Podcast
Pulling The Thread with Elise Loehnen
Hosted by Elise Loehnen · EN
Writer Elise Loehnen explores life’s big questions with today’s leading thinkers, experts, and luminaries: Why do we do what we do? How can we understand and love ourselves better? What would it look like to come together and build a more meaningful world?
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52episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
How Do We Respond to Evil? (Monthly Solo)
Feb 2300:51:27Tap to summarizeI’m reflecting more deeply on evil in the present moment: What is evil? What’s our relationship to it? How do we increase our tolerance for acknowledging dark energies so that we can moderate and metabolize them—and keep ourselves and others safe? This episode is not meant to scare; my intention is really the opposite, as I don’t find fear to be helpful here. I’ll be sharing a few sources and ways of thinking—about evil and how we might respond to what’s currently playing out in the culture—that I do find incredibly helpful. There’s psychiatrist M. Scott Peck on exorcisms and the lie of evil, a framework of understanding from psychic medium Carissa Schumacher, a beautiful map for us to follow from energy healer Carla Schwiderski, and more. As always, if you want to explore further, you can find links in the show notes on my Substack.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Past-Life Memories, Near-Death Experiences, and More (Marieta Pehlivanova, PhD)
Feb 1900:48:05Tap to summarizeMarieta Pehlivanova, PhD, is a research scientist at the University of Virginia’s Division of Perceptual Studies (DOPS), which is a highly unique research group that investigates the mind’s relationship to the body, and the possibility of consciousness surviving physical death. They study children who report past-life memories, people who have near-death experiences, and more. Their work is fascinating, and it has the potential to change and shape our understanding of…well, why we’re here in the first place, and what the meaning of our lives really is. If you want to go deeper on related topics (consciousness, mediums, other psychic phenomena, etc.)—see the show notes on my Substack.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Who Else Is in Our Cosmic Neighborhood? (Avi Loeb, PhD)
Feb 1200:54:13Tap to summarize“I think that we are most likely to benefit from such an encounter than to suffer from it,” says physicist Avi Loeb, PhD, who describes himself as an optimist in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Today, Loeb shares: What astronomy and dating have in common. His theories on the three interstellar objects that have been observed (including 3I/ATLAS). Why it’s likely that other intelligent civilizations exist. And why he thinks it would be wonderful to meet them—and imperative for the future of human beings that we do so. For the show notes, head to my Substack. Get 50% off Monarch, the all-in-one financial tool, at monarch.com/thread.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Life’s Lightning-Bolt Moments (Lucy Kalanithi, MD)
Feb 500:50:10Tap to summarizeLucy Kalanithi, MD, continues to instill hope in me. Today, she shares lessons from her life and her work as a primary care physician (she’s also Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Stanford University)—along with reflections on the legacy of her husband Paul Kalanithi, MD, who wrote the now canonical memoir When Breath Becomes Air before his death in 2015. For the show notes, head to my Substack.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →How to Matter—To Yourself and Others (Jennifer B. Wallace)
Jan 2900:54:30Tap to summarizeJournalist and bestselling author Jennifer B. Wallace shares the key ingredients to feeling like you matter, and to making others feel like they matter, too. She covers my favorite stories and stats from her new book Mattering, along with the practical tools, habits, and practices she leans on in her own life. We talk about the importance of putting a bow on things; how we can use the mattering lens to approach life transitions; the benefits of ego extension; and something called “the beautiful mess effect.” Wallace also shares how she’s approached what might be the hardest but most profound part of this, which is figuring out: How do I matter to myself? For the show notes, head to my Substack.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →How Spiral Dynamics Can Help Us Respond Right Now (Monthly Solo)
Jan 2600:49:12Tap to summarizeIn this month’s solo episode, I’m sharing more about the model of developmental psychology that I’m finding incredibly useful right now: Spiral Dynamics. As a framework, I think it can help us understand our world and culture better—and it can guide us in the best, and most effective ways to respond to it. If you want to go deeper into Spiral Dynamics, there is a ton more for you in the show notes on my Substack.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Can You Own a Choice Around Money That Feels Good to You? (Tori Dunlap)
Jan 2200:53:19Tap to summarizeTori Dunlap is the author of Financial Feminist and the host of the podcast of the same name. She has a very compelling way of helping women to effectively approach (and earn) money, while addressing underlying emotions, traumas, triggers, and stories. I think you’ll find her advice helpful if: You’ve ever been told, or thought, that you’re bad with money. You feel like you need to justify any spending or any earning. You feel like you have no control over your money (or your partner handles all the finances). You’d love to switch from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset. Or, you can deduce what the ostrich effect is, and you want to know how to combat it. For the show notes, head to my Substack. Get 50% off Monarch, the all-in-one financial tool, at monarch.com/thread.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →How to Grow Your Soul (Michael Meade)
Jan 1500:57:05Tap to summarizeMichael Meade is a groundbreaking storyteller, author, and scholar of mythology, anthropology, and psychology. He blew my mind with a historical gem that he shared in this conversation. I was also moved by his perspective on our “crisis of masculinity” and the manosphere, what might be the antidote to monoculture, and why the hero’s journey is a bit of a fallacy. And, even more so, his case and how-to for each of us, individually, to grow our own soul. For the show notes, head to my Substack.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →There Are Two Moves When Faced with Uncertainty (Francis Weller)
Aug 21Tap to summarize“We’re not empty containers just being filled up with fear and terror and trauma,” says psychotherapist Francis Weller. “We’re also medicine carriers.” Many of you will know Weller from his moving conversations about grief with Anderson Cooper, or his beautiful book The Wild of Edge of Sorrow. Weller’s new book, In the Absence of Ordinary, is exactly what we need now. Today, we talk about the wisdom and vitality that our grief can bring forth if we resist the impulse to go numb. Weller talks about what happens when we keep our grief company, when we allow it to keep moving, when we give ourselves what we’ve so been needing. He invites us, in this time of uncertainty, to move toward imagination, and what he calls the long dark—a space where we can connect with our own immensity, and collectively receive the medicine that is waiting there for all of us. For the show notes (including links to the new edition of The Wild Edge of Sorrow and In the Absence of Ordinary, which was just released), head over to my Substack.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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How to Fully Engage with the Rest of Your Life (Sharon Blackie, PhD)
Aug 14, 202500:48:44Tap to summarize“If we stop transforming, and we try to hold ourselves back, we’re effectively stagnating and killing the life that’s ahead,” says psychologist and author Sharon Blackie, PhD. Today, we talk about what Blackie has learned from studying myths and fairy tales, and working to reimagine the stories that currently define women’s lives. She shares a much-needed, wise, and beautiful perspective on the rebirth that can happen around menopause—when the layers that once defined us are peeled back, to reveal a deeper core, and a chance to transform once more. For the show notes, head over to my Substack.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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