Radiant Rest Podcast with Tracee Stanley – Details, episodes & analysis

"You never know what will wake you up and bring you back into the awakened state that you were born in." —Osho Zenju Earthlyn

Osho Zenju Earthlyn, a poet, author, ordained Zen priest, and medicine woman of the drum, has written the manuals for our time. Years ago, after reading two of her books—Opening To Darkness and The Shamanic Bones of Zen—it was clear to me that she understands the medicine that would be deeply needed now. I was excited for our conversation, and it offered  profound gems of wisdom for these times.

We talked about how she arrived on the Zen Buddhism path, how she considers it a path of liberation to live a full life, exploring the layers of meaning of darkness, extraction that takes place in spiritual circles, rituals and ceremony, and so much more.

Connect with Zenju at zenju.org and find her upcoming events here

Books

• Opening To Darkness: Eight Gateways for Being with the Absence of Light in Unsettling Times

• The Shamanic Bones of Zen: Revealing the Ancestral Spirit and Mystical Heart of a Sacred Tradition

• Full list of Osho Zenju Earthlyn's books

Article in Tricycle

Meditation Is Not Required

About Our Guest

Osho Zenju Earthlyn Marselean Manuel, poet, author, ordained Zen priest, and medicine woman of the drum, was born in Los Angeles, California. She is the middle daughter of Lawrence Manuel Jr. and Alvesta Pierre Manuel, who both migrated from rural Louisiana. Zenju Osho was raised in Los Angeles, with her older and younger sisters. As a child, she was referred to by the name her mother gave her, Earthlyn, her middle name Marselean (Marceline) was her grandmother's name. Zenju is a dharma name. Osho is a title meaning Zen teacher.

She is the dharma heir of Buddha and the late Zenkei Blanche Hartman in the Shunryu Suzuki Roshi lineage through the San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC). She was Shuso (head Student) with Kiku Christina Lehnherr Roshi and her Dharma Transmission was completed by Osho Shosan Victoria Austin. Prior to enter Zen Buddhism, Zenju practiced in the Nichiren/Soka Gakkai tradition for 15 years. She entered Zen in 2001 and began again as a beginner on the path.

Zenju's practice is influenced by Native American and African indigenous traditions. She participated in ceremony with Ifá diviners from Dahomey, Africa and briefly studied Yoruba. She was raised in the Church of Christ where she was an avid reader of the Bible and adored the true mystic teachings on Christ's path well into adulthood. She holds a Ph.D. and formally worked for decades as a social science researcher, development director for non-profit organizations and those serving women and girls, cultural arts, and mental health.

Photo Credit: photo by Anna Cummings

Connect with host Tracee Stanley:

Radiance Subscription Online Community—try it for a month FREE!:  https://www.empoweredlifecircle.com/join-today/ 

Website: https://www.traceestanley.com

Newsletter: https://www.traceestanley.com/#newsletter

Instagram: http://instagram.com/tracee_stanley 

Radiant Rest book: https://www.traceestanley.com/radiant-rest 

The Luminous Self book: https://www.traceestanley.com/luminous-self 

Podcast: https://www.traceestanley.com/podcast

"The moment of our death, all we have is our breath. The moment of our life, all we have is our breath," says Elena Brower. "So why not clue in with it now, get really relaxed around it, and learn who I am in this quiet." 

In Elena's upcoming new book, Hold Nothing: An Invitation to Let Go and Come Home to Yourself, she shares how the Zen Buddhism practice of silence and stillness has landed in her heart and her life, bringing with it profound teachings.

Enjoy a cup of tea with this deep and inspiring conversation: In this episode, we discuss how this path of practice requires bravery, the deep-seated grief we experience on a daily basis, altars as beautiful thresholds, lessons from Elena's service work in hospice centers, and what it really means to practice letting go.

Preorder Hold Nothing, Receive a Free Virtual Workshop: Altar of Your Heart), & Discover More Gifts at this link:

https://elenabrower.com/holdnothing/

About Elena Brower

Mother, mentor, poet, artist, volunteer, bestselling author, and host of the Practice You Podcast, Elena Brower is a celebrated international yoga and meditation teacher on Glo, guiding transformative practices since 1999. Her debut book, Art of Attention: A Yoga Practice Workbook for Movement as Meditation, was published in 2012 and has since been translated into seven languages. Her bestselling journals Practice You and Being You, her collection of poetry Softening Time, along with her courses, classes, and talks, explore stages of studentship, practice, life, and listening.

Her next book, Hold Nothing, will be published by Shambhala Publications on November 18, 2025. Her column on Substack supports girls and women, through On The Inside, Girls on Fire Leaders, Women for Women, and Free Food Kitchen.

She hosts the acclaimed podcast Practice You, a series of deep, compassionate conversations with teachers, artists, and thinkers, designed to support you through life's transitions, encouraging presence, care, and openness. Offering two new virtual weekly classes on Glo, Elena weaves body, breath, art, and contemplative mindfulness into practice. Bridging ancient yogic precision with creative depth and emotional intelligence, she serves individuals in cultivating resilience and inner alignment.

In 2023, she received Jukai (lay Buddhist vows) from Roshi Joan Jiko Halifax at Upaya Zen Center, and is a student in Upaya's Chaplaincy Training. As part of her service, she volunteers in hospice and penitentiary settings, bringing yoga, meditation, and compassionate presence, aligning with Upaya's commitment to local service and community support.

Connect with host Tracee Stanley:

Radiance Subscription Online Community—try it for a month FREE!:  https://www.empoweredlifecircle.com/join-today/ 

Website: https://www.traceestanley.com

Newsletter: https://www.traceestanley.com/#newsletter

Instagram: http://instagram.com/tracee_stanley 

Radiant Rest book: https://www.traceestanley.com/radiant-rest 

The Luminous Self book: https://www.traceestanley.com/luminous-self 

Podcast: https://www.traceestanley.com/podcast

Dreams are messengers of insights, prophecies, and creative inspirations, a doorway to discovering more about what lies in the depths of our being. Paying attention to our dreaming life is a way of weaving practice into a full cycle of a day and honoring the states of consciousness that we usually dismiss as not real or unimportant. They are also a way to help us heal.

In this episode of Radiant Rest, Tracee Stanley hosts a fascinating conversation with Athena Laz, an intuitive, dream teacher, psychologist & author of The Alchemy of Your Dreams and The Deliberate Dreamers Journal, about dreaming as a powerful pathway to healing. They discuss:

• The story of how Athena discovered the world of dreams and the power they behold

• Different types of dreaming, including lucid, cognitive, and prophetic dreaming

• How to work with dreams and the symbols that arise in them

• What happens when we don't pay attention to what our dreams are trying to tell us

• The difference between lucid dreaming and astral projection

• The lucid dream that revealed to Tracee where, exactly, she would eventually move to

• Much more, including a visualization practice to connect with the dreaming world

Resources

Learn more about Athena

Athena's books:

• The Alchemy of Your Dreams: A Modern Guide to the Ancient Art of Lucid Dreaming and Interpretation
• The Deliberate Dreamer's Journal

Robert Monroe, a researcher of alternate states of consciousness

Tracee's books:

• The Luminous Self
• Radiant Rest

Visit TraceeStanley.com to find out more and join her newsletter to discover more events and retreats that center rest, creativity, and earth-centered practices.

About our guest

Athena Laz is a bestselling author and expert in the field of dreams, spirituality, and psychic intuition. Her bestselling books, The Alchemy of Your Dreams: A Modern Guide to Lucid Dreaming & Interpretation, and The Deliberate Dreamer's Journal are out now and have been translated into more than 13 languages worldwide. She has a new book and oracle deck coming out with Hay House in 2025.  You can discover her work at www.athenalaz.com, and find her on social media: @athena_Laz.

Separation from nature is causing illness not only to ourselves but all beings and systems on the planet—yet our relationship with earth holds the potential for the healing we need, says Jeanine Canty, PhD, author of Returning the Self to Nature: Undoing Our Collective Narcissism and Healing Our Planet and teacher of ecopsychology. In this episode, Jeanine joins host Tracee Stanley to share wisdom and tools from ecopsychology to expand our hearts and consciousness and bring about collective repair. 

They discuss: 

• The definition and origin of ecopsychology, and how it differs from western psychology

• Collective narcissism, and how it's fueling a crisis

• Pathways to healing through an awareness of our reciprocity with all beings

• Tools and practices to disrupt the false self and shift into the ecological self 

• Much more!

Resources:

Returning the Self to Nature: Undoing Our Collective Narcissism and Healing Our Planet by Jeanine Canty, PhD

About our guest:

Jeanine M. Canty, PhD, is a professor of transformative studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco, telecommuting from Boulder, CO. Formerly the chair of environmental studies at Naropa University, she continues to teach at Naropa and at Pacifica Graduate Institute's ecopsychology certificate program. A lover of nature, justice, and contemplative practice, her teaching intersects issues of social and ecological justice, ecopsychology, and the process of worldview expansion and change. She is both editor and contributor to the books Ecological and Social Healing: Multicultural Women's Voices and Globalism and Localization: Emergent Approaches to Ecological and Social Crises. Her newest book is Returning the Self to Nature: Undoing Our Collective Narcissism and Healing Our Planet (Shambhala Publications, 2022). Other selected works have been featured in A Wild Love for the World: Joanna Macy and The Work of Our Time, The Wiley Handbook of Transpersonal Psychology, The Body and Oppression: Its Roots, its Voices, and its Resolutions, Shadows and Light: Principles, Practices, Pedagogy, and Multicultural Perspectives of Contemporary Transpersonal Counseling. She is a certified meditation instructor as well as a Wilderness First Responder (WFR).

What are the lessons you're tired of learning? In yoga philosophy, the kleshas are patterns that create suffering, and exploring them can help us find peace and ease in our personal lives and within the collective. In this conversation, Tracee Stanley is joined by author, activist, spiritual teacher and practitioner, racial equity consultant and trainer, and intuitive healer Michelle Cassandra Johnson, whose new book, Illuminating Our True Nature: Yogic Practices for Personal & Collective Healing is a guide for turning towards—instead of away from—our suffering, not only to better understand why we suffer but also to also open up pathways to freedom. 

Tune in as Tracee and Michelle discuss:

• Why we resist suffering and how yogic tools and practices can help us overcome our samskaras (patterns)

• How avidya (ignorance) fuels our feelings of separation—especially from nature—and is at the root of suffering 

• The prevailing wisdom of honey bees 

• Why spiritual bypassing leads to more suffering

• Surprising lessons Michelle learned while writing her book

• Much more! 

Michelle's new book, Illuminating Our True Nature: Yogic Practices for Personal & Collective Healing, is available now wherever books are sold! Learn more here.

Connect with Michelle and explore her books, offerings, and events at michellecjohnson.com

How does life shift when we give ourselves permission to slow down? In this episode, host Tracee Stanley and Rosie Acosta, author of You Are Radically Loved: A Healing Journey to Self-Love, dive into the ways we can savor the little moments and find peace in the practice of slowing down—even when we're in a season where it feels like everyone is speeding up.  

They discuss: 

• Why it's important to intentionally slow down into presence

• Sacred boundaries and the practice of "compassionate no"

• Examining our tendency to fill our schedules 

• Why we live in an optimization culture

• Much more!

Connect with Rosie at radicallyloved.com and instagram.com/rosieacosta

Tune in to her podcast, You Are Radically Loved, here

More about Rosie Acosta, in her own words: 

I'm an Author, Meditation & Mindfulness Teacher. I am a first generation Mexican-American, grew up in the early 90's in East LA during the "Decade of Death." We are talking drive-by shootings, gang violence, everything one would need to grow up with PTSD. I've been on a 20-year journey through yoga and mindfulness, that completely changed my life. I've been teaching for over fifteen years. From my East Los Angeles roots to working with Olympic athletes, NFL champions, NBA All-Stars, and veterans of war, my mission is to help people overcome adversity and embrace self-love. Currently teaching on the #1 Meditation App, Headspace.

When things fall apart, we may need support accessing our inner knowing and inner compass to navigate the grief. Sara Avant Stover wrote Handbook for the Heartbroken: A Women's Path from Devastation to Rebirth to help orient people experiencing a variety of forms of personal or collective heartbreak and support them in feeling a sense of validation and clarity. 

In this conversation, host Tracee Stanley and Sara discussed:

• Different types of heartbreak
• Intuition and reckoning with what we already know before our rational mind acknowledges it
• Bringing our true Self in relationship to the subconscious parts of ourselves created by upbringing and culture
• Collective heartbreak
• The necessity of processing grief in community
• The role of rest in healing from heartbreak
• Much more!

Connect with Sara and get your copy of Handbook for the Heartbroken at saraavantstover.com

Sara Avant Stover (she/her) is a Certified Internal Family Systems (IFS) Practitioner and business strategist to spiritual, entrepreneurial women. Specializing in supporting women to discover and fulfill their true potential at the intersection where entrepreneurship meets personal and spiritual growth, she's also the author of The Way of the Happy Woman (2011), The Book of SHE (2015), and Handbook for the Heartbroken (2024). 

After graduating Phi Beta Kappa and Summa cum Laude from Columbia University's all-women's Barnard College, Sara had a cancer scare, moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand, and, there, embarked on a decade-long healing and spiritual odyssey throughout Asia. Since then, she's gone on to uplift the lives of tens of thousands of women worldwide. 

Having taught at some of the world's leading retreat centers like Kripalu, 1440 Multiversity, Shambhala Mountain Center, Sara has been featured in Yoga Journal, the Huffington Post, Newsweek, Natural Health, and on ABC, NBC, and CBS. She lives in Boulder, CO.

What does it mean to live with a free open heart? To live boldly? To stop holding back and dive into the divine chaos and art of life? 

In this episode of Radiant Rest Podcast, host Tracee Stanley is joined by Alexandra Roxo, author of the new book Dare to Feel: The Transformational Path of the Heart. As a relationship and intimacy coach, a mentor to women, as well as a new mother, Alexandra is passionate about breaking patterns that keep us feeling alone and stuck. She brings psychology, spirituality, and conscious relationship work to her practice with couples and single women longing to call in and keep love. 

In this conversation, Tracee and Alexandra discuss:

• The ways in which we are taught not to feel 

• Core wounds as a pathway to healing and reclaiming our essential Self

• What having a child revealed to Alexandra about her discomfort with chaos 

• The breath is as a portal to the heart

• The writing and editing process of writing Alexandra's book

• More!

Connect with Alexandra at alexandraroxo.com

Alexandra's new book, Dare to Feel: The Transformational Path of the Heart, is now available where all books are sold 

Free Sensual Embodiment Practice: Take a few minutes of your day to drop into your gorgeous body and feel your heart open and sensuality come online with Alexandra's signature embodiment practice.

About our guest:

Alexandra Roxo is an artist, bestselling author, transformational coach, and teacher. She has been featured as a guest speaker on many renowned podcasts and at numerous festivals and events worldwide and has been featured in multiple TV appearances, including two seasons of Netflix's hit show, Too Hot to Handle. Her work has also been featured in the New York Times,  Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, The Guardian, Nylon, and Playboy. Her latest book, 'Dare to Feel', is out with Sounds True and explores how to work through blocks to intimacy and passionate living through deep feeling and embodiment.

Tracee Stanley chats with Kaya Mindlin, sought after and beloved Yoga educator. Kaya is a steward of Vedic teachings and brings her wisdom about divine timing and so much radiant wisdom about the New Year ahead. Find Kaya at yogawithkaya.com to explore her many rich offerings. 

Kim Krans, visionary artist, author, musician, and yoga nidra guide, speaks with Tracee Stanley about her latest creation - the new game, Renunciation. This game asks you to take a rest from the overculture and reclaim what is most important in life as you let go of capitalism and explore karma. Originally recorded as part of the Creative Spark Series in the Radiance Subscription, we just had to share this on our podcast. 

You can explore yoga nidra with Kim here- You can also listen to music by Kim here.

Kim received her BFA in drawing at Cooper Union in NYC, MFA in mixed media at Hunter College, and an MA in depth psychology and creativity at Pacifica Graduate Institute in California. Her seeker's heart has brought her to study in-depth practices of Classical Hatha, Kundalini Yoga, and shamanism in India, Africa, Europe, and the UK. Kim teaches events and workshops that activate the forces of creativity and radical transformation through art, meditation, mysticism, and movement.

Quote from the Bhagavad Gita 18.47: It is better to do one's own dharma, even though imperfectly, than to do another's dharma, even though perfectly. By doing one's innate duties, a person does not incur sin.