Islands of Coherence

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Joining us on the show this lifelong student of The Art of War, Jim Gimian! In this conversation we explore how this ancient text which originated in feudal China contains lessons that can be applied to our modern lives in 2026. Jim 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.

You can check out his course and coaching services over at Rules of Victory
or 
Order his book at The Art of War: Denma Translation

Show Topics
- What is The Art of War
- The Concept of 'Taking Whole'
- Why Should We Care About Preserving Our Opponent?
- History of the Art of War
- Philosophical Underpinnings of the Text
- Seeing Ourselves Clearly
- Conflict as a Sign of Interconnection
- Leadership and Trusting Those You Lead
- Navigating Living Systems
- Pushing Round Boulders Down Hill

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Joining us this week for the show is member of the Cheyenne River Lakota Nation of South Dakota, Tiokasin Ghosthorse. In this conversation we explore the nature of language in how it shapes our ability to relate with ourselves and the world. From that foundation we take a look at solutions to the interlocking crises of the present day. 

Tiokasin Ghosthorse is a member of the Cheyenne River Lakota Nation of South Dakota, an educator, musician, and internationally recognized speaker on peace and Indigenous issues. He is the founder, host, and executive producer of First Voices Radio, a program he started in 1993 that is now syndicated to over 120 public, community, and commercial radio stations across the US and Canada. A survivor of Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding schools, he has spent decades speaking on Indigenous cosmology, language, and humanity's relationship with the Earth — work that led to a 2016 Nobel Peace Prize nomination from the International Institute of Peace Studies and Global Philosophy. He's also a master musician who performs the traditional Lakota cedar flute worldwide, and has been featured at venues including the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, Lincoln Center, and the United Nations.

Show Topics
- How Humans Forgot Their Connection to the Planet
- Lakota Language as a Living Language
- English's Blind Spots
- Is There a Greater Purpose for this Disconnection?
- Decentering Humans
- Recognizing Beauty and the Music of All Things
- The Energetic Signature of Cities
- Colonization Mindset
- Reconnecting with Natural Languages
- Grandmother's Songs
- Intuition, Gratitude, and Ceremony

To Support The Show: 
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Joining us on the Islands of Coherence Podcast this week is multi-pronged creative, Fatima Khadijah. For this chat we explore the energy of the Trickster and how it emerges to shake the seemingly stable foundations of outdated systems. We then dance between subjects of rehumanization, the potential power that is ours to claim post collapse, and the importance of softening the heart in trying times. 

Fatima Khadijah is a Fool, Animist, Soothsayer, Psychonaut, Liberationist, Radical Futurist, Abolitionist, and Metaphysical Outlaw. Through art, writing, ritual, and play, she explores the relationship between imagination, spirituality, and collective liberation. She is the founder of The Luminary & Co., creator of custom pop culture prayer candles, and author of Institutionalized, a memoir-manifesto on the many ways institutions shape the human spirit.

She is also building The Assembly of Universal Becoming, which is a sacred experiment in love and liberation, lovingly referred to as “the church of no church.” Her essays and visual works, including Foolery Against Fascism and Federated Commons, invite us to loosen our grip on inherited stories, recover our imagination, and dream toward more liberated futures.

Show Topics
- Utilizing Social Media Sustainably 
- The Somatic Experience of Technology
- What is the Trickster?
- Uncertainty as the Antidote to Fascism
- Breaking Points and What Comes After Collapse
- Goodness as an Attractor
- The Role of Tricksters and Clowns
- Navigating Judgement From Others and Self
- Whiteness and Dehumanization

Fatimas Links
Instagram: @iamfatimakhadijah
Luminary & Co: https://theluminaryandco.com/
Assembly of Universal Becoming: https://universalbecoming.org/
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/fatimakhadijah?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=eccf27c6-94cf-4ea6-a3f7-787056964ae0

Executive Direction of the Living/Dying Project RamDev Dale Borglum joins us for this week as we discuss how to live a life of transformation so we can face death more peacefully. 

RamDev Dale Borglum is the author of How to Live So You Can Die Without Fear and the executive director of the Living/Dying Project. A pioneering figure in the conscious dying movement, he has spent decades helping individuals face death — and life — with greater awareness and has collaborated with leaders in the field including Ram Dass, Stephen Levine, and Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. Drawing on his background as a mathematician, meditation teacher, lover of God, and devoted practitioner of both Eastern and Western healing traditions, Borglum offers a uniquely practical and accessible map to the healing path.

Links
livingdying.org
His Book: https://bookpassage.com/book/9781955831086

Show Topics
- RamDev's Story of Helping Start the Intentional Dying Movement
- All Fear is Fear of Death
- Grounding and Embodiment
- Working with Fear, Guilt, and Shame
- Grief's Role in Softening the Heart
- How Has Dying Work Changed RamDev
- What Surprises RamDev About Dying After 45 Years of Working with it
- Connecting to a Wider Awareness
- Causes of Transformation
- Joy and Service

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Joining us on the show this week is Dr. Rosalind Watts to talk about the ever important topic of human connection!

Dr. Rosiland Watts is a clinical psychologist and leading researcher in psychedelic medicine. She served as a clinical lead of the Psilocybin for Depression study at Imperial College London, where she developed the ACE therapeutic framework for psychedelic therapy. She’s been named one of the 50 most influential people in psychedelics and is known for her focus on integration, harm reduction, and inclusion in the psychedelic space. She’s also the founder of ACER Integration which is a yearlong online global community helping participants ground the big experiences of their lives.

To stay plugged in with her work and online community, head on over to acerintegration.com.

Joining us for the debut episode of the Islands of Coherence Podcast is Marianne Williamson! 

Marianne is a bestselling author, spiritual teacher, and political activist best known for her decades of work interpreting A Course in Miracles and applying its principles to modern life. She has written over a dozen books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller A Return to Love, and has lectured internationally on spirituality, self-help, and social transformation. A prominent voice at the intersection of politics and consciousness, she ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 and 2024. She is also the founder of Project Angel Food, a nonprofit that has delivered millions of meals to people living with serious illness. 

In this conversation we explore how to maintain hope in the rapidly deteriorating political conditions of the United States, what powers our American lineage grants us, and the spiritual implications of this moment in our history. 

You can stay up to date with Marianne by following these links: 
https://substack.com/@mariannewilliamson
www. marianne.com

The Reverence Workshop:
https://marianne.com/the-reverence-workshop/

Here's a major update for the future of this platform. We are now laying the '21st Century Vitalism' show to rest and ushering in a new chapter for the broadcast. I'm very excited to announce the newest iteration of this effort, 'Islands of Coherence'. Stay tuned for more updates and episode releases. 

Thanks to Mike Rempel of Circle and Arc for the incredible music (https://circleandarc.com/)
and 
Andrew Tamlyn from Formless and Forming to envisioning the awesome art. (https://formlessandforming.com/)

Joining us on the show for this episode is graphic designer, cartographer, and smellwalk guide, Dr. Kate Mclean. Kate's work is at the intersection of human-perceived smellscapes, cartography, and the communication of 'eye-invisible' sensed data. She uses a range of media including digital design, watercolor, animation, and sculpture to encourage and stimulate people to consider smell in new ways.

For this conversation, we explore the sense of smell; how it works, why it's important, and what happens when we strengthen our ability to intentionally smell the world. We then talk about her work of mapping smellscapes in urban environments and all of the implications that come with it. You can stay tuned into Kate's work by heading over to Sensorymaps.com

Show Topics
- What Are Smellmaps?
- What is the Physiology of Smell?
- Is Smell Conditioned?
- Smell and Memory
- Smell and Home
- What Happens When We Lose Our Smell?
- Becoming more Sensationally Aware
- Smell and our Perception of Time
- Smell and Cooking
- Smell and Design

Joining us on the show today is renowned psychedelic expert, facilitator, and author, Zach Leary! For this conversation we explore the when, where, how, and why of incorporating psychedelics into your journey of self-inquiry and healing. Having sat with hundreds of individuals in their own medicine journeys as well as partaking in hundreds of personal voyages through the psychedelic space, Zach’s unique perspective captures both the immense healing potential as well as the broader mystical implications in a way that nobody else does.

His newest book, ‘Your Extraordinary Mind’ is now available wherever you order your books. You can also head on over to zachleary.net to tune into his podcast and sign up for his upcoming online psychedelic studies intensive which begins on December 10th.

Show Topics
- Zach’s History of Psychedelic Exploration
- The Shamanstic Qualities of 60’s Hippie Movement
- Psychedelics as Tools for Surrender
- Fitting Psychedelics into Modern Life
- Choosing the Right Compound
- Proper Set and Setting
- The Advantages of Working with a Facilitator
- Preparation and Integration
- Psychedelics and Music
- Challenging Trips
- Spiritual Practice and Psychedelics

Joining us on the show this week is the parkour teacher, martial artist, and founder of Evolve, Move, Play - Rafe Kelley. Having spent 20 years exploring diverse movement practices, Rafe has gone on to create a system which combines parkour, connecting with the natural world, and building community through intentional interactions. In this conversation, we explore how we can create a deeper sense of embodied living through movement.

You can check out Rafe’s work by heading over to evolvemoveplay.com or following his socials @evolve.move.play    

Show Topics:
- History of Parkour and How it Changes Us
- Risk Vs. Danger
- The Importance of Play
- The Pros and Cons of Devices
- Learning from Rejection and Friction
- Apprenticeship
- How Ideologies Colonize Us
- Building Somatic Resiliency
- Sensory Desensitization and Political Extremism
- Parkour Helps Us Establish Faith in Reality