Commune with Jeff Krasno

So often we focus our New Year's resolutions on our deficiencies of character or habits, imagining a future with a better job, six-pack abs, or a fulfilling relationship. Today, I ask you to extend this intention practice outside yourself and ask a bigger question, “What is your vision for the world you want to live in?” What are the attributes of that society? What are its values?

Pull up a chair by our digital fireside as Jeff reads three pieces that influenced him this year — a letter from spiritual teacher Ram Dass, a speech by Robert Kennedy, and a short story from singer-songwriter Portia Nelson. We hope these words move you, too.

Our culture typically defines justice through the lens of crime and punishment. Violate the law and you will be punished. But how does justice address the victim? Are they to be healed through revenge? Today, you will hear the courageous story of Marlee Liss, who sought an alternative path for justice after being sexually assaulted — a path of compassion and transformation.

This is Part 2 of a two-part series on recovery with Russell Brand. Last week we explored how 12-step recovery can be applied to the addictions in our lives, but can the same model work with our society? Can we collectively recognize a problem, commit to change, undertake a thorough inventory, recognize patterns, and create a culture of service? Today we take the 12-steps one step further — from personal to communal. To hear more from Russell, sign up for his upcoming Recovery course on Commune (onecommune.com/recovery) or check out his Luminary podcast, Under the Skin (luminary.link/russell @hearluminary).

This is Part 1 of a two-part series on recovery with Russell Brand. Very few of us are free from some form of addiction — alcohol, sugar, sleeping pills, sex, Instagram, co-dependent relationships, the list goes on. Russell points out that all our addictions stem from a common problem: spiritual disconnection. But when we admit we have a problem, believe in real change, accept help from others, and hand over our will and control to a higher power, we can begin to find freedom from our addictions. To hear more from Russell, sign up for his upcoming Recovery course on Commune (onecommune.com/recovery) or check out his Luminary podcast, Under the Skin (luminary.link/russell @hearluminary).

We spend our entire lives having thoughts, but because no one else can hear them we can fool ourselves into thinking they don't matter unless we act on them. But the tone and word choices of our inner dialogue are incredibly important. Today's episode offers Commune course excerpts from three teachers – Lauren Zander, Danielle LaPorte, and Brendon Burchard – on how to cultivate thought patterns that uplift your life. If you like hearing from multiple teachers like this, check out the Commune Wellness Summit. Sign up for free here: onecommune.com/summit.

We recognize the importance of self-reflection, but there is also tremendous value in stepping back as a business or a family to contemplate the bigger picture, the higher purpose, the deeper “why” behind it all. As we embark on our first company off-site, here are some thoughts on the value of briefly disengaging from the “world of the 10,000 things.”

Today’s show is about what it means to be an advocate: why and how and with what intention we should speak up for the causes we care about. We’ve pulled excerpts from three Commune courses: • Finian Makepeace talks about the importance of the “second person” who makes an idea available to new, broader audiences. • Marianne Williamson shares with us the difference between “speaking up” and “tearing down.” • Suzanne Sterling offers advice for how to discover the authentic voice that lives within you. We hope this episode gives you some tools and motivation to speak up with compassion—for yourself and for others. As Marianne Williamson says, “There's no religious or spiritual tradition anywhere that gives anyone a pass on addressing the suffering of other sentient beings.” All of these courses are represented in the Commune Summit! Sign up for free at onecommune.com/summit.

What comes after the job, the money, the power? Why do we seek these things if not, in the end, for happiness? And is happiness simply a chemical symphony in the brain that we can hack into, or does true contentment lie somewhere ineffably beyond our physiology? Today, Jeff offers an orchestrated monologue of his thoughts on happiness. Learn more about Commune courses and events at onecommune.com.

Modern allopathic medicine is brilliant at treating acute trauma, but it’s a big problem when we try to treat chronic health issues with the same approach. Today on the show Jeff speaks to Kelly Noonan Gores, writer, producer and director of the documentary Heal. She explains how our medical system throws drugs at symptoms instead of understanding and treating the root cause of the disease. This is no small matter, as over half the American population is now afflicted by chronic issues such as diabetes, arthritis, asthma, and cardiovascular disease. Yet Kelly’s message is one of empowerment: We are not destined by our DNA. We have agency over our own well-being. Learn more about Commune courses and events at onecommune.com.