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Awakening Our Soulful Intelligence: What the Octopus — and Sy Montgomery — Know

Awakening Our Soulful Intelligence: What the Octopus — and Sy Montgomery — Know

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 Episode 65 Awakening Our Soulful Intelligence: What the Octopus — and Sy Montgomery — Know Guest: Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus What if resilience doesn’t come from thinking harder or pushing faster, but from listening more deeply to the intelligence that already lives within us? In this episode of Resilience Gone Wild, host Jessica Morgenthal explores the quiet, embodied wisdom of the giant Pacific octopus—and how soulful intelligence can help us navigate our own lives with more clarity, connection, and compassion. Joined by Sy Montgomery, bestselling author of The Soul of an Octopus, we step into a world where intelligence is fluid, intuitive, relational, and alive in every moment. Episode Overview In “Soulful Intelligence,” Jessica takes us into the cool stillness of a Northern Pacific kelp forest to meet the giant Pacific octopus—an animal whose distributed, sensory-rich intelligence reveals a different way of knowing the world. Through vivid storytelling, we witness how octopuses perceive, choose, communicate, and relate with a depth that challenges human assumptions about consciousness. This exploration becomes the foundation for a rich conversation with Sy Montgomery, who expands our understanding of soul, presence, and cross-species connection. Through Sy’s stories—of octopuses, dolphins, turtles, caterpillars, dogs, and the living Earth itself—we learn how soulful intelligence deepens resilience, awakens awe, and invites us into a more relational way of being. The result is an episode that reconnects us to our own inner wisdom, to the creatures who share our planet, and to the subtle intelligence that thrives everywhere life is paying attention. What You’ll Learn How the giant Pacific octopus models soulful intelligence through presence, perception, and attunementWhy soulful intelligence integrates mind, body, intuition, values, and relationshipsHow slowing down expands our ability to sense meaning and choose wiselyWhat Sy Montgomery has learned about consciousness and soul from octopuses, turtles, pink dolphins, chimps, and caterpillarsWhy love and curiosity are powerful tools of inquiry in science and in lifeHow awe, reverence, and “beginner’s mind” build resilience and restore connectionHow small acts of mending—of relationships, ecosystems, and daily choices—strengthen both the world and our own internal steadiness Episode Highlights [00:00] Intro [02:00] Distributed intelligence: sensing, learning, and decision-making across the body [04:00] Camouflage as expression: color, texture, emotion, and attunement [06:50] A quiet greeting: two octopuses meet with curiosity [08:50] Defining soulful intelligence [11:15] Why soulful intelligence strengthens resilience Conversation with Sy Montgomery [12:21] Welcoming Sy: the writer who opened the world to octopus consciousness [14:00] Sy’s octopus teachers: Athena, Octavia, Kali, and Karma [16:10] Soul as connection to the rest of creation [18:25] Why naming animals changed the science of behavior [22:39] Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, Biruté Galdikas, and the revolution of relational science [27:07] Scar tissue, resilience, and the sacredness of mending [33:01] The living Earth, Gaia, and the soul of the planet [35:06] Awe, reverence, and the responsibility of connection [37:36] Mending as antidote to helplessness [49:20] How humans silence their own intuition—and how to restore it [53:49] Being massaged by pink dolphins: a story of cross-species soul [56:42] The feedback loop of doing good [59:16] Caterpillars, memory, and the persistence of soul [01:02:10] Closing reflections: the intelligence that waits beneath our first thoughts Meet the Guest Sy Montgomery is a naturalist, bestselling author, and one of the world’s most beloved interpreters of animal consciousness. Her book The Soul of an Octopus was on the New York Times Bestseller List, was a National Book Award finalist, and reshaped public understanding of invertebrate sentience. Sy has written 39 books about animals—from hawks to pink dolphins to turtles—illuminating the relationships that remind us we are part of a living, soulful, interconnected world. Her work invites readers to listen more deeply, love more broadly, and honor the wisdom that exists beyond human boundaries. Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned Soulful Intelligence: alignment of values, intuition, sensation, and meaningDistributed Intelligence in OctopusesBeginner’s Mind in cross-species connectionAwe as a tool for resilienceMending as a daily practice of healingThe Sphere of Influence: acting where energy can truly make a differenceGaian consciousness and interconnected living systems Closing Insight & CTA “Soulful intelligence grows in the space between stimulus and response—the pause long enough for our deeper knowing to rise.” If this episode opened something in you, share it with someone who may be searching...
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