Metta Hour with Sharon Salzberg

For episode 261, Dr. Jenny Taitz returns to the Metta Hour for our Anxiety Series. 

Jenny is a clinical psychologist and an assistant clinical professor in psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles. She completed her fellowship in psychology at Yale University School of Medicine and achieved board certifications in cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. In addition to treating clie...

For episode 260, we are launching a new Anxiety Series on the Metta Hour. Sharon is speaking with Mental Health experts, providers and researchers for tools to work with anxiety in increasingly challenging times. To launch the series, Sharon sits down with Dr. Jud Brewer MD, Ph.D.

Dr, Jud is a New York Times best-selling author and thought leader in the field of habit change and the “science of self-mastery,” who blends ove...

For episode 259, we bring you the second half of a two-part series on the Force of Kindness.

Listen to the first part of this series released earlier in February of 2025 right here.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has stated, “My true religion is kindness.” Although frequently denigrated in our culture as simplistic and weak, the quality of kindness has an inherent power to transform our worldview from one of fear and isolation ...

For episode 258, we bring you the first half of a two-part series on the Force of Kindness.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has stated, “My true religion is kindness.” Although frequently denigrated in our culture as simplistic and weak, the quality of kindness has an inherent power to transform our worldview from one of fear and isolation to one rooted in clarity, courage and compassion in action. Kindness is the fuel that hel...

For episode 257 we are continuing the Fireside Chat Series on the Metta Hour with guest Christina Feldman.

This series features intimate conversations with longtime dharma teachers about the early days of their practice and the most impactful moments with their own teachers. Hosted by IMS Online, the seventh episode in this series. Christina is of the generation of dharma teachers that began teaching in the west i...

For episode 256, we start off the year in podcasts with a conversation between Sharon and first-time guest Norma Ryuko Kawelokū Wong Roshi.

Norma is a thought partner, a strategist, and a teacher. She is the abbot of Anko-in, an independent branch temple of Daihonzan Chozen-ji and serves practice communities in Hawai‘i, across the continental U.S., and in Toronto, Canada. She is an 86th-generation Zen Master, having trained...

For episode 255, Sharon closes out the 2024 year in podcasts with an intimate conversation with Elizabeth Gilbert.

Liz is the New York Times bestselling author of Eat Pray Love, Big Magic, the novels City of Girls and The Signature of All Things, and six other books of fiction and nonfiction — which altogether have sold over 25 million copies worldwide. She travels the globe giving talks and workshops that encourage people ...

For episode 254, we are continuing the Fireside Chat Series on the Metta Hour with guest Ruth King.

This series features intimate conversations with longtime dharma teachers about the early days of their practice and the most impactful moments with their own teachers. Hosted by IMS Online, the sixth episode in this series. Ruth King is the Founder of Mindful of Race Institute, LLC, and is a celebrated author, educator,...

For episode 252, Cory Allen makes his first appearance on the Metta Hour podcast.

Cory Allen is an author, coach, podcaster, and influencer from Austin, Texas. He writes daily thoughts on mindfulness and mental clarity for his large Instagram following, reaching over a million people a week. Cory is the author of two books, his most recent, Brave New You, has just been released from Hay House in 2024 in hardcover, ebook and...

For episode 252, Kristin Neff returns to the Metta Hour for her third appearance on the podcast.

Dr. Kristin Neff is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, conducting the first empirical studies on self-compassion more than twenty years ago. She has been recognized as one of the most influential researchers in psychology worldwide is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at...

For episode 251, Ethan Nichtern returns to the Metta Hour to talk about his new book, Confidence: Holding Your Seat through Life’s Eight Worldly Winds.

Ethan is a contemporary Buddhist teacher and the host of The Road Home Podcast. He is the author of several books, including The Road Home, and has been featured by CNN, NPR, the New York Times, Vogue, and Business Insider, and more.

In this conversation, Sharon and Etha...

For episode 250, Reggie Hubbard returns to the Metta Hour podcast to talk about Election Stress.

Reggie is a certified yoga and meditation teacher and the founder/chief serving officer of Active Peace Yoga. He has taught Members of Congress, Congressional Staff, major labor unions, leading progressive organizations, and individuals from all walks of life the simple tools for managing stress and bringing peace to mind, body,...

For episode 249, Anu Gupta returns to the Metta Hour to speak about his new book, “Breaking Bias: Where Stereotypes and Prejudices Come From and - the Science-Backed Method to Unravel Them.”

Anu is an educator, lawyer, scientist, and the founder and CEO of BE MORE with Anu, an education technology benefit corporation that trains professionals across corporate, nonprofit, and government sectors to advance DEIB and welln...

For episode 248, Cortland Dahl makes his first appearance on the Metta Hour to speak about his new book, “A Meditator’s Guide to Buddhism: The Path of Awareness, Compassion, and Wisdom.”

Cortland is a scientist, Buddhist scholar & translator, and meditation teacher. He is the co-founder of Tergar International, a global network of meditation centers, with Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. Cortland is also actively invo...

For episode 247, we are continuing the Fireside Chat Series on the Metta Hour with guest Joseph Goldstein.

This series features intimate conversations with longtime dharma teachers about the early days of their practice and the most impactful moments with their own teachers. Hosted by IMS Online, the fifth episode in this series. Joseph Goldstein has been leading insight and lovingkindness meditation retreats worldwide...

For episode 246, Susan Cain makes her first appearance on the Metta Hour!

Susan is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Quiet, and Bittersweet, which was also an Oprah Book Club selection. She has spent the last twenty years exploring a particular realm of human nature: the quiet, the sensitive, the thoughtful, the bittersweet. Susan’s record-smashing TED talks have been viewed over 50 mi...

For episode 245, we are continuing the Fireside Chat Series on the Metta Hour with guest Guy Armstrong.

This series features intimate conversations with longtime dharma teachers about the early days of their practice and the most impactful moments with their own teachers. Hosted by IMS Online, the fourth episode in this series. Guy Armstrong has been leading insight meditation retreats since 1984 in the U.S., Europe, a...

For episode 244 Valerie Mason-John makes their first appearance on the Metta Hour to speak about their new book, “First Aid Kit for the Mind: Breaking the Cycle of Habitual Behaviors”.

Valerie is a founding facilitator of Compassionate Inquiry and the author of eleven books, including the award-winning book, “Eight Step Recovery.” They are a co-founder of the training program, Mindfulness Based Addiction Recovery, and work ...

For episode 243, we are continuing the Fireside Chat Series on the Metta Hour with guest Tuere Sala.

This series features intimate conversations with longtime dharma teachers about the early days of their practice and the most impactful moments with their own teachers. Hosted by IMS Online, the third episode in this series. Tuere Sala is a Guiding Teacher at Seattle Insight Meditation Society and the founding teacher o...