We communicate to connect. We connect to relate. And we relate so that we can belong.

But in this conversation, Jen and Shannon explore the other side of belonging: how our need for community can create in-groups and out-groups, reinforce echo chambers, and shape the meaning we make together.

So how do we build communities that actually help us connect, grow, and flourish?

Because we can do a lot of inner work on our own—but ultimately, we can’t HumanWell alone.

Come join the conversation as we head into Season 3 of Connected with Jen & Shannon.

What does healthy belonging look like to you?

#ConnectedWithJenAndShannon #HumanWell #Belonging #Community #HumanConnection #RelationalSpace #Communication #EchoChambers

Jen and Shannon are back together for an end-of-summer catch-up, looking back at what we’ve learned in our first year of Connected and ahead to what we’re curious about as Season 3 begins.

What does it actually take to HumanWell in complicated times? We talk about rewriting the stories we tell about the future, embodiment, Zazen, self-awareness, deep listening, the magical third thing, and learning to do hard things before we feel 100% ready.

Plus: Thriller Dance Club, shadow work in Wales, and the very real challenge of actually practicing all the things we spend so much time talking about.

As we head into Season 3, we want to hear from you: What’s living rent-free in your head? How do you HumanWell through it? And what do you want us to explore next season?

🧘 Explore Zazen & Zen Leadership
Ginny Whitelaw Roshi + Institute for Zen Leadership:
Institute for Zen Leadership resources

🌿 Explore Shadow Work®: The Feminine Journey
Inessa Golubova + ESSENSE Business School:
Shadow Work®: The Feminine Journey

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In this episode of Connected with Jen and Shannon, we sit down with Kelly Chase, Writer, Researcher, creator of "Cosmosis" and host of the new podcast "Inquiry" for a conversation about anomalous experiences, consciousness, transformation, and the stories we tell ourselves about reality.

Rather than asking whether anomalous experiences are "real," we explore a deeper question:

What do they reveal about us?

Topics include:

• Anomalous experiences and transformation
• Consciousness and the science of belief
• Why our models of reality sometimes break
• How narratives shape perception
• Curiosity as a practice
• Noetic science and expanding consciousness
• Finding truth at the edges of what we know

If you've ever had an experience you couldn't explain—or found yourself questioning the assumptions you've always held—this conversation is for you.

In this episode, we sit down with Matthew Segall— philosopher and associate professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies — to explore one of the most urgent questions of our time: how do we bring science and soul back together?

Matt bridges the gap between the objective, measurable world of modern science and the deeply subjective inner world of the soul — and makes the case that we need both to truly understand what it means to be human, to be in relationship, and to live well on this planet.

We explore:

• Why mapping the brain will never be the same as mapping consciousness — and what Carl Jung learned the hard way
• The "magical third thing" created in the relational space between people, and why meaning making is always a collective act
• How fragmentation and collective trauma are breaking down our ability to connect — and why compassion (which literally means suffering together) may be the only way through
• Why the default human relationship with nature has always been animism — and how modernity got it exactly backwards
• What it means to think of humans as the nervous system of Gaia
• Why embodiment is divine want — and what the elves in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings can teach us about mortality
• How to make language feel less like a cage and more like a musical instrument
• Simple practices — walking, writing, and Rudolf Steiner's nightly review — to help you live and reflect more intentionally

This is a conversation for anyone who has ever felt the tension between what can be proven and what can be felt — and suspected that the truth lives somewhere in between.

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In this episode, Shannon and Jen sit down with Nishi Joshi —Global Arts in Medicine Fellow, movement psychotherapist, social emotional learning educator, and president of the Indian Association of Dance Movement Therapy — to explore what’s lost when healthcare systems strip away the arts in favor of outcomes, productivity, and certainty.

Nishi makes a compelling case that the arts aren’t a supplement to care — they’re foundational to it. Long before modern medicine, communities processed grief, built belonging, and made meaning through movement, music, ritual, and symbol. When we remove that, she argues, we don’t just lose creativity — we lose dignity, connection, and the relational space where real healing happens.

The conversation digs into why the arts can feel threatening to systems built on standardization, how creative expression shifts the power dynamic between practitioner and patient, and why making something — anything — is one of the most radical acts available to us in chaotic times.

Nishi also shares her experience with the Global Arts in Medicine Fellowship, where she and Jen first connected, and the collaborative project that grew out of it: the Global Arts for Peace initiative, now uniting more than 20 professionals across the world in using the arts to engage communities around themes of peace.

Whether you’re a healthcare practitioner, a creative, or someone who has forgotten they are one — this episode is an invitation to remember.

In this episode of Connected with Jen & Shannon, we sit down with interdisciplinary researcher and artist Alex Rodriguez to explore the emerging world of social prescribing — a growing movement where doctors and healthcare systems are beginning to prescribe art, creativity, nature, and human connection as part of wellbeing.

Together, we explore:

• why loneliness has become a public health crisis
• how creativity impacts mental health and the nervous system
• why art may be more essential to healing than we realize
• the role of social cohesion, meaning-making, and connection in wellbeing
• how “peace,” healing, and community may actually be practices we learn together

This conversation lives at the intersection of science and soul, logic and intuition, individual healing and collective wellbeing.

Because maybe art isn’t “extra.”
Maybe it’s part of what makes us human.

But what if it’s something you build?

In this episode, we explore authenticity through the lens of communication, presence, and awareness—and challenge the idea that it starts from within.

Is authenticity shaped by our inner world…

or built through how we show up, act, and connect with others?

Featuring a powerful mother-daughter duo:

Laurie Schloff — executive communication coach, author, and industry leader whose work has been featured on Oprah, The Today Show, Cosmopolitan, and The Wall Street Journal

Hava Horowitz — Harvard Business School educator, actor, and communication coach who helps individuals connect body, voice, and story

Together, we explore:

How confidence and authenticity are built through behavior and feedback

Why presence is often a physiological—not just mental—shift

The role of the body and nervous system in communication under pressure

How storytelling shapes identity—and how identity shapes how we show up

Why conflict, tension, and even discomfort may be essential to real connection

Along the way, a deeper idea emerges:

Authenticity isn’t just something you feel.

It’s something you practice—in real time, in relationship.

Because in the end, communication isn’t just about what you say.

It’s about how you show up—with awareness, intention, and the willingness to grow.

In this episode of Connected with Jen and Shannon, we sit down with Dr. Ginny Whitelaw—a former NASA scientist, Zen master, and leadership expert—to explore the space between logic and intuition… science and soul—and what becomes possible when we learn to listen beyond words.

Because what if your body isn’t just reacting to the world—
but actually sensing it through resonance?

This conversation dives into the idea that we’re not separate individuals operating in isolation…
we’re part of a field of connection and consciousness.

And your body?
It’s your antenna.

We explore:

• Resonance as the hidden force behind connection and human behavior
• The relationship between science and soul—and why it’s not either/or
• How intuition and logic can work together, not in opposition
• Why the body often knows before the mind can explain
• How leadership is the practice of turning energy into things that matter
• The role of deep listening, presence, and awareness in navigating complexity
• What it means to live and lead from a place of connection and consciousness

This isn’t about choosing sides—
logic or intuition, science or soul.

It’s about integration.

Because the leaders who will navigate what’s next…
are the ones who can sense, listen, and respond—not just analyze.

If you’ve ever felt something you couldn’t explain…
or knew something before you could prove it…

You’re already experiencing resonance.

🎧 Listen in and explore what it means to live, lead, and connect—on a deeper level.

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 right

How self-awareness without self-compassion turns into self-judgment

The 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 day

How self-trust changes the way we lead, connect, and navigate uncertainty

This 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.

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 logic

What “alignment” actually feels like (hint: calm certainty)

The role of the body in decision-making

Why identity breakdowns can be a powerful turning point

How to begin trusting yourself without abandoning structure

This 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.

Find out more about Adam's important work at https://www.adamrdickinson.com/

🎧 Listen now and start tuning into a different kind of intelligence.

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 time

At 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.

“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 everything

You 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.

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

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 life

If we change the lens, we change the world.

And it starts with remembering:

You were never broken.

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

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.

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.

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?

This conversation invites you to experience leadership not as control, but as connection—discovering the frequencies that allow us to thrive together.

maturity 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.

integrating 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”

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