This is Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Stephen G. Post, renowned researcher, author, and one of the world’s leading voices on altruism, compassion, and the science of love. As the founding director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics at Stony Brook University, Dr. Post has spent decades exploring how love, meaning, and generosity shape human flourishing.

In this episode, we move deeper into the philosophical and spiritual foundations of his book, *Pure Unlimited Love*. Dr. Post introduces the idea of “the one mind,” sharing powerful stories and scientific perspectives that challenge the belief that consciousness is produced solely by the brain. We explore how creativity, intuition, and insight emerge when people access deeper states of awareness—and why chronic fear, stress, and disconnection keep us from doing so.

We also discuss freedom as a spiritual quality rather than a purely material one, the healing role of nature and social prescribing, and why serving others is essential to restoring dignity, meaning, and joy in our lives.

The Biggest Helping: Today’s Most Important Takeaway

“I’m a believer that we need to have identifiable constituencies to which we apply our kindness and our callings.”

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Thank you for joining us on The Daily Helping with Dr. Shuster. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube to download more food for the brain, knowledge from the experts, and tools to win at life.

Resources:

• Pure Unlimited Love (Book)
• The Institute for Research on Pure Unlimited Love
• Dr. Stephen G. Post – Stony Brook Bio
• Dr. Stephen G. Post – Official Website

Produced by NOVA

In a time marked by social tension and cultural fragmentation, we welcomed Dr. Stephen G. Post—founding president of the Institute for Research on Pure Unlimited Love and director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics at Stony Brook University’s Renaissance School of Medicine. With more than forty years of work exploring compassion at the intersection of science and spirituality, Dr. Post helps us move beyond reductionist ideas of altruism and into a richer understanding of what it means to truly care for others. This episode is Part 1 of a two-part conversation.

We explore why empathy alone isn’t sufficient without moral direction, how different forms of helping shape our inner lives, and what research reveals about the emotional and psychological benefits of volunteering—especially during seasons of grief and loss. Dr. Post also invites us to reflect on what’s lost as human connection becomes increasingly mediated by screens, and why presence and intentional love matter now more than ever.

The Biggest Helping: Today’s Most Important Takeaway

“The security and well-being of others [is] as real or meaningful to us as our own, and sometimes more so”

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Thank you for joining us on The Daily Helping with Dr. Shuster. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube to download more food for the brain, knowledge from the experts, and tools to win at life.

Resources:

• Pure Unlimited Love (Book)
• The Institute for Research on Pure Unlimited Love
• Dr. Stephen G. Post – Stony Brook Bio
• Dr. Stephen G. Post – Official Website
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Produced by NOVA

Writer, historian, and Emmy Award–winning host John T. Edge joins us for a powerful conversation about identity, inherited stories, and the emotional resonance of food. Best known for True South and his acclaimed books—including House of Smoke, the focus of our discussion—John T. shares how growing up in a home steeped in Confederate mythology shaped his early worldview, and how his adult life became an intentional act of rewriting those narratives.

As John T. explains, food is never just food—it’s memory, migration, and the emotional weight of history. He helps us understand how Southern cuisine is deeply rooted in West African traditions, why food becomes a meeting place for shared humanity, and how acknowledging its origins allows us to approach it with honesty and connection. He also opens up about grief, loss, and how emotional reckoning transformed his relationships and his trajectory as a writer and cultural leader.

John T. discusses the rise and collapse of his work with the Southern Foodways Alliance, sharing the humbling lesson of recognizing one’s own power, the pitfalls of hubris, and how accountability and reinvention shaped who he is today. His reflections on resilience—including two life-altering car wrecks—offer a grounded reminder that what matters most is how we choose to act on the other side of adversity.

The Biggest Helping: Today’s Most Important Takeaway

“Don’t save the word love for the people who are your blood kin. Tell your friends you love them—and why. And mean it.”

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Thank you for joining us on The Daily Helping with Dr. Shuster. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube to download more food for the brain, knowledge from the experts, and tools to win at life.

Resources:

• John T. Edge’s Website
• House of Smoke
• 
  

Produced by NOVA