — in all its mess and magic — is enough.

In this luminous conversation, Dr. Roger Walsh -MD, PhD, psychiatrist, longtime meditation teacher and one of the wisest voices of our time -joins Jen and Shannon to explore what it truly means to live in relationship. Far beyond “getting along,” Roger invites us to see relationship as the very fabric of reality. He offers practical, heart-centered pathways for meeting our moment: wisdom practice, Karma Yoga, and a clearer way to engage with technology, AI, and social media.This episode is for anyone who wants inner work to translate into wiser outer action. And, for those who want tools (not pep talks) for living with more clarity, discernment, and care. Listen to be reminded that change begins with how we relate- to ourselves, to others, to technology, and to the larger web of life.If this episode lands with you, please subscribe, leave a rating, and tell a friend! And, as Roger asks: what small offering can you make today that both serves and asks you to grow?

When the world moves at a million miles an hour, what do our bodies know that our minds miss? Joining us from Patagonia, professor of economics and social entrepreneur Donnie MacLurcan (Post-Growth Institute) shows how our gut feelings, stress responses, and simple embodied practices reveal powerful truths about how we might live differently. From his practice of stop and drop to a drawing exercise that reveals how we envision the future, Donnie shows how slowing down and tuning in opens space for possibilities.

In this episode of Connected with Jen and Shannon, we sit down with Ginny Whitelaw, biophysicist, Zen master, and leadership expert, to explore the power of resonance—how leaders, teams, and entire organizations can tune into coherence to create real transformation. Ginny introduces us to the idea of “islands of coherence”—spaces where harmony, clarity, and aligned purpose emerge, even in turbulent times. Together, we dive into how resonance shapes the way we connect with ourselves, each other, and the world around us, and how leaders can cultivate it to spark creativity, collaboration, and healing.This conversation invites you to experience leadership not as control, but as connection—discovering the frequencies that allow us to thrive together.

Beena Sharma reminds us that growth is always possible, no matter our age. In this conversation, Beena, a pioneer in adult development, shares how life’s barriers can transform into portals, inviting us into deeper self-understanding and compassion. From the birth of her daughter to her decades of work guiding leaders worldwide, Beena’s story is a living example of how challenges become invitations, and howmaturity is less about “getting it right” and more about welcoming all of life with open arms. Join us as we explore the journey of vertical development, the power of self-compassion, and what it means to see others not as obstacles, but as mirrors that help us discover who we truly are.✨ A conversation that will leave you feeling grounded, hopeful, and ready to begin again — at any stage of life.

In this powerful conversation, we sit down with Sanjay Manchanda, electrical engineer and computer scientist-turned-psychotherapist, meditation teacher, and pioneer inintegrating Eastern wisdom with Western science. He is the founder and CEO of Neuromatrix.health, focusing on science-based consciousness tech innovations.From growing up in Delhi with severe anxiety to becoming a leader in consciousness tech in Silicon Valley, Sanjay shares his search to understand suffering, and the moment he walked away from academia to study meditation, consciousness, and the “science of the subjective.”Together, we explore:✨ The integration of science and Eastern wisdom✨ How leadership shifts with the mindset “the universe wants through us”

In this first interview episode of Connected with Jen and Shannon, we welcome Bruce Alderman, integral psychologist, professor of consciousness studies, and the Associate Director for the Blue Sky Leaders Certificate Program at the California Institute for Integral Studies. Bruce shares his deeply personal story, reflects on how we sometimes lose ourselves and also find new ways of being fully human.Together, we explore:✨ Storytelling as a technology for transformation✨ The power of noticing and listening deeply✨ How nature invites us back to awe, presence, and connection

Old stories, new stories! Join us as we share the inspiring journey that sparked our passion for storytelling. This isn’t a podcast episode; it’s the origin story of how two co-hosts came together to create a space for meaningful conversations. Discover the moments that motivated us, the challenges we faced, and the excitement that fuels our mission. Tune in to learn how our experiences shaped the podcast you’ll soon come to love!