The New Dimensions Café

Bill Plotkin, PhD, has been a psychotherapist, research psychologist, rock musician, river runner, professor of psychology, and mountain-bike racer. As a research psychologist, he studied dreams and nonordinary states of consciousness achieved through meditation, biofeedback, and hypnosis. The founder and president of Animas Valley Institute, he has guided thousands of people through initiatory passages in nature since 1980. Currently an ecotherapist, depth psychologist, and wilderness guide, he leads a variety of experiential, nature-based individuation programs. He is the author of Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche (New World Library 2003), Nature and the Human Soul: Creating Wholeness and Community in a Fragmented World (New World Library 2008), The Journey of Soul Initiation: A Field Guide for Visionaries, Evolutionaries, and Revolutionaries (New World Library 2021)Interview Date: 1/21/2021    Tags: Bill Plotkin, soul initiation, Earth community, true adult, transcendence, cocoon, mythopoetic identity, ego metamorphosis, true purpose, caterpillar and butterfly, dissolution experience, descent to soul, Personal Transformation, Spirituality

Cognitive decline is rampant in today’s world. It’s a toxic jungle regarding pollutants in the air, water, and foods we eat, as well as the negative media we take in. Here our guest touches on how to protect ourselves and our brains as we navigate the neuro-toxic forces that are currently pitched against everyone on the planet. Brant Cortright, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and Professor of Psychology at California Institute of Integral Studies. His consulting practice specializes in brain health and neuroscience-informed depth therapy. He is the author of: Psychotherapy and Spirit: Theory and Practice in Transpersonal Psychotherapy (Suny Series, Philosophy of Psychology) (State University of New York Press 1997), Integral Psychology: Yoga, Growth, and Opening the Heart (Suny Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology) (State University of New York Press 2007), The Neurogenesis Diet & Lifestyle: Upgrade Your Brain, Upgrade Your Life (Psyche Media 2015), Holistic Healing for Anxiety, Depression, & Cognitive Decline (Psyche Media 2020)Interview Date: 1/14/2021    Tags: Brant Cortright, depression, mental illness, Neurotoxins, hormone disruptors, glyphosates, microbiome, inflammation, Alzheimer’s disease, smog, antidepressants, neuroplasticity, neurogenesis, gut microbiome, microbial diversity, bacteria in our intestines, conspiracy theories, Science, Self Help, Heath & Healing, psychology, meditation

Devon Price, Ph.D. is a social psychologist, writer, activist, and professor at Loyola University of Chicago’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Price's work has appeared in numerous publications such as the Journal of Experimental Psychology, Slate, and has been featured on the front page of Medium numerous times. Price is the author of Laziness Does Not Exist (Atria Books 2020)Interview Date: 1/7/2021      Tags: Devon Price, overworking, laziness, laziness lie, pandemic, universal income, Rebecca Solnit, R. Buckminster Fuller, Bucky Fuller, students, motivation, overwork, productivity, working from home, setting boundaries, achievement orientation, achievement indoctrination, Stephen Covey, Personal Transformation, Work/Livelihood, Creativity

Celeste Yacoboni is an ordained Minister of Walking Prayer and is a spiritual coach. She is the editor of How Do You Pray? Inspiring Responses from Religious Leaders, Spiritual Guides, Healers, Activists & Other Lovers of Humanity (Monkfish Publishing 2014)Interview Date: 8/27/2014  Tags: Celeste Yacoboni, prayer, Matthew Fox, Ph.D., Michael Meade, Michael Gelb, Ph.D., chanting, Hail Mary full of grace prayer,prayer field, grief, muslim prayer practice, prayer of dedication, Spirituality, Religion

Stuart Brown. M.D. is a pioneer researcher on the effects of play. He’s the founder of the National Institute for Play in Carmel, California. In 1987, he was the producer of the classic documentary film The Hero's Journey, the Life and Work of Joseph Campbell and executive producer and originator of the three part PBS series, The Promise of Play. He is the author of: Play, How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul (co-author Christopher Vaughan) (Avery 2010)Interview Date: 2/3/2014    Tags: Stuart Brown, M.D. Play, playing, violence, Charles Whitman, playlessness, pre-school children and play, bullying, physical playing versus virtual playing, creativity, vitamin play, Personal Transformation, Parenting

Margaret Wheatley is an internationally acclaimed writer, speaker, and teacher. She is co-founder and President Emerita of The Berkana Institute, a charitable foundation that works with people around the world who strengthen their communities using the wisdom and wealth already present in their people, traditions, and environment. Wheatley's books include Leadership and the New Science  (Berrett-Kohler 1998), Perseverance  (Berrett-Kohler 2010) and So Far from Home: Lost and Found In Our Brave New World (Berrett-Kohler 2012)Interview Date: 12/11/2012   Tags: Persevere, relationship, community, General Sherman, Civil War, supporting one another, buddies, Social Change/Politics, Philosophy

Sy Montgomery is a naturalist, documentary scriptwriter and author of many books which often include stories of her encounters with animals. To research her books, films and articles, Sy Montgomery has been chased by an angry silver back gorilla in Zaire and bitten by a vampire bat in Costa Rica, worked in a pit of 18,000 snakes in Manitoba, and handled a wild tarantula in French Guiana. She holds an honorary doctorate from the University System of New Hampshire. Her many books have garnered numerous awards, and include: Search for the Golden Moon Bear: Science and Adventure in Pursuit of a New Species (Chelsea Green Publishing 2009), The Good, Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood (Ballantine Books 2007), Birdology: Adventures with a Pack of Hens, a Peck of Pigeons, Cantankerous Crows, Fierce Falcons, Hip Hop Parrots, Baby Hummingbirds, and One Murderously Big Living Dinosaur (Atria Books 2011), The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness. (Atria Books 2015)Tags: Sy Montgomery, octopus, suckers of an octopus, evolution, octopus enrichment manual, octopus venom, octopus arms, Nancy King’s octopus Ollie, Octopuses like TV, Animals, Ecology, Nature, Environment, Science

Jennifer Butler is an ordained Presbyterian minister with her Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. She is the founding Executive Director of Faith in Public Life and former chair of the White House Council of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Butler is a staunch advocate for women’s rights and human rights and is passionate about the need to counter religious extremism. She is the author of Who Stole My Bible: Reclaiming Scripture as a Handbook for Resisting Tyranny (Faith in Public Life 2020).Interview Date: 11/30/2020 Tags: Jennifer Butler, justice, Jesus, freedom, oppression, nuclear weapons, racism, feminist hermeneutics, Bible, Mary Magdalene, Mariam in Hebrew scripture, book of Exodus, Moses, Valarie Kaur, Sikh, darkness of the womb, dignity, Ayn Rand, Metamorphosis of a caterpillar, imaginal cells, giving birth, John Lewis, Black Lives Matter, voting rights, activism, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Rebecca Solnit, hope, cloud of witnesses, Václav Havel, lamentation, lamenting, power of the lament, Royal Reality, Religion, Social Change/Politics

Betsy Wiersma is the founder of the CampExperience Network. It was started in 2005 and has raised over $1 million dollars and in-kind support for charities in Colorado and around the world. She's the owner of Wiersma Experience Marketing, offering creative strategic solutions for organizations and businesses and is host of Boost Power Podcast. Wiersma was honored as one of the top 25 women in Colorado by the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and is recipient of the Francis Wisebart Jacobs award (known as Colorado’s” Mother of Charities”) for philanthropy. In 2019 Betsy was a Speaker at TEDx Colorado, Cherry Creek Women on the topic “Choose Your Family, Change Your Life.” She is the author of Exceptional Events: Concept To Completion (Second Edition) (Kari Strolberg) (Chip Books 2003) and The STEW: Smart Talk Exceptional Women: Art & Insights by Women For the World (Vervante, Inc. 2020)Interview Date: 11/16/2020    Tags: Betsy Wiersma, do good have fun, sisterhood, Camp Experience Network, love as a business plan, power of the purse, women who rocks, mentoring, networking, women’s network, catalyst for good, choosing joy, lights on energy, Cathy Hawk, Clarity International, fashion as artistic expression, Paralympics, Sock-It-To-Me project, podcasting, Arts & Creativity, Community, Women’s Studies

Michael Meade is a renowned storyteller, author, scholar of mythology, and student of ritual in traditional cultures. He has scoured the world to bring to us meaningful folk tales that tap into ancestral sources of wisdom, and acts as a guide to connect them to the stories we are living today. Meade is the founder of Mosaic Multicultural Foundation. He also offers regular Living Myths Podcasts, and is author of many books including Why the World Doesn't End: Tales of Renewal in Times of Loss (GreenfirePress 2012) and Awakening the Soul: A Deep Response to a Troubled World (GreenFire Press 2018)Interview Date: 11/6/2020   Tags: Michael Meade, mythic imagination, pull of opposites, maturity, polarization, rites of passage, life is not binary, tribe, wisdom, soul, winners and losers, dire straits, Jason and the Argonauts, comunita, community, vertical imagination, Carl Jung, 2020 election, inclusive humanity, interconnected, Coronavirus, breath, Mythology, Social Change/Politics, Philosophy, community