In this episode, Liz Richardson talks with Fleet Maull about her new play, Unconfined. Her play, based on a real-life story of an incarcerated prisoner’s contemplative journey while in prison and on death rowDrawing parallels between this prisoner’s experience and her voluntary, 3-year confinement at Gampo Abbey retreatContemplating beliefs of whether people who are incarcerated really can change LIZ RICHARDSON – PLAYWRIGHT / ACTRESS Liz has had a lifelong career as an actress and writer. A graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), she has performed in major theatre, film, television and radio productions in England, Canada and the US. She has played leading parts in London’s West End, the Bristol Old Vic, the Neptune Theatre in Halifax, the Shaw Festival in Ontario and Canadian Stage in Toronto. As well, she has been involved in script development for many new plays in Britain and Canada. Liz’s first solo show, Going On, which she wrote and performed, began with readings in California in 2012 and went on to successful runs in Mexico, Vancouver, Connecticut and Halifax, where it was presented in 2015 by KAZAN Co-Op as part of the show Stacey and Liz at the Waiting Room. Contact: lizrich108@gmail.com elizabeth-richardson.com To Learn More About the Prison Mindfulness Institute, please visit www.prisonmindfulness.org

In this episode, Lama Justin von Bujdoss talks with Vita Pires about his experiences working as a chaplain for the New York City Department of Corrections.  Shadow sides of working in prisonsLimitations of mindfulness work for highly traumatized populations (the incarcerated and correctional staff)How to do this work in a culturally sensitive and authentic manner JUSTIN VON BUJDOSS Lama Justin von Bujdoss is an American vajrayana Buddhist teacher, writer, and the is a co-founder of Bhumisparsha an experimental Buddhist sangha along with Lama Rod Owens. He is the author of Modern Tantric Buddhism: Authenticity and Embodiment in Dharma Practice published by North Atlantic Books, and a contributor to Buddhism and Whiteness: Critical Reflections published by Lexington Books. From 2016 until December 2021 Justin served as the Executive Director of Chaplaincy and Staff Wellness for the NYC Department of Correction where he also served as Head Chaplain supervising over 30 chaplains and guiding wellness programming for staff. Justin was ordained as a repa, a lay tantric yogin in the tradition of Milarepa, by His Eminence Gyaltsab Rinpoche, and has presented on Buddhist practice at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, University of Chicago, Wellesley, Columbia University, and has been a visiting instructor at Union Theological Seminary. To Learn More About the Prison Mindfulness Institute, please visit www.prisonmindfulness.org

In this episode, Gabriella Savelli talks with Fleet Maull about her work with the International Association for Human Values.  The International Association of Human Values (IAHV) program-reducing offender recidivismThe impact of secular breath-work on prisoners and prison staffActualizing networks of programs with different modalities for positive systemic change GABRIELLA SAVELLI Ms Savelli became Director of the IAHV Prison Program (Stress Management & Rehabilitation Training) in 2009. She is a prison silence course pioneer, and has taught IAHV courses to thousands nationwide, as well as internationally. In 2016, she won the Washington DC DOC “Making a Difference” George Strawn Award, and in 2018 Gabriella became the International Coordinator. She served on the Board of SELA Red Cross, and is a graduate of the Office of Victim’s Assistance Leadership Program. Prior to working with IAHV, Gabriella graduated Magna Cum Laude from Edinboro University, and served as a Public Welfare caseworker for 10 years. To Learn More About the Prison Mindfulness Institute, please visit www.prisonmindfulness.org

In this episode, Jared Seide talks with John MacAdams about his work as the Executive Director for the Center for Council.  What Council looks like inside prisonsHow Council embodies mindfulness and supports compassionBenefits of learning presence, resisting distraction, and speaking/listening from the heart JARED SEIDE Jared Seide is author of the book, “Where Compassion Begins: Foundational Practices to Enhance Mindfulness, Attention and Listening from the Heart.” He is the founder and Executive Director of Center for Council, a nonprofit organization that trains groups and individuals to promote wellness and resiliency, to foster compassion and to build community. Jared has developed and shepherded Council for Insight, Compassion & Resilience, an award-winning transformational insight and accountability-oriented rehabilitation program for incarcerated populations, as well as programs to promote health, relationality and compassion amongst law enforcement officers; to address burnout and dysregulation amongst physicians and nurses; to help build positive organizational culture within public and private companies; as well as other mindfulness and council-based programs to support and resource impacted communities and emerging leaders. He has led trainings and retreats focusing on compassion, reconciliation and community-building throughout the U.S., as well as in Poland, Rwanda, France, Colombia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In this episode, Rebecca Foster talks with Vita Pires, about her experiences bringing PMI's Path of Freedom training into prisons.  Training “Inside” apprentices (facilitator training for incarcerated men & women)Integrating laughter, movement & play into the classroomThe transformative power of social meditation “Inside” REBECCA J FOSTER Rebecca Foster is a meditation teacher, conscious dance facilitator, and Hatha (traditional) & hasya (laughter) yoga instructor. She presently serves as a lead facilitator and mentor for the Prison Mindfulness Institute and offers courses in Mindfulness-Based Emotional Intelligence in the Men’s & Women’s Medium Security Correctional Facilities in Rhode Island. Over the last 15 years, Rebecca has taught a unique blend of mindfulness, movement, laughter, and play in diverse settings ranging from yoga studios to hospitals, prisons to universities, and pre-schools to nursing homes. She has also lived and worked in Africa, Asia and Latin America and currently resides in Providence. To Learn More About the Prison Mindfulness Institute, please visit www.prisonmindfulness.org

In this episode, Kalen McAllister speaks with Fleet Maull about Laughing Bear Bakery, and the resources and opportunities it gives those who are formerly incarcerated.  Starting “The Laughing Bear Bakery” business focused on employing ex-prisoners on parole (https://laughingbearbakery.org/)The barriers and rewards to starting a business of this natureActive ways to build self-worth and dignity of parolees in transition KALEN MCALLISTER Kalen McAllister is a Soto Zen Buddhist Priest, Dharma Transmitted 2012, former Prison Chaplain and volunteer, founder of Laughing Bear Bakery - a bakery that only hires ex-offenders To Learn More About the Prison Mindfulness Institute, please visit www.prisonmindfulness.org

In this episode, Roshi Fleet Maull talks with John MacAdams about his time incarcerated and the creation of the Prison Mindfulness Institute (Prison Dharma Network). Origins of Prison Dharma NetworkThe only real choice; "Practice like my hair was on fire"Unending opportunities to serve the world on the outside FLEET MAULL Fleet Maull, PhD is an author, meditation teacher, mindset coach, social entrepreneur and peacemaker who works at the intersection of personal and social transformation. He founded Prison Mindfulness Institute and National Prison Hospice Association, catalyzing two national movements, while serving a 14-year mandatory-minimum federal drug sentence, 1985 to 1999. He also founded the transformational education platform Heart Mind Institute and co-founded the Engaged Mindfulness Institute where he trains trauma-informed mindfulness teachers who work with individuals and communities impacted by trauma and marginalization. He has served on the leadership team for the annual Auschwitz-Birkenau Bearing Witness Retreat for more than 20 years. He co-founded the Rwanda Bearing Witness Retreat and has trained genocide survivors as volunteer trauma para-counselors working in villages throughout Rwanda. He is a Roshi (Zen master/senior teacher) in the Zen Peacemaker Community, a senior Dharma teacher in the Shambhala-Tibetan Buddhist tradition, and leads meditation retreats worldwide. He developed Neuro-Somatic Mindfulness or NSM, a deeply embodied, neuroscience and trauma-informed approach to mindfulness & awareness meditation practice that facilitates self-healing, self-regulation, and awakening. He founded both the Global Resilience Summit and the Global First Responder Resilience Summit and co-founded The Best Year of Your Life, SummitPalooza, Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Global Summit, and The Self-Care Summit. Dr. Maull is the author of Radical Responsibility: How to Move Beyond Blame, Live Your Highest Purpose and Become an Unstoppable Force for Good; Dharma in Hell: The Prison Writings of Fleet Maull, and the Resilient C.O.: Mindfulness-Based Wellness & Resiliency for Corrections Professionals. To Learn More About the Prison Mindfulness Institute, please visit www.prisonmindfulness.org

In this episode, Venerable De Hong talks with Vita Pires about his work with the Engaged Buddhist Alliance, providing programs in facilities and through correspondence courses.  How Buddhist Psychology supports Insight Development & Trauma HealingWorking with those serving life (or LWOP) sentencesDeveloping correspondence curriculums VENERABLE DE HONG Ven. De Hong has taught Buddhist Psychology and Mindfulness Meditation in several state prisons in Southern California since 2013. He has also corresponded with incarcerated individuals in other California state prisons and other states offering correspondence courses on Buddhist teachings and meditation. He has been ordained in the Chinese and Vietnamese Traditions since 2006 and the Theravada Tradition since 2014. He taught Buddhist Psychology and Buddhist Counseling at the University of the West since 2016 and has retired this year to focus on his practice and prison ministry. To Learn More About the Prison Mindfulness Institute, please visit www.prisonmindfulness.org

In this episode, Marshall Lane talks with Fleet Maull on his experiences with addiction and incarceration and his life post-incarceration, focusing on his work with Tiffany's Recovery Inc.  The complexities of recovering from addiction in prison and the role meditation can playTaking responsibility and shifting self-blame/shame from the past to create a better future for self and all human beingsTRI Recovery- helping to coordinate recovering addicts with community outreach services MARSHALL LANE: A former drug addict and prisoner who, through education, Buddhism, and recovery, has achieved personal success in life, as well as helping others find similar success. To Learn More About the Prison Mindfulness Institute, please visit www.prisonmindfulness.org

In this episode, Carmen Alonso talks with John MacAdams about her experiences facilitating PMI's Path of Freedom program.  Connecting incarcerated folks with the outside community through each group taking PMI’s Path of Freedom course and writing to each otherWorking in supermax and maximum security environmentsCultivating humility and patience as qualities necessary for effective service CARMEN ALONSO Carmen Alonso is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience. She is dedicated to serving adults in both individual psychotherapy and group settings. Carmen has taught mindfulness-based interventions to alleviate stress and decrease suffering to a wide variety of groups, such as: • Patients with clinical depression and anxiety • Veterans with and without PTSD • Spanish-speaking populations •Medical residents • School personnel • Athletes • Police officers • Residents in maximum and medium security facilities (including men in the segregation unit in the most secure correctional facility in Wisconsin) Some of the mindfulness-based interventions Carmen has offered throughout the years are Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, Path of Freedom, and Mindfulness-Based Resilience Training. She has also combined her mindfulness teachings with Tae Kwon Do, a martial art she has practiced for over 30 years, including nearly 25 years as the head instructor of the Choi Tae Kwon Do School at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. To Learn More About the Prison Mindfulness Institute, please visit www.prisonmindfulness.org

In this episode, Gail Jackson speaks with  Sandy Inkster about her experiences working as a probation and parole officer, and her work with drumming and sound immersion.  Mindfulness Inside: Point of view of a parole/probation officer/certified mindfulness teacherDrumming, gongs and sound immersion: how it helps ground both prisoners and those working in prisonsCreating immersive environments for those traumatized by racial violence GAIL JACKSON Gail Jackson comes to us from the unceded land of the Dena’ina People in Anchorage, Alaska where she is the owner and founder of CreativeRhythms. She is a graduate of the Engaged Mindfulness Institute's 500-hour Mindfulness Teacher Training. Gail facilitates mindfulness practices in marginalized communities as well as community and corporate drumming circles for well-being. She is also a performing artist and is one of 40 luminaries in the new documentary “ We All Just Need To Gong,” and recently finished recording a CD due out in September featuring her sound artistry using the gongs. This CD also works well as a sound meditation. Gail is a social justice activist bringing awareness to her community of the killings of black and brown people. During Juneteenth she facilitates “Say Their Name,” a Celebration community coming together to acknowledge those that have been killed through drumming for healing. To Learn More About the Prison Mindfulness Institute, please visit www.prisonmindfulness.org

In this episode, Dave Smith talks with Vita Pires, about his work in prisons and recovery groups.  What is the Secular Path of Dharma?Prison work as service work.Training in mindfulness-based emotional intelligence in prisons and recovery groups. DAVID M SMITH Dave Smith is an internationally recognized Buddhist meditation teacher, addiction treatment specialist, and published author. His background is rooted in the Insight Meditation tradition, and he was empowered to teach through the Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society. He has extensive experience bringing meditative interventions into jails, prisons, youth detention centers, and addiction treatment facilities. Dave teaches residential meditation retreats and classes, provides training and consulting in secular and Buddhist contexts, and works with students through his meditation mentoring program. He recently founded the Secular Dharma Foundation and lives in Paonia, Colorado. To Learn More About the Prison Mindfulness Institute, please visit www.prisonmindfulness.org

In this episode, Michael Yellow Bird speaks with Fleet Maull about his experiences working with indigenous youth, and his research focused on "Neurodecolonization".   The systemic impacts of Colonization and abolishing indigenous sacred meditative practices“Neurodecolonization” The conceptual mindfulness framework and healing trauma in incarcerated, indigenous groupsBuilding cognitive resilience in indigenous youth MICHAEL YELLOW BIRD Michael Yellow Bird, IMTA CMT-P, MSW, PhD, is Dean of the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba. He is a member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation in North Dakota, USA. He is a member of the International Mindfulness Teachers Association and is a certified mindfulness facilitator/teacher – professional. He has been involved in meditation and Indigenous contemplative practices for more than 45 years. His research focuses on mindful decolonization and neurodecolonization. He has implemented meditation programs and conducted mindfulness research in Indigenous communities in the US. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles and the co-editor and co-author of several books that focus on decolonization, social work, mindfulness, and Indigenous Peoples. He is the creator of Siíŝu' tooxuuciitu'ooxIt (Mind beautiful all calm): An Arikara Mindfulness Curriculum for Youth. His mindfulness and neurodecolonization works are featured on several mindfulness podcasts. His most recent press article can be found at: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/health/meaningful-mindfulness-576071502.html To Learn More About the Prison Mindfulness Institute, please visit www.prisonmindfulness.org

In this episode, Leslie Booker speaks with cohost Julie Paquette about her time working with incarcerated youth. “What do we do about it?” The inspiration to truly see the unseenThe process of developing trust“The function of freedom is to free someone else" LESLIE BOOKER Booker is a Buddhist Meditation Teacher, Writer and Lover of Liberation. She shared the practices of yoga and mindfulness with children who had been incarcerated in juvenile facilities and Rikers Island, and other vulnerable populations in NYC for over a decade. The gifts from this work have allowed Booker to show up with a fierce heart to cultivate a space of belonging. She is a co-author of ‘Best Practices for Yoga in a Criminal Justice Setting’, a contributor to Georgetown Law's report on ‘Gender & Trauma and contributed to Sharon Salzberg's book ‘Happiness at Work’. She is a co-founder of the Yoga Service Council at Omega Institute and the Meditation Working Group of Occupy Wall Street. In 2020 she was invited to be a Sojourner Truth Leadership Fellow through Auburn Seminary, graduated from Spirit Rock’s 4 year Retreat Teacher Training, and was voted by her peers as one of the 12 Powerful Women in the Mindfulness Movement. To Learn More About the Prison Mindfulness Institute, please visit www.prisonmindfulness.org

In this episode, Michal Warshavsky speaks with Vita Pires, about her work bringing mindfulness practices to Israeli prisons and rehab centers through "The Quiet Within". Working within a deeply divided society with Israeli/Palestinian prisonersDeveloping paths for more prisoners to be actively involved in class presentationsThe power of a bi-lingual meditation book to be an anchor for change MICHAL WARSHAVSKY I’m Michal Warshavsky, a social activist, living in Tel Aviv. I have worked with single mothers on public housing issues, and with Beduins fighting for land rights. However, my work’s focus is in prisons. 16 years ago, I founded “The Quiet Within”, that offers meditation for current and former inmates. The project was motivated by my strong desire to effect change in the world, rather than just practice compassion on the meditation cushion. We offer inmates tools to create their own quiet within, by leading 29 weekly meditation groups for Jewish and Arab current and former inmates, who live in difficult conditions. Very few successfully rehabilitate oneself. • Volunteers perform all the organization’s activities. After 6 years of working, last year we published a meditation book for prisoners in Hebrew and in Arabic. The book is given as a gift to every group participant. To Learn More About the Prison Mindfulness Institute, please visit www.prisonmindfulness.org

In this episode, Kim Grose Moore speaks with John MacAdams about her work as executive director of the GRIP Training Institute.  Leaving prison before you get out: A year of deep transformationThe power of accountability and forgiveness for those sentenced to custody (and for all of us)Maintaining program integrity, consistency and impact while scaling-up mindfulness-based programs in prison KIM GROSE MOORE Kim Grose Moore has contributed for more than 20 years to making the San Francisco Bay Area a more just and equitable community. She is now the Executive Director of the GRIP Training Institute, whose mission is to create the personal and systemic change to turn violence and suffering into opportunities for learning and healing. Kim is endorsed as a Buddhist Chaplain through the Insight Meditation Center of Redwood City, CA. She is a strong believer of the community organizing principle, “the first revolution is internal." The Guiding Rage Into Power (GRIP) program currently takes incarcerated people in California state prisons through an intensive yearlong, mindfulness-based journey of trauma healing and accountability. In the last 10 years, more than 1200 students have graduated from the program, 528 have been released and the recidivism rate is less than 1%. Kim lives with her family in San Jose, CA. To Learn More About the Prison Mindfulness Institute, please visit www.prisonmindfulness.org

In this episode, Dr. Sam Himelstein speaks with Fleet Maull about his work with the Center for Adolescent Studies and his experiences with incarcerated youth. The impact of having positive and supportive role models for incarcerated youthThe pros and cons of tech programs and apps for mindfulnessAuthenticity and predictability as a foundation for trauma-informed mindfulnessTeaching from a space of presence, strength, and confidence (rather than ego/authoritarianism) SAM HIMELSTEIN Sam Himelstein, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and the founder of both Family Spring, a mental health company that leverages technology to serve teens, young adults, and their families who’ve been impacted by substance use disorder and related mental health challenges; and the Center for Adolescent Studies, an interdisciplinary training institute focused on trauma-informed care, mindfulness, substance use disorder, resilience, and related training for professionals. For over 15 years, Dr. Himelstein has worked with incarcerated, trauma-impacted, and substance-using populations and has had the mission to help adolescents and young adults thrive by becoming aware of the power of self-awareness and transformation. A formerly incarcerated youth himself, Dr. Himelstein was privileged to change his life from a path of drugs, violence, crime, and self-destruction to that of healing and transformation. Learn more about his philosophy, work, and approach through his books: Trauma-Informed Mindfulness With Teens: A Guide for Mental Health Clinicians (Norton, forthcoming 2019), Mindfulness-Based Substance Abuse Treatment for Adolescents: A 12-Session Curriculum(Routledge, 2015), and A Mindfulness-Based Approach to Working with High-Risk Adolescents (Routledge, 2013), his professional training institute: https://centerforadolescentstudies.com, and his clinical work: https://myfamilyspring.com To Learn More About the Prison Mindfulness Institute, please visit www.prisonmindfulness.org

In this episode, Robina Courtin speaks with Vita Pires, about her correspondence work with prisoners and her experiences with the Liberation Prison Project. Knowing the nature of the mind: the path of dharma insideThe power of learning dharma through the mail with a prison pen pal“You could sit through a month of fiction films and not come across a character half as interesting as Robina Courtin”- Jake Wilson, Urban Cinefile ROBINA COURTIN Since being ordained as a Buddhist nun in the late 1970s at Kopan Monastery in the Kathmandu valley, Ven. Robina Courtin has worked full-time for her teachers Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche and their worldwide network of Buddhist activities, the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition. Over the years she has served as editorial director of Wisdom Publications, editor of Mandala Magazine, executive director of Liberation Prison Project, and as a touring teacher of Buddhism. Her life, including her work with prisoners, has been featured in the documentary films Chasing Buddha and Key to Freedom. To Learn More About the Prison Mindfulness Institute, please visit www.prisonmindfulness.org

In this episode, Rev. Dr. Michael Christie speaks with John MacAdams about his experiences starting as a volunteer and then as an employed chaplain and supervisor working for the Connecticut Department of Corrections.  Moving from volunteer to full-time professional in prisonHow each volunteer’s self-awareness is essential to being impactful in prisonThe power of mindfulness to heal and the boundaries we need to hold MICHAEL CHRISTIE Dr. Michael Christie is the Chaplain Supervisor with the CT DOC. He offers Faith and spiritual coaching to the men and teaches trauma informed mindfulness, Nonviolent Communication, Path of Freedom and inner healing work. To Learn More About the Prison Mindfulness Institute, please visit www.prisonmindfulness.org

In this episode, Venerable Thubten Chodron speaks with Fleet Maull about her work with Sravasti Abbey and her experiences providing resources and support for incarcerated individuals. The transformative nature of compassion when working with incarcerated individualsThe importance of diversity in the Buddhist teaching groups offered to prisoners.Offering incarcerated individuals tools/skills before release to ease the transition VEN. THUBTEN CHODRON Ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun in 1977, Venerable Thubten Chodron is an author, teacher, and the founder and abbess of Sravasti Abbey. Sravasti Abbey is one of the first Tibetan Buddhist training monasteries for Westerners in the U.S. She holds gender equality, social engagement, and care for the environment among her core values. Venerable Chodron teaches worldwide and is known for her practical and humorous explanations of how to apply Buddhist teachings in daily life. She is also involved in prison outreach and interfaith dialogue. She has published many books on Buddhist philosophy and meditation. She is currently assisting His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the writing and publication of The Library of Wisdom and Compassion, a multi-volume series of teachings on the Buddhist path. Visit thubtenchodron.org for a media library of her teachings, and sravasti.org to learn more about the Abbey. To Learn More About the Prison Mindfulness Institute, please visit www.prisonmindfulness.org