The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern

On the latest episode of The Road Home podcast, I talk about classic Buddhist teachings that remind us about the basic facts of life, and go over a recent conversation I had with my 9-year-old daughter about her interest in—and aversion to—to the truth of death. Using a classic list called the Five Remembrances, we discuss how to shift our relationship to the truth of impermanence in a more positive (dare I even say, happier?) direction while keeping in mind, in the words of one Buddhist teacher, that "You can't attend your own funeral."
(Last year, with your subscriptions, we were able to release more episodes than any previous year. This was only possible with your support. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here.)
(This and all episodes available wherever you get your "pods," Apple, Ethan's Website, Substack and every other pod place).
More cool resources:
Here is the link to the text of the Five Remembrances as translated by Thich Nhat Hanh.
Check out our sponsor platform, A Mindful World!
Thinking of joining us for the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program next year? Sign up free for this evening discussion of the program and why it might be Time to Go Deeper: Why The Dharma Matters Now. You can join in 2027 on Tuesday evenings for the first Yearlong Buddhist Studies Course or you can join the Advanced Buddhist Studies Group on Wednesdays.
Paid subscribers to The Road Home will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more! The Thursday Meditation Group happens each week at 8am ET on Thursdays, and guided audio meditations are released monthly. Another bonus podcast for paid subscribers discussed the obstacle of resistance to meditation practice, and Ethan also offered instruction in Metta meditation toward yourself. These are all available to paid subscribers. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc).
You can now order personally signed copies of Ethan's books at his website.
You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, Substack and every other pod place).

On the latest episode of The Road Home podcast, I am joined by bestselling author, clinical psychologist and Buddhist meditator Dr. Shefali. Her work combines Western psychology with Eastern wisdom, and explores the challenges facing both parents and children (and the inner child in all of us) from a crucial perspective of authenticity and presence. This week she simultaneously released not one but two new books at once: Raising Conscious Daughters and Raising Conscious Sons. We discussed working with fear, insecurity, perfectionism, aggression, and the longing to connect with others. We also discussed screens! Of course we discussed what to do about our kids—and our own—screens. Have a listen.

(Last year, with your subscriptions via substack, we were able to release more episodes than any previous year. This was only possible with your support. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here.)


Paid subscribers to The Road Home will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more! The Thursday Meditation Group happens each week at 8am ET on Thursdays, and guided audio meditations are released monthly. Another bonus podcast for paid subscribers discussed the obstacle of resistance to meditation practice, and Ethan also offered instruction in Metta meditation toward yourself. These are all available to paid subscribers. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc).
 

Dr. Shefali is a clinical psychologist, a New York Times bestselling author, and the founder of the Conscious Parenting movement, redefining how families understand selfhood, connection, and the inner life of children. She works where psychology meets consciousness, tracing the hidden forces that shape identity, relationships, and the way weinhabit the world. Trained at Columbia University, she has spent decades guiding families to move beyond patterns of control and fear toward presence and authenticity. Her work brings Western psychology and Eastern wisdom into lived practice, creating a path for children—and the adults who raise them—to know themselves fully. This week she simultaneously released two new books at once: Raising Conscious Daughters and Raising Conscious Sons.
(This and all episodes available wherever you get your "pods," Apple, Ethan's Website, Substack and every other pod place).
More cool resources:
Check out our sponsor platform, A Mindful World!
Thinking of joining us for the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program next year? Sign up free for this evening discussion of the program and why it might be Time to Go Deeper: Why The Dharma Matters Now. Also, sign up for our Fall retreat at the Garrison Institute at this link.
You can now order personally signed copies of Ethan's books at his website.
You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, Substack and every other pod place).

On the latest episode of The Road Home podcast, we dive into one of the deepest and most crucial teachings of Buddhist philosophy of the mind: the three poisons. These could also be called the three confused habitual responses to the present moment. In this dharma talk, we go "under the hood" of how our moment by moment experience unfolds, and how our observation of our confusion can be simplified to the exploration of three simple momentary experiences, as well as our three confused reactions to them. The episode ends with a simple and practical labelling practice which the Buddha taught to begin to watch how—when we're not paying attention— the three poisons develop out of our natural and healthy responses to the present moment. Enjoy.

(Last year, with your subscriptions, we were able to release more episodes than any previous year. This was only possible with your support. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here.)
(Episode available wherever you get your "pods," Apple, Ethan's Website, Substack and every other pod place).
(Last year, with your subscriptions, we were able to release more episodes than any previous year. This was only possible with your support. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here.)
Show Notes and More cool resources:
Read the book The Road Home for more insights into the mechanism of the three poisons and how we can transform our experience of them.
For the mentioned book by John Welwood, you can find Toward A Psychology of Awakening here.
Check out our sponsor platform, A Mindful World! A new free video course from Ethan on Metta (lovingkindness) meditation is now available at this link. Sign up for our Fall retreat at the Garrison Institute at this link. Stay tuned for registration for the 2027 Yearlong Buddhist Studies program (and The Advanced Buddhist Studies Program), which begins on 26th, 2027. Registration coming very soon.
Paid subscribers to The Road Home will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more! The Thursday Meditation Group happens each week at 8am ET on Thursdays, and guided audio meditations are released monthly. Another bonus podcast for paid subscribers discussed the obstacle of resistance to meditation practice, and Ethan also offered instruction in Metta meditation toward yourself. These are all available to paid subscribers. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc).
You can now order personally signed copies of Ethan's books at his website.
You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, Substack and every other pod place).

On the latest episode of The Road Home podcast, Ethan was joined by friend Noel Coakley. A brilliant and kind psychotherapist and Dharma teacher, Noel has a style as a spiritual thinker and teacher all his own. They discussed his journey into working with the mind, his interest in relational mindfulness and psychology, how The Beastie Boys got him into the Dharma, and what it's like to teach Buddhist meditation at a Bluegrass festival. Ethan also tried to rope Noel into Ethan's controversial theory that Siddhartha Gautama demonstrated the path of awakening for an individual with an avoidant attachment style. Finally, we discussed Noel's teaching work and his new book, Wake Up Sleepy Buddha.

(Last year, with your subscriptions, we were able to release more episodes than any previous year. This was only possible with your support. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here.)
Noel Coakley has more than thirty years of experience as a meditation practitioner and dharma teacher, primarily within the Yungdrung Bön and Tibetan Buddhist traditions. For the past fourteen years, he has also worked as a licensed psychotherapist, integrating contemplative practice with contemporary Western psychology. His work focuses on making authentic Buddhist teachings approachable without diminishing their depth, helping people find a clear and welcoming path beyond introductory mindfulness. Through meditation retreats, classes, clinical work, and now his book Wake Up Sleepy Buddha, Noel bridges traditional Buddhist wisdom with modern life through direct experience, practical application, and plainspoken language.
Learn more at: www.wakeupsleepybuddha.com/about
(Episode available wherever you get your "pods," Apple, Ethan's Website, Substack and every other pod place).
(Last year, with your subscriptions, we were able to release more episodes than any previous year. This was only possible with your support. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here.)
Show Notes and More cool resources:
The quote which titles this podcast is from an interview between Wes Nisker and Psychologist Jack Engler.
Check out our sponsor platform, A Mindful World! A new free video course from Ethan on Metta (lovingkindness) meditation is now available at this link. Sign up for our Fall retreat at the Garrison Institute at this link. Sign up for the August online visualization meditation workshop here.
Paid subscribers to The Road Home will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more! The Thursday Meditation Group happens each week at 8am ET on Thursdays, and guided audio meditations are released monthly. Another bonus podcast for paid subscribers discussed the obstacle of resistance to meditation practice, and Ethan also offered instruction in Metta meditation toward yourself. These are all available to paid subscribers. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc).
You can now order personally signed copies of Ethan's books at his website.
You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, Substack and every other pod place).

Recently I was talking to my friend Dr. Chris Willard, and he mentioned a desire to have a conversation about the effects of patriarchy on men, and especially younger men, from both a psychological and spiritual perspective. Like myself, Chris is a progressive Buddhist dad, and like me, he cares about helping people develop a more emotionally attuned approach to life. Chris has a particular clinical focus on working with younger people, including younger boys and men. What followed was a wide-ranging (and only slightly rambling, but hey, it's a podcast!) conversation that explored the current (troubled) state of masculinity from a spiritual, psychological, scientific, cultural and political perspective.
Dr. Christopher Willard, (Psy. D.) is a clinical psychologist, author and consultant based in Massachusetts. He has spoken in forty countries, and has presented at two TEDx events. He is the author of twenty books, including Alphabreaths, Growing Up Mindful, Feelings are Like Farts, and The Neuroscience of Negotiation. His thoughts on mental health have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, mindful.org, cnn.com, and elsewhere. He teaches at Harvard Medical School.
Subscribe now
(Episode available wherever you get your "pods," Apple, Ethan's Website, Substack and every other pod place).
Last year, with your subscriptions, we were able to release more episodes than any previous year. This was only possible with your support. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here.
Show Notes and More cool resources:
Check out our sponsor platform, A Mindful World! A new free video course from Ethan on Metta (lovingkindness) meditation is now available at this link. Sign up for our Fall retreat at the Garrison Institute at this link. Sign up for the August visualization meditation workshop here.
Paid subscribers to The Road Home will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more! The Thursday Meditation Group happens each week at 8am ET on Thursdays, and guided audio meditations are released monthly. Another bonus podcast for paid subscribers discussed the obstacle of resistance to meditation practice, and Ethan also offered instruction in Metta meditation toward yourself. These are all available to paid subscribers. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc).
Subscribe now
You can now order personally signed copies of Ethan's books at his website.
You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc).