The Sweet Spot Podcasts

The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die

MP3 File  Length-22 minutes, 53 seconds

Dr. Lara Honos-Webb, host of The Sweet Spot Podcast interviews Dr. John Izzo, author of The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Dr. John Izzo

John Izzo is a visionary, author, community leader and professional speaker on leadership development, performance management, corporate culture, and organizational change. Dr. John Izzo has more than 17 years experience working in a wide variety of corporate settings. His clients include nonprofit organizations, Fortune 500 companies, Healthcare Organizations and mid-size companies. Over the last two decades, John Izzo has married his first career as a minister with his second career as a management & leadership consultant to help leaders create corporations and organizations where values and purpose are the foundations for success. Dr. Izzo spent five years as a senior organizational development consultant for Kaiser Permanente, and 4 years as Vice President of The Einstein Consulting Group, an international customer service consultancy prior to establishing his own firm. Currently he focuses on helping leaders and organizations reach sustainable success through the integration of purposeful leadership and business practices.

John Izzo obtained his Bachelor of Sociology from Hofstra University in 1978 before completing a dual Masters degree from McCormick Divinity School in Theology while simultaneously attending the University of Chicago to complete his Masters in Organizational Psychology. Dr. Izzo then completed his Ph.D. in Organizational Communication from Kent State University shortly thereafter. He is the author of over 60 articles, and is the co-author of the best selling book Awakening Corporate Soul: Four Paths to Unleash the Power of People at Work and its companion workbook. He is also the author of  Values-Shift: The New Work Ethic and What it Means for Business. His pioneering work has been featured on CNN, ABC World News, the LA Times, Canada AM, CBC Radio, The American Medical Journal, B.C. Business, The Seattle Times and the cover of Association Management Magazine on "Creating Inspiring Work Places".

Based on leading edge research and experiences with more than 200 companies, John Izzo helps people understand these shifting values and how they differ across generations and across gender.John Izzo works with leaders who are serious about finding and keeping talented people and who are willing to do what it takes to create an organization where values and purpose are the foundation of the culture. Visit his website.

Visit Dr. Lara Honos-Webb's website and blog.

The Mindful Woman: Gentle Practices for Restoring Calm, Finding Balance, and Opening Your Heart

MP3 File

Length-22 minutes, 39 seconds

Dr. Lara Honos-Webb, host of The Sweet Spot Podcast interviews psychotherapist Sue Patton Thoele, author of The Mindful Woman: Gentle Practices for Restoring Calm, Finding Balance, and Opening Your Heart published by New Harbinger Publications.

Sue Patton Thoele

Sue Patton Thoele is a psychotherapist, former hospice chaplain and bereavement group leader, and author of ten books. She and her husband, Gene, live in Colorado, close to their adult children and grandchildren. Her passions include friendships, swimming with free dolphins, being a "soccer grammy," arts and crafts, exploring spirituality with her husband, and encouraging herself and others to find balance, peace of mind, and openheartedness through the gentle practice of increased mindfulness.

Her books include: The Courage to Be Yourself, The Woman's Book of Courage, Autumn of the Spring Chicken, Heart Centered Marriage, The Woman's Book of Confidence, The Woman's Book of Spirit, Freedoms After 50, Growing Hope, The Courage to Be a Stepmom, The Woman's Book of Soul, and The Courage to Be Yourself Journal. Visit her website.

Visit Dr. Lara Honos-Webb's website and blog.

Essence of Tantric Sexuality

Length-24 minutes, 40 seconds

Dr. Lara Honos-Webb host of the Sweet Spot Podcast, interviews Mark Michaels (Swami Umeshanand Saraswati) and Patricia Johnson (Devi Veenanand) authors of Essence of Tantric Sexuality published by Llewellyn Publications.

Patricia Johnson and Mark Michaels

Mark Michaels (Swami Umeshanand Saraswati) and Patricia Johnson (Devi Veenanand)a devoted married couple who have been teaching Tantra and Kriya Yoga together since 1999. Their popular workshops have been featured in several publications, including the Village Voice, Now magazine, and Breathe magazine.

The two seek to combine a traditional, lineage-based approach with the best contemporary, Neo-Tantric methods. Their approach includes breath work, meditation, chanting, and puja (a type of Hindu devotional ritual), and their "initiated Kriya yoga" practices aim to lay a spiritual foundation for bringing the heightened awareness and pleasure of sex into everyday life.

The authors are senior students of Dr. John Mumford (Swami Anandakapila Saraswati) and have been named lineage holders of the OM-Kara Kriya® system for the Americas and Sunyata, coauthor of The Jewel in the Lotus, named Michaels his lineage holder in 2001.

Michaels and Johnson have studied Bhakti Yoga with Bhagavan Das and Tantra with Dr. Rudy Ballentine, and they have been featured in Dr. Judy Kuriansky's The Complete Idiot's Guide to Tantric Sex.

Michaels is a graduate of New York University School of Law, is a member of the Bar in New York State, and holds master's degrees in American Studies from NYU and Yale. A playwright and translator, he translated and adapted Goldoni's The Mistress of the Inn, The Thrill of Victory, The Agony of Debate, which premiered at New York's Primary Stages.

Patricia Johnson is a professional operatic soprano who tours extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and South America and has performed with the New York City Opera, the Houston Grand Opera, and the Berlin Komsiche Opera.  Visit their website.

Visit Dr. Honos-Webb's website and blog.

How Big Is Your God?: The Freedom to Experience the Divine

Length-23 minutes, 1 second

Dr. Lara Honos-Webb, host of The Sweet Spot Podcast, interviews Fr. Paul Coutinho, SJ, author of How Big Is Your God?: The Freedom to Experience the Divine published by Loyola Press.

Father Paul Coutinho, SJ

Fr. Paul Coutinho, SJ is an internationally recognized Ignatian scholar and speaker who brings an Eastern influence to Western spirituality. A Jesuit from the Bombay province of India, he frequently leads retreats, gives spiritual direction, and trains people to lead the Spiritual Exercises. Fr. Coutinho holds masters degrees in both clinical psychology and religious studies, and he has a doctorate in historical theology from Saint Louis University. He currently divides his time between India and the United States. For more information, please visit www.loyolabooks.org

Visit Dr. Lara Honos-Webb's website and blog.

The Secret Universal Mind Meditation

Length-27 minutes, 40 seconds

Dr. Lara Honos-Webb interviews Ms. Kelly Howell, author of The Secret Universal Mind Meditation published by Brain Sync Corp

Ms. Kelly Howell

With over 2 million audio programs in print, Kelly Howell is highly acclaimed for her pioneering work in healing and mind expansion. She’s been actively involved in personal development and consciousness research for more than two decades and is recognized as a thought-leader in the field of personal transformation.

Over the years, she’s worked in cooperation with eminent scientists, medical professionals, brain researchers and spiritual teachers to develop her groundbreaking transformational audio techniques. Her clinically proven Brain Wave Therapy CDs are embraced by both individual users and by medical professionals.  Visit her website and podcast.

Visit Dr. Honos-Webb's website and blog.

The Power of Coincidence: How Life Shows Us What We Need to Know

MP3 File

Length-22 minutes, 56 seconds

Dr. Lara Honos-Webb interviews Dr. David Ricco, author of The Power of Coincidence: How Life Shows Us What We Need to Know published by Shambhala.

David Richo, Ph.D., M.F.T., is a psychotherapist, teacher, workshop leader, and writer who works in Santa Barbara and San Francisco California.  He combines Jungian, transpersonal, and mythic perspectives in his work.  Visit his website.

Your Soul's Compass: What Is Spiritual Guidance?

MP3 File

Length-22 minutes, 12 seconds

Dr. Lara Honos-Webb, host of The Sweet Spot, interviews Dr. Joan Z. Borysenko, author of Your Soul's Compass: What Is Spiritual Guidance? published by Hay House.

Dr. Jane Z. Borysenko

Joan Borysenko, Ph.D., is one of the leading experts on stress, spirituality, and the mind/body connection. She has a doctorate in medical sciences from Harvard Medical School, is a licensed clinical psychologist, and is the co-founder and former director of the Mind/body Clinical Programs at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School.  Visit her website.

Visit Dr. Lara Honos-Webb's website and blog.

Uncommon Wisdom

Length-26 minutes, 31 seconds

Dr. Lara Honos-Webb, host of The Sweet Spot, interviews Dr. Parker Wilson, author of Uncommon Wisdom: The Self-Help Book That Actually Helps.

Dr. Parker Wilson

Dr. Wilson specializes in the treatment of psychological trauma, addiction and compulsion, grief, depression, and family and couple's issues. Over the years, Dr. Wilson has worked with thousands of people who have been victimized by crime, victimized by childhood abuse, become addicted to alcohol and substances, are battling depression and grief, are grappling with intimacy and sexual issues, or are just struggling to stay together as a person, a couple, or a family.  Visit his website.

Grieving Mindfully: A Compassionate And Spiritual Guide To Coping With Loss

Length-25 minutes, 45 seconds

Dr. Lara Honos-Webb, host of The Sweet Spot Podcasts, interviews Dr. Sameet Kumar, author of Grieving Mindfully: A Compassionate And Spiritual Guide To Coping With Loss published by New Harbinger Publications.

Dr. Sameet Kumar

Sameet Kumar, Ph.D., is a Buddhist psychotherapist whose areas of expertise include palliative care, spirituality in psychotherapy, stress management and relaxation, and grief and bereavement. He received his doctorate at the University of Miami, and has also trained with many leading Tibetan Buddhist teachers. He has traveled extensively in India, China, and Tibet, and works at the Mt. Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami Beach and Aventura, Florida.

Wisdom Walk: Nine Practices for Creating Peace and Balance from the World's Spiritual Traditions

Length-21 minutes, 57 seconds

Dr. Lara Honos-Webb host of The Sweet Spot, interviews Dr. Sage Bennet author of Wisdom Walk: Nine Practices for Creating Peace and Balance from the World's Spiritual Traditions published by New World Library.

Dr. Sage Bennet

Dr. Sage Bennett is an ordained minister at Agape International Spiritual Center and the author of Wisdom Walk. She offers seminars, retreats, counseling, and coaching to those exploring the deeper mysteries on their spiritual journeys. A teacher at a number of universities, she lives in Marina Del Rey, CA. Visit her  website.