In this podcast episode, host Jim Doty and former Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson discuss the influence of corporate entities on politics and the need for policies that prioritize the safety, health, and wellbeing of the American people. They touch on the issue of brainwashing and the need for people to understand the policies being propagated against them by the political parties they support. Williamson proposes an economic bill of rights that includes policies such as a living wage, education, and healthcare. They also discuss the need for a president who has the coura ..read more

Thich Nhat Hanh (Tay to his students) was a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and one of the best-known and respected Zen masters. A peace activist, prolific author, poet, teacher, and founder of Plum Village, Tay is recognized as the main inspiration for “engaged Buddhism”, and is considered by many to be the father of mindfulness.  Buddhist monks learned hundreds and hundreds of years ago, (and scientists are only now catching up to) that when we're compassionate, not only does it improve the lives of others, but it's a great benefit to us too. When individuals are compassionate, and this is ba ..read more

Having made the decision to become a Buddhist Monk at just 10 years old, the venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi, the president and CEO of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has dedicated his life to promoting empathy and conflict resolution, and is involved in the ongoing dialogue between Buddhism, meditation, and neuroscience. “One of the things I've found is that if you have to tell me [that you’re on the path to spiritual enlightenment], then you're not on the path, because your actions are the manifestation of being on the pa ..read more

As a child of two Type-A parents, Chip Conley had his success script written for him. But deep down he knew he was destined to write his own story.  Today, Chip is the bestselling author and thought leader at the intersection of psychology and business. Having founded the Joie de Vivre hotel chain, of which he was CEO for almost 24 years, he then sold the company and became an advisor to the founders of Airbnb, before founding the Modern Elder Academy, which he describes as the world’s first midlife wisdom school. “I had this epiphany, which was, why do we not have midlife wisdom school ..read more

Shep Gordon, legendary talent manager of multiple household names from Alice Cooper to Luther Vandross, isn’t actually passionate about music. Despite having managed Alice since 1968, what drives Shep isn’t money, but of being of service to others.  In this part two episode of Into The Magic Shop, Shep recalls meeting the Dalai Lama for the first time:  “We went to see his holiness, I got backstage, and I'll never forget the door opened and he walked in the room and I felt like I had taken the best shower of my life. Like I'd never been that clean ever in my whole life.” What make ..read more

Shep Gordon is a legendary talent manager (he manages Alice Cooper and has done since 1968), film agent, producer, and was the subject of Mike Myers’ directorial debut, the 2013 documentary, Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon.  As well as managing household names such as Blondie, Eddie Pendergrast, Luther Vandross, to name but a few, the other thing to know about Shep is that he was (according to Emeril Lagasse) single-handedly responsible for creating the concept of ‘celebrity chef’.  But, says Shep, none of this was by chance, his destiny was the result of taking action, of u ..read more

In 1971, Dr. Phil Zimbardo, a new professor at Stanford University, decided to do an experimental two-week study in which he put good people in bad places. This (now) infamous study is known globally as The Stanford Prison Project.  “[We] walked them down to the basement where the prison was, and then stripped them naked and took off the blindfold. The first thing they see is themselves, we had a big mirror for this reason, and they see themselves standing helpless and naked. And [the ‘guards’] say: Welcome to Stanford Prison.”  Volunteer students were assigned the role of either p ..read more

Every single one of us has the ability to be a hero every day, says extraordinary psychologist and Professor Emeritus at Stanford University, Dr. Phil Zimbardo, who is most well known for what's been described as the Stanford Prison Experiment. More recently, Phil has founded a nonprofit - The Heroic Imagination Project, where he works tirelessly to promote compassion in the world.  “Simply put, a hero is someone who comes to the aid of someone else in need. It could be by giving money, but typically it's helping somebody who's been in an accident, or who has some sudden medical problem ..read more

The current healthcare system is failing everyone, says practicing neurosurgeon and author of Grief Connects Us, Dr Joseph Stern (Jody). We need to reimagine how healthcare is delivered.  Having experienced the grief of losing his sister and her husband, and seeing what the healthcare system is like as a patient: how terrified people are, how in need of help, assistance, and support they are, Jody has made it his mission to treat patients with kindness and compassion. “I feel that the compassion part is the key part. And if you start with that, you have better care, more satisfied patie ..read more

How can you prepare for death? While it’s hard to live every day like it’s your last, try and keep regrets to a minimum, advises Dr. BJ Miller, a palliative care physician and a leading voice reframing society's discourse on the field of death and dying.  “When you love someone, tell them, act on it. When you want to learn something, go learn it, don't continually put things off. That sort of deferred gratification that we do in the name of discipline can catch up with us in a harsh way.” In this episode of Into The Magic Shop, BJ answers questions from the audience about how to prepare ..read more