Podcast
What Really Matters: Everyday Spirituality
Hosted by Karen Wyatt · EN
Dr. Karen Wyatt shares the life wisdom she learned from her hospice patients as they faced their last days. Learn how to navigate life's challenges and become your best self in the process as Karen shares what she's learning from day to day on her own journey. You'll discover tools, practices, wisdom, and stories to help you figure out what really matters in your own life.
27episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Ep. 169 My View of the Afterlife
Mar 200:18:43Tap to summarizeIn this brief episode I'm sharing with you my own experience of the spiritual realm and the afterlife since many people have wondered whether or not I "believe" the afterlife exists. This episode includes:Childhood experiences of the spiritual realmWhy I don't "believe" in heaven or hell but instead have an inner knowing of the spiritual realm that we already always exist withinHow deathbed experiences and visions with hospice patients were part of my inner knowingWhy I don't fear death Learn about my books hereCheck out End-of-Life University PodcastRead my latest Substack postMake a donation here
Transcribe →Ep. 168 The Power of Lovingkindness
Feb 1400:31:24Tap to summarizeIn this episode I share with you a powerful tool that we all need right now: The Lovingkindness Blessing. You can use this every day to transform your life and relationships - the world is starving for lovingkindness right now so I hope you will give this practice a try! This episode includes:The power of tiny acts of kindnessMetta as a Buddhist practiceHow I began to use The Lovingkindness BlessingThe 5 components of the blessingDownload The Lovingkindness BlessingLearn about my books hereCheck out End-of-Life University PodcastRead my latest Substack postMake a donation here
Transcribe →Ep. 167 Finding a Path of Love in a Hate-Filled World
Feb 100:37:44Tap to summarizeIn this episode I'm sharing my own up and down journey of learning how to step forward with love in this world where hatred surrounds us. This episode includes:My desire to not add to the burden of hatred the world is already bearingHow the March for Peace by Buddhist monks inspired me this weekWhy we need to stay motivated by love even during times of fear, anger, dismayWhat fierce love really means and why it's not soft or weakThe Milgram Experiment and what it tells us about our human natureLearn about my books hereCheck out End-of-Life University PodcastRead my latest Substack postMake a donation here
Transcribe →Ep. 166 Wisdom for the Long Arc of Societal Change
Jan 1200:37:12Tap to summarizeIn this episode I talk about the horrific state of affairs in the world and especially here in the US where we are confronted on a daily basis with violence, hatred, and inhumanity. We are awake now to the reality of the dark side of human nature and though we feel change is coming we don't know how long it will take. This episode includes:Societal change takes time - we have to be in it for the long haulEvery little step makes a differenceFind a reason to stay hopeful and grateful every day rather than falling into despairKeep working on your own shadowBe creative in your own unique way every dayLearn about my books hereCheck out End-of-Life University PodcastRead my latest Substack postMake a donation here
Transcribe →Ep. 165 Going Nowhere and Why It Matters
Dec 1600:17:11Tap to summarizeThis episode is a post-illness reflection on what happens when all our plans and aspirations get waylaid and we end up getting nowhere that we had planned to be. It includes:How my end of year plans got upendedA metaphor of going NOWHERE on a forlorn highwayWhy nowhere is exactly the right place to be (Now Here in fact)How inspiration arises when the ego runs out of certaintyWhy this matters during the holiday seasonLearn about my books hereCheck out End-of-Life University PodcastRead my latest Substack postMake a donation here
Transcribe →Ep. 164 The Ego and It's Immortality Projects
Dec 800:31:57Tap to summarizeIn this episode I discuss "immortality projects" - a term coined by Ernest Becker to describe the ego's efforts to escape the fear of death. This episode includes:What type of "projects" the ego creates to hide from deathThe cost of denying deathWhy denying death makes us vulnerable to cults, conspiracy theories, and manipulationWhy we need to awaken to our Higher Selves, our witnessing and observing selves, and help the ego surrender to our own higher wisdomWhy even "death work" can be an immortality project for the egoLearn about my books hereCheck out End-of-Life University PodcastRead my latest Substack postMake a donation here
Transcribe →Ep. 163 The 4 Elements of True Love
Dec 100:28:05Tap to summarizeToday I'm sharing Thich Nhat Hahn's 4 elements of true love, which is a Buddhist perspective on love that I find valuable. This episode includes:Loving-kindness: May you be truly wellCompassion: Your pain is not separate from mineJoy: Your joy is my joyEquanimity/Freedom: Love that doesn't possess or controlLearn about my books hereCheck out End-of-Life University PodcastRead my latest Substack postMake a donation here
Transcribe →Ep. 162 The Hidden Work of Bearing Bad News
Nov 2400:26:14Tap to summarizeIn this episode I talk about the timing of delivering bad news and the experience of carrying that bad news until the moment it can be shared. This episode includes:The weight of carrying bad newsThe divine timing that sometimes asks us to waitWhy pausing is a survival skill in our current hurry-up societyHow synchronicity can occur when we slow down and allow for pausesThe value of saying Not Just YetLearn about my books hereCheck out End-of-Life University PodcastRead my latest Substack postMake a donation here
Transcribe →Ep. 161 Tools for the Chrysalis: What to Do When Everything Falls Apart
Nov 1700:32:42Tap to summarizeIn this episode I'll share insights from my recent Substack post on the metaphor of the butterfly life cycle and why as a society we are in a "chrysalis phase" right now. This episode includes:The need for grief rituals - both individual and collective - as we navigate this time of dissolutionWhy forgiveness is an essential part of grief workWhy each of us must find our own unique form of creativity to bring to the worldHow to protect what is new and fragileRecognizing other "imaginal cells" in order to collaborateLearn about my books hereCheck out End-of-Life University PodcastRead my latest Substack postMake a donation here
Transcribe →Ep. 160 Contemplating The Tao of Death
Nov 1000:25:26Tap to summarizeThis episode is Part 2 on the mini-series on dealing with the fear of death. Today we look again at the 5 doorways of exploring death and I share verses from The Tao of Death that can help us contemplate the deeper meaning of each doorway. The episode includes:Why we need to go within to learn about our fear of deathHow to "die before we die" by releasing ego attachmentsWhy we must learn to live in the present moment rather than the imagined futureConnecting to something larger than ourselvesSpeaking and connecting to others about our fears of deathLearn about my books hereCheck out End-of-Life University PodcastRead my latest Substack postMake a donation here
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