The New Dimensions Café

Sim Van der Ryn is an architect, author, and educator. He is President of The Ecological Design Collaborative and has, for over forty years, been at the forefront of integrating ecological principles into the built environment, creating multi-scale solutions driven by nature’s intelligence. He served as California’s first energy conscious state architect and is emeritus professor of architecture and environmental design at the University of California, Berkeley. He was founder of the Farallones Institute, now known as the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center.His books include The Integral Urban House: Self-Reliant Living in the City (Random House 1982), Sustainable Communities (co-author Peter Calthorpe) (Sierra Club Books 1991), Ecological Design: Tenth Anniversary Edition (co-author Stuart Cowan) (Island Press 2007), The Toilet Papers: Recycling Waste and Conserving Water (Chelsea Green Publishing1999) and Design for an Empathic World: Reconnecting to People, Nature, and Self (Island Press 2013)Interview Date: 1/22/2014     Tags: Sim Van der Ryn, empathic design, architecture, homes in Samoa, community based architecture, Real Goods Solar Living Center, housing, Ecology/Nature/Environment, Social Change/Politics, Arts & Creativity

Paria Hassouri, M.D. is a pediatrician, mother of three, and a transgender rights advocate. She’s a proud Iranian-American and has written articles that have appeared in multiple media outlets including the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and Huffington Post. She is the author of a memoir: Found in Transition: A Mother’s Evolution During Her Child’s Gender Change (New World Library 2020) Interview Date: 10/26/2020  Tags: Paria Hassouri, denial, regret, anger, grief, transgender, trans, bisexual, gay, LGBTQIA, pediatric training regarding gender issues, Iranian-American, transition in gender, Social Change/Politics, Parenting, Relationship/Partnership/Sexuality

Richard Louv’s writings and books have helped launch an international movement to connect children, families, and communities to nature. He is cofounder and chair emeritus of the nonprofit Children & Nature Network. In 2008 he was awarded the Audubon Medal which he shares with such notables as Rachel Carson, E.O. Wilson, and Sir David Attenborough. He is the author of many books including Last Child in the Woods (Algonquin Books 2008), The Nature Principle: Reconnecting with Life in a Virtual Age (Algonquin Books 2012) and Our Wild Calling: How Connecting with Animals Can Transform Our Lives—and Save Theirs (Algonquin Books 2019)Interview Date: 10/8/2020    Tags: Richard Louv, Nature Deficit Disorder, species loneliness, noticing life outside your window, crows, nature is the oldest language, Louv’s dog Banner, dogs, wolves, wolves domesticated humans, anthill, embedded in nature, reciprocity principle, conservation is no longer enough, reimaging our cities, zoonotic diseases, biodiversity collapse, climate disruption, climate change, Glenn Albrecht, feminism, gay rights, civil rights, imaginative hope, Ecology/Nature/Environment, Social Change/Politics, Science

Sherry Ruth Anderson writes and teaches about spiritual development, with a special interest in women's experience and aging as awakening. Her documentary film "A Woman's Descent to the Sacred “ was an official entry in the Mill Valley Film Festival in 2011. She’s the author of The Feminine Face of God (co-author Patricia Hopkins) (Bantam 1991), The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People are Changing the World (co-author Paul Ray) (Crown 2001) and Ripening Time: Inside Stories for Aging with Grace (Changemakers Books 2013)Interview Date: 10/3/2013   Tags: Sherry Ruth Anderson, Ph.D., aging, story of Sophie the baker, asking questions, storytelling, ripening time, Hameed Almass, A.H. Almass, Diamond Approach, not knowing, staying in the question, Philosophy

Since the 1960s Paul Winter has been in the vanguard of musicians who express special appreciation for the natural music of our world, including wolves, whales, birds, wind and water. His inclusivity combines everything from Bach to Bossa Nova, and his albums, Common Ground and Callings, are cultural landmarks, as is his album Missa Gaia/Earth Mass. Our New Dimensions theme music, "Icarus," is performed by the Paul Winter Consort. Paul Winter’s albums include: Common Ground (1989), Wolf Eyes: Retrospective (1989), Callings (1989), Canyon Lullaby (1998), Prayer for the Wild Things (1994), Missa Gaia/Earth Mass (1994), Miho: Journey to the Mountain (2010), Light of the Sun (2020)Interview Date: 10/9/2020   Tags: Paul Winter, improv, jazz, music ensemble, Jackie Kennedy, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Roger Payne, Humpback whale, wolves, orcas, I.M. Pei, Miho Museum, Paul Spong, Mickey Hoolahan, Ralph Towner, David Darling, Grand Canyon, Soviet Space Bridge, Art & Creativity, History

Mark Nepo is a poet and philosopher who, for over three decades, has been teaching in the fields of poetry and spirituality. As a cancer survivor, Mark remains committed to the usefulness of daily inner life. He devotes his writing and teaching to the journey of inner transformation and the life of relationship. He is the author of many books including As Far As The Heart Can See (HC I books 2011) and Seven Thousand Ways To Listen: Staying Close To What Is Sacred (Free Press 2012)Interview Date: 12/6/2013    Tags:Mark Nepo, deep listening, technology, multi-tasking, problem solving, creating lists, time, what really matters, friendship, loss and grief, information overload, conscience, coming together and falling apart, The Tao, Philosophy

Moeller describes herself as a former “self help junkie” but when her home and all of her belongings burned in a raging wildfire she realized that she had only dipped her toes into the waters of living the life she longed to be living. After the fire, she was inspired to quit waiting for things to be “perfect” before acting on her passions. In this dialogue we explore the many reasons we wait for our life to begin, such as waiting for enough money, waiting for the right time, waiting to be smart enough, or to have the right relationship. Kristen Moeller is a coach, speaker, workshop leader, author, and radio show host. She is the author of Waiting for Jack: Confessions of a Self-Help Junkie: How to Stop Waiting and Start Living Your Life (co-author Jack Canfield) (Morgan James Publishing 2010) and What Are You Waiting For? Learn How To Rise to the Occasion of Your Life (Viva Editions 2013)Interview Date: 5/3/2014    Tags: Kristen Moeller, wildfire, house burned down, forest fire, insurance companies, life as being fluid, Personal Transformation, Self Help, Writing

James Fadiman, Ph.D. is former president of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, a Professor of Psychology, and one of the foremost researchers in microdosing studies. He’s cofounder of Sofia University, rooted in transforming the transpersonal, and has been researching healthy multiplicity for more than 20 years. He is the author of many books including The Psychedelic Explorers Guide (Park Street Press 2011) andYour Symphony of Selves: Discover and Understand More of Who We Are (coauthor Jordan Gruber J.D.) (Park Street Press 2020)Jordan Gruber holds a J.D., Juris Doctor degree, and has forged and sculpted authoritative volumes in forensic law, financial services and self development. He founded the enlightenment.com website. He is the author of The Bounce: The Complete SuperBound® Guidebook to 21st-Century Rebound Exercise (coauthor Joy Daniels) (SuperBound 2020) and Your Symphony of Selves: Discover and Understand More of Who We Are (coauthor James Fadiman, Ph.D.) (Park Street Press 2020) Interview Date: 9/14/2020  Tags: Jordan Gruber, James Fadiman, single self assumption, sub-personality, sub-personalities, a multiplicity of selves, angry self, AA, addiction, addicted self, schizophrenia, multiple selves, people are inconsistent, being in the wrong self at the wrong time, partnering with our multiple selves, our angry self, Tsultrim Allione, inner demon, Hal and Sidra Stone, voice dialogue, Virginia Satir, Parts Party, NLP, Neural-linguistic Programming, Psychology, Personal Transformation

Hersch Wilson is a former ballet dancer (along with his wife Laurie) and is now a 30-year veteran volunteer firefighter–EMT with the Hondo Fire Department in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. He is also a writer, speaker, and consultant who has worked extensively with leadership teams from a variety of organizations including IBM Japan, the US Postal Service, and the CIA, to name a few. He also writes a monthly column on dogs for the Santa Fe New Mexican. He is the author of Choosing Growth Over Fear In Work And Life (coauthor with his late father, Larry Wilson)(Bard Press; Revised Edition 2004) and Firefighter Zen: A Field Guide To Thriving In Tough Times (New World Library 2020)Interview Date: 9/25/2020     Tags: Hersch Wilson, go slow to go fast, Richard Leider, take time to stop, deep breathing, mantra, anger, being intentional, calm, secret power words, emergency, problem, inconvenience, daily rituals, being kind, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Keep Calm-Carry On, showing up, listening to uplifting stories, being brave, outside of comfort zone, being uncomfortable, manageable chunks, small steps, Personal Transformation

Bonni Goldstein is a physician, pediatric ER doctor, and cannabis specialist. She is the medical director of Canna–Centers Wellness & Education, a Los Angeles-based medical practice that helps patients use cannabis for serious and chronic illnesses. She has successfully treated thousands of adult and pediatric patients with cannabis medicine. She is a board member of the International Association for Cannabis as Medicine and is medical advisor to Weedmaps.com. Dr. Goldstein was awarded the 2017 Medical Professional of the Year by Americans for Safe Access. She is the author of Cannabis is Medicine: How Medical Cannabis and CBD are Healing Everything from Anxiety to Chronic Pain (Little Brown Spark, 2020).Interview Date: 9/4/2020   Tags: Bonni Goldstein, medical marijuana, medical cannabis, reefer madness, endocannabinoid system, homeostasis, inflammation, endocannabinoid system, phytocannabinoid system, autism, vitamin D, THC, CBD, GABA, cannabinoid receptors, adenosine, single compound drugs, elders using cannabis, Canna-Centers Wellness and Education, Society of Cannabis Clinicians, www.cannabisclinicians.org, Health & Healing