What Dark Retreat Offers (Andrew Holocek)
Andrew Holocek, a veteran Tibetan Buddhist practitioner, explains how dark retreats use sustained darkness to deepen clarity, creativity, and healing. He traces the practice to ancient wisdom traditions and argues that modern society’s light‑addiction creates an imbalance that darkness can correct. Holocek shares personal insights from a three‑year retreat, describing how confronting fear in total darkness becomes a catalyst for inner transformation. The conversation also highlights practical entry points, from brief eye‑closure exercises to full sensory‑deprivation sessions, and notes a growing cultural fascination with dark therapy across artistic and scientific circles.
Not Operating by the Checklist (Stacey London)
Stacey Lindsay, author of *Being 40*, joins host Elise to discuss how women confront societal checklists as they enter their forties. Drawing from her own turbulent family history—her mother’s departure and a challenging upbringing—Lindsay explores self‑authoring, forgiveness, and breaking generational...
Navigating Anxiety
Elise Oehnen announces two upcoming events—a group energy‑healing Zoom session with Uta Opitz on May 2 and an in‑person retreat in Rhinebeck, NY, from May 25‑29—for Pulling the Thread members. She shares her personal experience with chronic hyperventilation, an often‑unrecognized form of...
Could We Accept Stillness? (Monthly Solo)
In the April solo episode, host Elise reflects on a personal swing between high energy and a disorienting sense of stillness, linking it to broader cultural pressures to constantly produce. She uses Carissa Schumacher's metaphor of seeding, growing, and harvesting...
What Matters More Than the Epiphany Moment (Eric Zimmer)
Eric Zimmer, author of *How a Little Becomes a Lot*, argues that lasting personal change stems from tiny, consistent actions rather than dramatic epiphanies. Drawing on his own heroin‑addiction recovery and decades of coaching, he separates long‑term values from momentary...
Why It's Hard for Us to Actually Listen (Monthly Solo)
Elise Loehnen’s solo podcast episode explores a recent Yeshua channeling session with forensic medium Carissa Schumacher, highlighting why most people struggle to truly listen. She outlines seven common listening barriers—laziness, arrogance, self‑absorption, lack of training, noise, bias, and avoidance—and contrasts...