In an age of constant change and uncertainty, how can we remain calm, centered, and able to respond wisely? Maisel shares how we can cultivate serenity not just in meditation, but in the thick of daily life. Serene readiness, Maisel explains, means being mentally and emotionally prepared for life’s surprises while staying grounded in one’s values and creative intentions. This dialogue offers a powerful reminder: Serenity is not withdrawal—it’s readiness in motion.

Eric Maisel is a retired, licensed psychotherapist and an internationally respected coach specializing in creativity, existential wellness, and relationship coaching. He trains coaches and offers workshops and webinars nationally and internationally. The author of more than fifty books, he also writes the long-running “Rethinking Mental Health” blog for Psychology Today and contributes to outlets such as The Good Men Project and Fine Art America. His books include:

• Night Brilliance: The Sleep Thinker's Guide to Powerful Problem-Solving (BTSL – Jim Dandy Publishing 2026)
• Brave New Mind: The Art of Serene Readiness (BTSL- Jim Dandy Publishing 2025)
• Choose Your Life Purposes: A Step by Step Guide to Self Awareness, Empowerment, and Success (TMA Press 2024)
• The Coach's Guide to Completing Creative Work: Top Tips for Working with Procrastination, Perfectionism and More (Lynda Monk) (Routledge 2023)
• The Coach’s Way: The Art and Practice of Powerful Coaching in Any Field (New World Library 2023)
• Why Smart, Creative and Highly Sensitive People Hurt: A Toolkit for Thriving in a Chaotic World (TMA 2023)
• The Great Book of Journaling: How Journal Writing Can Support a Life of Wellness, Creativity, Meaning and Purpose (Conari Press 2022
• The Power of Daily Practice: How Creative and Performing Artists (and Everyone Else) Can Finally Meet Their Goals (New World Library 2020)

Interview Date: 1/30/2026 Tags: MP3, Eric Maisel, serene readiness, visualization, deep breathing, self-criticism, life purpose, personal philosophy, procrastination, addiction to perfection, Personal Transformation, Psychology

When we look beyond our ego-centered view, we see we’re not separate from nature. Our survival, sanity, and meaning depend on recognizing the living web of life that sustains us. By tuning into the more-than-human world, we begin to heal the split fueling ecological destruction and remember a more reciprocal way of being. Artist and iconographer Angela Manno, creator of the Sacred Biodiversity Oracle, offers a profound invitation into this awareness through a deck of 36 cards portraying animals and plants from around the world. Her luminous paintings shimmer with quiet, radical devotion to the living Earth, encouraging us to encounter other beings and ecosystems as sacred presences rather than distant “resources.” Environmental leader Bill McKibben has described her work as “Powerful reminders of the beauty and holiness of the world we are destroying, and of our duty to protect what remains.”

Angela Manno is an award-winning visual artist based in New York City whose work weaves together spirituality, ecology, and contemporary iconography. A Bard College graduate, she also studied at the San Francisco Art Institute and Parsons School of Design. She has also trained in Byzantine-Russian iconography with master Vladislav Andrejev. Her work has been exhibited at major institutions, including the Smithsonian, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and NASA’s collections. She is especially known for her series Contemporary Icons of Threatened and Endangered Species.

She is the creator of The Sacred Biodiversity Oracle (Bear & Company 2026)

Interview Date: 1/9/2026 Tags: Angela Manno, Thomas Berry, Byzantine-Russian iconography, Viso Divina, Maasai lion guardians, Jane Goodall, conservation, environmental stewardship, Sundance ritual, Sandra Steingraber, Art & Creativity, Ecology/Nature/Environment, Meditation, Personal Transformation