The Walled Garden (Simon Drew)

Brian D. Russell, Ph.D, is an award winning teacher, speaker, and spiritual coach. He serves as Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary (Orlando campus). His personal mission is to contemplate, learn, and practice the deepest truths in order to communicate them meaningfully, lovingly, and in transformational ways to others through writing, teaching, coaching and speaking. He is an in demand coach for entrepreneurs and spiritually minded leaders (www.brianrussellphd.com) and curates a dynamic group coaching program for pastors (www.deepdivespirituality.com). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adriana Barton is a journalist, a former staff reporter at The Globe and Mail, and the author of Wired for Music: A Search for Health and Joy Through the Science of Sound. Her book, published by Greystone Books in October 2022, is a blend of science and memoir that argues that music is an age-old system to boost human health, connect us to each other, and add meaning, resilience, and joy. Drawing from neuroscience, anthropology, and evolutionary biology, Barton's book has received critical acclaim, with Publishers Weekly calling it "witty and soulful," and Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps the Score, describing it as "beautifully written" and "riveting." ABOUT THE WALLED GARDEN The Walled Garden Philosophical Society is a global community of philosophers and students gathering in search of truth, wisdom, virtue and the Divine. There are many ways to get involved: Attend Events: thewalledgarden.com/events Find a Philosophical Mentor: thewalledgarden.com/mentoring Explore Our Groves: thewalledgarden.com/groves Become a Member: thewalledgarden.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode Simon Drew speaks to Michael Tremblay (PhD) - philosopher and contributor to the Stoa Meditation app. Website: https://www.tremblaymichael.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/_MikeTremblay Academia: https://www.queensu.ca/philosophy/people/michael-tremblay Stoa Meditation App: https://stoameditation.com/ To join The Walled Garden community, use the promo code PRACTICALSTOIC to get over 20% off he caretaker membership. Go to thewalledgarden.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the podcast, we share the initial lesson given by Sharon Lebell to The Walled Garden members in a recent meetup event entitled "How This Moment Can Change Everything." About Sharon: Sharon Lebell has been an inspiring writer and speaker about philosophy, spirituality, and religion for thirty years. She is best known as the author of the international bestseller The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness, a contemporary interpretation of the Stoic teachings of Epictetus. Her primary focus is how to live a life of virtue and meaning. Central to her message is how we can use our lives to improve the lives of others and the necessity of beauty and engagement with art, music, and design as keystones of a well-lived life. The full meetup can be viewed by Walled Garden members here: https://thewalledgarden.com/post/sharon-lebell-how-this-moment-can-change-everything Register for Sharon's next meetup (entitled "Stoic Tonics for Clarity, Ease, and Serenity." https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUlcOCgrDspGdzWPtznyQ-cDEwi6_m0To2K Register for this week's meetup with David Fideler: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcvf-2rrjMtGtW9a8xNpNzzw8KSZCdlvZUB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Santara Gonzales has years of experience running restorative programs in ten adult prisons throughout the state of California. She has introduced incarcerated men and women to Stoic principles, providing them with access to tools and insights. This has helped them to expand their sense of agency and improve their emotional well-being. Santara’s goal is to create spaces for people in need of healing, restoration, and growth, and she is working to build shoulders for others to stand on so that they may see beyond their immediate surroundings and limitations. Register for the Wisdom Unlocked fundraising event, "Justice in the Cosmopolis: Stoicism and Prisons" here: as.wisdomunlocked.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Simon reads a letter regarding Seneca's wisdom, seeking the goods of the soul, perfecting our aims, and seeking the most important knowledge.  To join this week's meetup (launch of The Poet & The Sage), register here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUlduCupj8tHN3cj1HuTcbYgS6wo6rqomPC  To join The Walled Garden, go to thewalledgarden.com and use the promo code PRACTICALSTOIC to get a discount on the Caretaker membership. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About our guest: StoicDan is the organizer of 6 philosophy meetups, including Orlando Stoics, which is the third-largest Stoic group in North America (7 years old, with over 1700 members). He is also a public speaker on Stoicism, Minimalism, and American Transcendentalism, and he often connects these topics with civil discourse, common ground, and women in philosophy. He's presented at 5 Stoicon conferences (2017 Toronto, 2018 London, 2019 Athens, and 2020 / 2021 online) and has interviewed over a dozen Stoic scholars for the Stoic Fellowship quarterly newsletter. Website: stoicdan.com Facebook: facebook.com/stoicdan Meetup Links: meetup.com/orlando-stoics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex Petkas is a renowned writer and host of the Cost of Glory podcast, where he shares his passion for history by uncovering the best stories and insights from great heroes of the past. After leaving a successful career in academia to focus on his work, Alex's dedication to helping people draw energy and practical insights from the past has earned him a reputation as a thought leader in the industry. In addition to his peer-reviewed research, he also writes for several non-academic publications, including American Mind, Man's World, and Antigone, where he is a founding editor. Alex currently resides in his native Texas with his wife and children. A classicist and philosopher of history, Jack Visnjic is passionate about discovering long-term patterns in historical events. He completed his B.A. in classics and mathematics from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in ancient philosophy from Princeton. His latest publication, "The Invention of Duty," delves into the origins of the concept of "moral duty" in ancient Greco-Roman times. In addition to his research work, Jack hosts a popular podcast called "Ancient Greece Declassified," which features the latest scholarly insights into the ancient Mediterranean world. Jack joined the Institute in February 2019 and continues to contribute to the field with his innovative research and accessible public outreach. ABOUT THE WALLED GARDEN The Walled Garden Philosophical Society is a global community of philosophers and students gathering in search of truth, wisdom, virtue and the Divine. There are many ways to get involved: Attend Events: thewalledgarden.com/events Find a Philosophical Mentor: thewalledgarden.com/mentoring Explore Our Groves: thewalledgarden.com/groves Become a Member: thewalledgarden.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the third episode of our Inspiration Sessions we hear from Kai Whiting. Kai is the author of "Being Better: Stoicism for a World Worth Living in", a postdoctoral researcher in Stoicism and sustainability, and a current contributor the The Walled Garden. Kai gives an example of what he seeks to offer to The Walled Garden community through a dialiectic discussion on a variety of claims that are made among people today, in regards to the Stoic belief that "virtue is the only good", whether there exists a need for the Stoic God, and what is driving the polarization of beliefs and ideologies within modern society. Through this discussion Kai demonstrates the type of debate and introspection he will be bringing to the community and the different beliefs we hold, and how this can assist us to better aim ourselves toward virtue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About our guests: Meghan Sullivan is the Wilsey Family College Chair in Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, director of the God and the Good Life Program, and director of the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study. She has published works in many leading philosophy journals. Her first book, Time Biases, was published by Oxford University Press. Her work has been supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the John Templeton Foundation. Sullivan has degrees from the University of Virginia, Oxford University, and Rutgers University, where she earned a PhD in philosophy. She studied at Balliol College, Oxford University, as a Rhodes Scholar. Paul Blaschko is an assistant teaching professor in philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. He heads up curriculum design and digital pedagogy for the God and the Good Life Program, and has recently been working to develop similar curricula at universities across the nation as part of an initiative funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Blaschko completed an MA in philosophy at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, a PhD at the University of Notre Dame in 2018, and held the Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship prior to being appointed to his current position. About The Good Life Method: For seekers of all stripes, philosophy is timeless self-care. Notre Dame philosophy professors Meghan Sullivan and Paul Blaschko have reinvigorated this tradition in their wildly popular and influential undergraduate course “God and the Good Life,” in which they wrestle with the big questions about how to live and what makes life meaningful. Now they invite us into the classroom to work through issues like what justifies our beliefs, whether we should practice a religion and what sacrifices we should make for others—as well as to investigate what figures such as Aristotle, Plato, Marcus Aurelius, Iris Murdoch, and W. E. B. Du Bois have to say about how to live well. Sullivan and Blaschko do the timeless work of philosophy using real-world case studies that explore love, finance, truth, and more. In so doing, they push us to escape our own caves, ask stronger questions, explain our deepest goals, and wrestle with suffering, the nature of death, and the existence of God. Philosophers know that our “good life plan” is one that we as individuals need to be constantly and actively writing to achieve some meaningful control and sense of purpose even if the world keeps throwing surprises our way. For at least the past 2,500 years, philosophers have taught that goal-seeking is an essential part of what it is to be human—and crucially that we could find our own good life by asking better questions of ourselves and of one another. This virtue ethics approach resonates profoundly in our own moment. The Good Life Method is a winning guide to tackling the big questions of being human with the wisdom of the ages. You can purchase The Good Life Method anywhere where great books are sold.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is the first of what will be four inspiration sessions within The Walled Garden. These sessions are designed to allow each contributing founder of The Walled Garden (Simon Drew, Sharon Lebell, Kai Whiting, and Jacob Bush) to share what it is that they'd like to contribute to The Walled Garden community.  Today, we're hearing Simon Drew read his epistle: On Radical Claims of Enlightenment. This episode only covers the first 30 minutes of our inspiration session, and if you'd like to hear the discussion and Q&A which followed this section then you can sign up at thewalledgarden.com. Please use the promotional code PRACTICALSTOIC if you'd like over 20% off the Caretaker membership. This offer is only valid for the first 100 members of The Walled Garden.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About Our Guest: Brandon is most well-known for his podcast, The Strong Stoic Podcast, where he discusses philosophical ideas both solo and with guests. However, he does much more than just podcasting. He also coaches individuals to help them be their best selves, writes articles, plays music, manages projects, and several other things. Brandon is always in search of new opportunities that have the potential of making the world a better place. Website: https://brandontumblin.com/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode Simon Drew introduces his first published book, The Poet & The Sage, which is now available for pre-order at thewalledgarden.store/products/copy-of-the-poet-the-sage.  About the book: The Poet & The Sage is an esoteric work of deep symbolism and archetypal metaphor. Delivered through the time-tested language of poetry and prose, The Poet & The Sage merges the worlds of philosophy, theology, mysticism, art, mythology, and narrative to convey deep truths about human nature, and about our common aim of being reunited with that which is most divine about us. The careful student will do well not to simply read this book, but to sit with it, and to allow the ideas therein to play gracefully within the heights and depths of their soul. The Poet & The Sage can be purchased in a hardcover format via thewalledgarden.store/products/copy-of-the-poet-the-sage, or can be read online by becoming a member at thewalledgarden.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Alexander breaks down the idea and practice of mindfulness and announces his new series of workshops in The Walled Garden wherein he teaches mindfulness and facilitates mindfulness meditations. David Alexander is a psychotherapist, writer and podcaster based in New Mexico, USA. His podcast Between Two Ravens explores the profound wisdom and beauty of Norse mythology and poetry. In The Walled Garden, studies integrative disciplines of psychology, philosophy, and mythology to better understand the self, thereby learning to understand others better. Register for Stoicon X Midwest: stoiconxmidwest.com Register for mindfulness workshops: thewalledgarden.com/the-prosoche-project-with-david-alexander Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join the Walled Garden community at thewalledgarden.com. Use the promotional code PRACTICALSTOIC to get a special discount on a Caretaker membership for the first 100 members.  In this episode, Simon speaks with Prof. Joseph Siracusa about the history and event of 911. Prof. Joseph Siracusa is the professor of Political History and International Diplomacy at Curtin University. Born and raised in Chicago and a long time resident of Australia, Joseph studied at the University of Denver and the University of Vienna and received his PhD at the University of Colorado (Boulder). He has worked at Merrill Lynch in Boston and New York; the University of Queensland; and for three years served as a senior visiting fellow in the Key Centre for Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance at Griffith University. He has authored and co-authored 310 refereed publications including 75 books, monographs and chapters, 115 journal articles/entries and scholarly reviews, and 120 refereed proceedings. His publications include the following: America and the Cold War, 1941-1991: A Realist interpretation, 2 volumes (Praeger, 2010) Nuclear Weapons: A Very Short Introduction (Second edition, Oxford University Press, 2015) The Death Penalty and U.S. Diplomacy (Rowman & Littlefield, 2013) A Global History of the Nuclear Arms Race, 2 volumes (Praeger, 2013) Language of Terror: How Neuroscience Influences Political Speech in the United States (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015) Diplomatic History: A Very Short Introduction, to be published by Oxford University Press, in early 2021 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elite dressage coach and Stoic practitioner Nona Maiorano joins Simon Drew to discuss the idea of Human Self-Carriage, which describes the state of flow that can exist when we remove the two things that get in the way: agenda and ego. Nona is also a host at the Women’s Philosopher’s Cafe and a member of the New England Stoics. ABOUT THE WALLED GARDEN The Walled Garden Philosophical Society is a global community of philosophers and students gathering in search of truth, wisdom, virtue and the Divine. There are many ways to get involved: Attend Events: thewalledgarden.com/events Find a Philosophical Mentor: thewalledgarden.com/mentoring Explore Our Groves: thewalledgarden.com/groves Become a Member: thewalledgarden.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon Drew and renowned Stoic scholar and professor William O. Stephens discuss the theology and cosmology of the Stoic school of philosophy.  William O. Stephens is the Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Creighton University. His interests include ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, Stoicism as a way of life, Stoicism and popular culture, ethics, animals, and the environment. He has published multiple scholarly books, including Marcus Aurelius: A Guide for the Perplexed,  Stoic Ethics: Epictetus and Happiness as Freedom, and The Ethics of the Stoic Epictetus.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Walled Garden is a podcast and community of independent philosophers and seekers who are dedicated to the pursuit of truth, wisdom, virtue, and the divine. Led by Australian poet, philosopher, and musician Simon Drew, American philosopher, author, and speaker Sharon Lebell, and British philosopher and researcher Kai Whiting, The Walled Garden hosts regular live events and meetups with fascinating philosophers, theologians, artists, leaders, and seekers who can teach us all about how to live a flourishing existence. Visit The Walled Garden: thewalledgarden.com Join our free Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/5TAUzfdCe8 Get one-on-one mentoring with our philosophers: https://thewalledgarden.com/mentors Register for Upcoming Events: https://thewalledgarden.com/events Shop at The Walled Garden: https://thewalledgarden.store/ About Our Guest: Lachlan Hawkins is an accomplished drummer, handpan artist and educator with a diverse performance career to date across the areas of jazz and improvised music, musical theatre, corporate entertainment and contemporary music. In 2014, Lachlan was selected as one of six national finalists in the James Morrison Scholarship, and since then has been fortunate to work with musicians and ensembles including James Morrison, Elly Hoyt, Fem Belling, The View from Madeleine’s Couch, Monique Clare, Sophie Min, the QLD Pops Orchestra as well as regular performances nationally with his high-impact corporate drumming group “SoundStruck”. As a solo handpan artist, Lachlan's melodic rhythms soothe soul as his lyrics press deeper into themes of belonging, self-acceptance, perseverance and loss. Lachlan has shared his award-winning handpan music project "No Enemy Within" with audiences around Australia including performances at the Brisbane City Hall, Palm Creek Folk Festival and the Majors Creek Folk Festival. Lachlan was awarded the Lord Mayor's City Hall Concerts Award in 2018, and celebrated his debut album release "No Enemy Within" with two Highly Commended Awards at the 2019 Queensland Music Awards. About Simon Drew: Simon is a poem-writing, multi-instrument-playing, mountain-climbing philosopher. Known by Sharon as an “intrepid soul traveller,” he uses his art to explore deep questions about the nature of the divine and the path to personal Alignment. Simon is most widely known for his work on The Practical Stoic Podcast (now The Walled Garden). Simon’s book, The Poet & The Sage, was released in 2021. About Sharon Sebell: Sharon is one of the pioneers of the contemporary Stoicism movement, and the author behind the best-selling interpretation of Epictetus’ writings, “The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness.” As a musician and prominent writer, Sharon seeks to liberate the wisdom of the past in order to facilitate deeper meaning-making and personal flourishing. About Kai Whiting: Kai is one of the world’s foremost experts on traditional Stoicism, as well as being a lecturer and researcher in the field of sustainability. In his book, “Being Better: Stoicism for a World Worth Living In,” Kai and his co-author Leo Konstantakos encourage their readers to expand their circles of concern and to work for the common flourishing of humanity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon Drew and Nicholas Davis talk with David Casteal about leadership, learning, and personal responsibility. David Casteal played running back for the University of Alabama before moving to Spokane to pursue a career of coaching high school football and teaching at an elementary school. He has a PhD in ethnomusicology, and he studied drumming in Mali, Ghana, Guinea, and Uganda. Dave has travelled all over the world to learn, and teach, and the wisdom he shares with his many students is proof of this well-rounded life experience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Judith Stove is an Australian writer, researcher, and mother of two adult sons. She has published two books on the life and times of Jane Austen, and many articles on history and literature. She and her husband are lucky enough to live in a beautiful garden created by her father, philosopher David Stove (1927-1994), outside Sydney, Australia, close to the Blue Mountains National Park. In The Walled Garden, Judith writes about the great texts of Western Culture in her grove, Roots of the Garden, and she also co-facilitates the Soul Searching with Seneca meetups every two weeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode: Professor, philosopher and scholar of Stoicism William O. Stephens speaks with recently graduated football coach and Stoic practitioner Nick Davis about the analogy between team sports and the ethical/theological ideas found in Stoicism.  Learn more about Professor William O. Stephens: williamostephens.com ABOUT THE WALLED GARDEN The Walled Garden Philosophical Society is a global community of philosophers and students gathering in search of truth, wisdom, virtue and the Divine. There are many ways to get involved: Attend Events: thewalledgarden.com/events Find a Philosophical Mentor: thewalledgarden.com/mentoring Explore Our Groves: thewalledgarden.com/groves Become a Member: thewalledgarden.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About our guest: Erich Hatala Matthes is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Faculty Director of the Frost Center for the Environment at Wellesley College. His teaching and research focus on the ethics, politics, and aesthetics of art, cultural heritage, and the environment. He majored in English and Philosophy at Yale and earned his PhD in Philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley. His work has appeared in Ethics, Philosophical Studies, Oxford Studies in Normative Ethics, Public Affairs Quarterly, Social Theory and Practice, Ergo, Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy, Analysis, Journal of the American Philosophical Association, Philosophy Compass, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and various edited collections. He has also written for popular outlets such as Aeon and Apollo Magazine. Buy Drawing the Line: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/drawing-the-line-9780197537572?cc=us&lang=en& Twitter: @ehatmat Website:https://sites.google.com/wellesley.edu/ehatmat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Walled Garden is a podcast and community of independent philosophers and seekers who are dedicated to the pursuit of truth, wisdom, virtue, and the divine. Led by Australian poet, philosopher, and musician Simon Drew, American philosopher, author, and speaker Sharon Lebell, and British philosopher and researcher Kai Whiting, The Walled Garden hosts regular live events and meetups with fascinating philosophers, theologians, artists, leaders, and seekers who can teach us all about how to live a flourishing existence. Visit The Walled Garden: thewalledgarden.com Join our free Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/5TAUzfdCe8 Get one-on-one mentoring with our philosophers: https://thewalledgarden.com/mentors Register for Upcoming Events: https://thewalledgarden.com/events Shop at The Walled Garden: https://thewalledgarden.store/ About Our Guest: Dr. Ranjini George holds a PhD in English Literature from Northern Illinois University, USA, an MA in English Literature from St. Stephen’s College, New Delhi, and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia, Canada. More recently, she won the first place in Canada’s inaugural Coffee Shop Author Contest for her travel memoir, a work-in-progress, Miracle of Flowers: In the Footsteps of an Emperor, a Goddess, a Story and a Tiffin-Stall. She was an Associate Professor of English at Zayed University, Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. She currently teaches Stoicism, Mindfulness and Creative Writing at SCS, University of Toronto, classes such as Stoicism and the Good Life, Dear Diary: Marcus Aurelius, Anne Frank and Thich Nhat Hanh, Mindfulness, Stoicism and Writing for Discipline and Productivity, and Meditation and Writing. In 2019, she received the SCS, University of Toronto Excellence in Teaching award. Her book, Through My Mother’s Window: Emirati Women Tell their Stories and Recipes, was published in Dubai in December 2016. About Simon Drew: Simon is a poem-writing, multi-instrument-playing, mountain-climbing philosopher. Known by Sharon as an “intrepid soul traveller,” he uses his art to explore deep questions about the nature of the divine and the path to personal Alignment. Simon is most widely known for his work on The Practical Stoic Podcast (now The Walled Garden). Simon’s book, The Poet & The Sage, was released in 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Walled Garden is a podcast and community of independent philosophers and seekers who are dedicated to the pursuit of truth, wisdom, virtue, and the divine. Led by Australian poet, philosopher, and musician Simon Drew, American philosopher, author, and speaker Sharon Lebell, and British philosopher and researcher Kai Whiting, The Walled Garden hosts regular live events and meetups with fascinating philosophers, theologians, artists, leaders, and seekers who can teach us all about how to live a flourishing existence. UPCOMING EVENTS: https://thewalledgarden.com/post/empowering-first-aid-responders-with-stoicism-dr-megan-mcelheran https://thewalledgarden.com/post/holiness-what-is-it-and-why-do-we-need-it Visit The Walled Garden: thewalledgarden.com Join our free Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/5TAUzfdCe8 Get one-on-one mentoring with our philosophers: https://thewalledgarden.com/mentors Register for Upcoming Events: https://thewalledgarden.com/events Shop at The Walled Garden: https://thewalledgarden.store/ About Our Guest: Jack Visnjic is a classicist and historian of philosophy interested in uncovering long-term patterns in history. He has a B.A. in classics and mathematics from Columbia University and a PhD in ancient philosophy from Princeton. His book, The Invention of Duty, explores the origins of the notion of ‘moral duty’ in Greco-Roman antiquity and claims that the Stoics were the originators of the term. In his podcast, Ancient Greece Declassified, he brings modern scholarship on the ancient Mediterranean to a popular audience. About Simon Drew: Simon is a poem-writing, multi-instrument-playing, mountain-climbing philosopher. Known by Sharon as an “intrepid soul traveller,” he uses his art to explore deep questions about the nature of the divine and the path to personal Alignment. Simon is most widely known for his work on The Practical Stoic Podcast (now The Walled Garden). Simon’s book, The Poet & The Sage, was released in 2021. About Kai Whiting: Kai is one of the world’s foremost experts on traditional Stoicism, as well as being a lecturer and researcher in the field of sustainability. In his book, “Being Better: Stoicism for a World Worth Living In,” Kai and his co-author Leo Konstantakos encourage their readers to expand their circles of concern and to work for the common flourishing of humanity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About Jack Stafford: Jack Stafford is a British singer-songwriter and super troubadour. He is most well-known for his thought-provoking lyrics. He is on a mission to bring spirituality to the centre stage and mysticism back into the mainstream. Jack grew up in the UK but quickly moved to Amsterdam, where he lived and worked as a copywriter, musician and fashion designer. However, this led to burnout, so Jack sold all his possessions and set off on a bicycle tour as a nomadic troubadour. He travelled through 45 countries, playing over 700 house concerts in return for a place to sleep. He recorded many of his crazy adventures in his songs, and through those—plus countless self-help books and podcasts, as well as yoga, his Ayurveda songs, and Vipassana meditation—he grew and grew to become a unique modern-day troubadour. The culmination of his life skills is the unique Podsongs podcast, where—together with other musical artists from around the world—he interviews special people in selfless service to others, and writes a song to bring greater awareness to their work. Jack lives in seclusion in the South of Italy. He is a qualified Ayurvedic Practitioner, student of metaphysics and Italian representative of The Aetherius Society - he also hosts another podcast called the Mysticast. Listen to Podsongs: https://podsongs.com/about To register for upcoming Walled Garden events, go to thewalledgarden.com/events Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sharon Lebell gives a talk and performance on holiness at The Walled Garden Philosophical Society meetup. To apply for philosophical mentoring with Sharon Lebell, go to thewalledgarden.com/mentoring To register for upcoming events, go to: thewalledgarden.com/events Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Walled Garden is a podcast and community of independent philosophers and seekers who are dedicated to the pursuit of truth, wisdom, virtue, and the divine. Led by Australian poet, philosopher, and musician Simon Drew, American philosopher, author, and speaker Sharon Lebell, and British philosopher and researcher Kai Whiting, The Walled Garden hosts regular live events and meetups with fascinating philosophers, theologians, artists, leaders, and seekers who can teach us all about how to live a flourishing existence. Visit The Walled Garden: thewalledgarden.com Join our free Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/5TAUzfdCe8 Get one-on-one mentoring with our philosophers: https://thewalledgarden.com/mentors Register for Upcoming Events: https://thewalledgarden.com/events Shop at The Walled Garden: https://thewalledgarden.store/ About Our Guest: Dr. Mark Vernon is a psychotherapist and writer, with an interest in ancient philosophy, and a focus on the skills and insights that illuminate our inner lives. His books cover subjects from friendship and belief, to wellbeing and love. His most recent books are Dante’s Divine Comedy: A Guide for the Spiritual Journey and A Secret History of Christianity, which is based upon the ideas of the Oxford Inkling, Owen Barfield. As a psychodynamic psychotherapist, he have a private practice in London, working with individuals who have a variety of concerns, as well as having worked at the Maudsley Hospital in south London in a personality disorder service. He contributes to and has presented a number of programmes on the radio, and writes as a journalist, with his work being published by the BBC, Aeon, Church Times, and elsewhere. He teaches at The Idler Academy and also leads workshops and gives talks. About Simon Drew: Simon is a poem-writing, multi-instrument-playing, mountain-climbing philosopher. Known by Sharon as an “intrepid soul traveller,” he uses his art to explore deep questions about the nature of the divine and the path to personal Alignment. Simon is most widely known for his work on The Practical Stoic Podcast (now The Walled Garden). Simon’s book, The Poet & The Sage, was released in 2021. About Sharon Sebell: Sharon is one of the pioneers of the contemporary Stoicism movement, and the author behind the best-selling interpretation of Epictetus’ writings, “The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness.” As a musician and prominent writer, Sharon seeks to liberate the wisdom of the past in order to facilitate deeper meaning-making and personal flourishing. About Kai Whiting: Kai is one of the world’s foremost experts on traditional Stoicism, as well as being a lecturer and researcher in the field of sustainability. In his book, “Being Better: Stoicism for a World Worth Living In,” Kai and his co-author Leo Konstantakos encourage their readers to expand their circles of concern and to work for the common flourishing of humanity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Register for Joe Siracusa's Event: thewalledgarden.com/humanbeinginglobalizedworld About Anthony Arismendi Anthony Arismendi moved to the United States from Venezuela as a teenager in the mid-seventies with the dream of becoming a US citizen and an FBI agent—despite the fact that he couldn’t speak a word of English. Transplanted from the dangerous streets of Caracas, Arismendi’s unconventional thinking and out-of-the-box approach to life landed him in plenty of comical, often precarious situations. Still, he adapted his survival skills to a new culture, one harrowing day at a time, overcoming homelessness, prejudice, and poverty to achieve the impossible. Profoundly inspirational, Arismendi’s unique blend of hard work, perseverance, and mysticism in the face of relentless adversity reminds us that our reservoirs of courage and determination run far deeper than we know—and that we should never give up on our dreams, no matter how out of reach they might seem.  Buy Anthony's book here: outsideragent.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Krystal Quagliara discovered her own path to wellness through applying stoic philosophies and practices to her life. Turning her mess into her message, she is on a mission to help others take control of their health and wellbeing. Throughout her virtual group and individual coaching sessions, Krystal teaches acceptance of what we cannot control, as well as how to act on the matters we can control. She also encourages habit stacking, safe and effective nutritional principles, and above all, self-awareness. Her book “The Playful Journal” walks readers through an interactive journey to rediscover their inner playfulness and bring that to the surface to live a healthier and more fulfilled life. Krystal’s YouTube Channel offers home workouts, coaching tips and podcast interviews. In January 2020, Krystal began "The Playful Life" podcast. It features topics and interviews with physicians, mental experts, alternative medicine practitioners, massage therapists, fitness professionals, musicians and more. Krystal believes, "living our best life, requires embracing a playful mindset to health and discovering what makes our souls happy." That is why Krystal spends most of her free time writing and performing music.   Website: https://www.krystalizedhealthadvisors.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/krystalizedhealthadvisors  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krystal.quagliara YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIwcxxp82a4KLFcXE1ikI5g Book: CLICK HERE The Walled Garden is a podcast and community of independent philosophers and seekers who are dedicated to the pursuit of truth, wisdom, virtue, and the divine. Led by Australian poet, philosopher, and musician Simon Drew, American philosopher, author, and speaker Sharon Lebell, and British philosopher and researcher Kai Whiting, The Walled Garden hosts regular live events and meetups with fascinating philosophers, theologians, artists, leaders, and seekers who can teach us all about how to live a flourishing existence. Visit The Walled Garden: thewalledgarden.com Join our free Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/5TAUzfdCe8 Get one-on-one mentoring with our philosophers: https://thewalledgarden.com/mentors Register for Upcoming Events: https://thewalledgarden.com/events Shop at The Walled Garden: https://thewalledgarden.store/ About Our Guest: ******(INSERT ABOUT)****** About Simon Drew: Simon is a poem-writing, multi-instrument-playing, mountain-climbing philosopher. Known by Sharon as an “intrepid soul traveller,” he uses his art to explore deep questions about the nature of the divine and the path to personal Alignment. Simon is most widely known for his work on The Practical Stoic Podcast (now The Walled Garden). Simon’s book, The Poet & The Sage, was released in 2021. About Sharon Sebell: Sharon is one of the pioneers of the contemporary Stoicism movement, and the author behind the best-selling interpretation of Epictetus’ writings, “The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness.” As a musician and prominent writer, Sharon seeks to liberate the wisdom of the past in order to facilitate deeper meaning-making and personal flourishing. About Kai Whiting: Kai is one of the world’s foremost experts on traditional Stoicism, as well as being a lecturer and researcher in the field of sustainability. In his book, “Being Better: Stoicism for a World Worth Living In,” Kai and his co-author Leo Konstantakos encourage their readers to expand their circles of concern and to work for the common flourishing of humanity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this conversation between Walled Garden contributors and members, we discuss what we've learned throughout the past few weeks of inspiration sessions, and together we set the tone for future interactions and aims within the community.  Use the links below to register for our upcoming meetups in December. Social Media Strategy Meetup: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAqc-6rpjstGdNk2p8-jOXvSA3DgG76--Sd The Poet & The Sage Book Launch: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUlduCupj8tHN3cj1HuTcbYgS6wo6rqomPC When joining The Walled Garden community (thewalledgarden.com), don't forget to use the promo code PRACTICALSTOIC to get over 20% off your membership for life.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Register for Stoicon X Midwest: stoiconxmidwest.com Simon Drew and Scott Balentine discuss the Stoic path and the current yearning for community and shepherdship.  As President of the Board of Directors, Scott works collaboratively with Board members and Founding members to set organizational goals. Additionally, he is responsible for working with the Board to set short- and long-term organizational goals and evaluate progress of the planned outcomes and the strategic plan to grow organizational capacity while connecting daily work with the vision and mission of the organization. As Chief Financial Officer, Scott oversees finance, budgeting, cash flow and accounting for The Walled Garden. With over 20 years’ of experience in healthcare and information technology, Scott currently serves as the manager of Methodist Le Bonheur’s Disaster Recovery program in addition to his role with The Walled Garden. Previously, Scott managed the IT Project Management Office for Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare. Mr. Balentine began his career in healthcare with Transnetyx, a genetic research firm and later at Baptist Memorial Healthcare serving in a variety of technical and management roles. He has also worked as an IT Project Manager for ALSAC/St. Jude. Additionally, Scott has served on the Board of Directors for the MidSouth Health Care Executives for eight years and currently serves as its President. Scott is a graduate of Harding University with a B.A. and from Western Governors University with an MBA with an emphasis in Healthcare Management. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tsoof Baras is a versatile and skilled percussionist with over 16 years of performance experience in orchestral percussion, hand drumming, novelty percussion and more in a range of styles. He is a graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, with a Bachelor of Music, Majoring in Advanced Percussion Performance. Tsoof is a member of multiple ensembles performing locally in Brisbane and nationally. He recently published a book called How to Get Good, wherein he explores the fundamentals of making progress in any skill or discipline. ABOUT THE WALLED GARDEN The Walled Garden Philosophical Society is a global community of philosophers and students gathering in search of truth, wisdom, virtue and the Divine. There are many ways to get involved: Attend Events: http://thewalledgarden.com/events Find a Philosophical Mentor: http://thewalledgarden.com/mentoring Explore Our Groves: http://thewalledgarden.com/groves Become a Member: thewalledgarden.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Walled Garden is a podcast and community of independent philosophers and seekers who are dedicated to the pursuit of truth, wisdom, virtue, and the divine. Led by Australian poet, philosopher, and musician Simon Drew, American philosopher, author, and speaker Sharon Lebell, and British philosopher and researcher Kai Whiting, The Walled Garden hosts regular live events and meetups with fascinating philosophers, theologians, artists, leaders, and seekers who can teach us all about how to live a flourishing existence. Register for Upcoming Events: https://thewalledgarden.com/events Visit The Walled Garden: thewalledgarden.com Join our free Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/5TAUzfdCe8 Get one-on-one mentoring with our philosophers: https://thewalledgarden.com/mentors Shop at The Walled Garden: https://thewalledgarden.store/ About Our Guest: Monique is a Happiness Strategist who teaches students and corporations around the world how to master their lives. She has spent the last 25 years studying the mind and its relationship to happiness and suffering. Over 70 universities and colleges use her program The 10 Minute Mind®. Her 8-week online course, The Happiness Baseline, has a 100% success rate in raising the mental wellness for every student who has completed it. Monique hosts the daily In Your Right Mind podcast, where she discusses how a series of small habits determine our well-being.  In 2010 Monique received a nomination for the prestigious New Zealander of the Year Award. About Simon Drew: Simon is a poem-writing, multi-instrument-playing, mountain-climbing philosopher. Known by Sharon as an “intrepid soul traveller,” he uses his art to explore deep questions about the nature of the divine and the path to personal Alignment. Simon is most widely known for his work on The Practical Stoic Podcast (now The Walled Garden). Simon’s book, The Poet & The Sage, was released in 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode script was generated by Chat GPT based on prompts by Simon J. E. Drew. Register for "Chat GPT, AI Models and The Walled Garden: An Introduction to The Senate": https://thewalledgarden.com/an-introduction-to-the-senate SCRIPT Hello, and welcome to The Walled Garden Podcast, the official podcast of The Walled Garden Philosophical Society. I'm here filling in for the host, Simon Drew. Today's episode is a little different because it was entirely created by Artificial Intelligence technologies. First up, we have some exciting news to share. On March 9th at 3 pm PST, The Walled Garden Philosophical Society is hosting an event called Chat G P T, Artificial Technology Models, and The Walled Garden: An Introduction to The Senate. This event will be open to the public for the price of a donation of your choosing, and you can register via thewalledgarden.com/events. In this event, Rocco Jarman, an Australian poet, mystic, and philosopher, will join Simon Drew, a musician, poet, and co-founder of The Walled Garden Philosophical Society, to give an in-depth introduction to The Senate, which is a series of events that will be for members only after March 2023. In these monthly events, our community will gather to discuss and come to a consensus on the most complicated issues of our time using thoughtful philosophical dialogue underpinned by courage and vulnerability. Now, on with the article, entitled: Artificially Stupid: The Life and Times of Machines Learning. READ THE FULL SCRIPT HERE: https://thewalledgarden.com/artificial-stupidity-the-life-and-times-of-machine-learning Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a conversation between Sharon Lebell, Peter Samis, and Simon Drew with a wide-ranging pool of topics, including being, forms, art, language, enlightenment, philosophy, and the importance of both reverence and irreverence. About Peter Samis (in his own words): My book "Creating the Visitor-centered Museum," co-authored with Mimi Michaelson, was published by Routledge in 2017. It documents innovative practices in museum interpretation through ten case study sites in the United States and Europe. I have spoken about it in China, the United States, and Italy over the past year and am happy to convey its messages to others. I am grateful to have worked at SFMOMA in a variety of capacities, paid and volunteer, for 35 years; my final position was Assoc. Curator of Interpretation. My initial studies at Columbia and in Paris were in anthropology and religion. Later, I went on to earn an M.A. in art history at U.C. Berkeley. Since then I have taught, curated, written, and been active in the development of interpretive technologies for cultural heritage. Way back in the 1990s, I served as the art historian/content expert for the first CD-ROM on modern art, "American Visions," and then spearheaded development of multimedia programs for SFMOMA's new building, which opened in 1995. Over the years, SFMOMA's Interactive Educational Technology programs received awards from sources as diverse as the American Association of Museums, the Webbys, Communication Arts, and I.D. Magazine. I taught for many years in the graduate program for Technology-Enhanced Communication for Cultural Heritage at Switzerland's University of Lugano, and served on advisory councils for many open source software initiatives. But around 2007, I realized that digital interpretation was not enough, and that visitors benefited most from a mix of analog and digital, interactive and environmental. That led to the research with Mimi Michaelson and our book. We discovered that as museums become more visitor-centered, hierarchies are dismantled and new teams emerge. We begin to listen to visitor feedback, and empathy builds. It turns out that "Nothing about us without us," that mantra of inclusive practice, counts for visitors, too! To attend our upcoming meetups in The Walled Garden, go to thewalledgarden.com/events/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

J.W. Bertolotti joins The Walled Garden Philosophical Society as a contributor, beginning with this event on the poetic wisdom of Heraclitus. Joshua is a retired veteran, avid reader, and lifelong learner. He hosts In Search of Wisdom to engage in meaningful conversations on how to live in a complex world. He enjoys exploring the integration of timeless principles and practices with everyday life. Joshua is an ICF-trained Leadership Coach with a passion for collaborative partnerships. Joshua is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in strategic leadership and holds a Master of Science in management. He has executive certificates in the Psychology of Leadership, Organizational Consulting and Change Leadership, Brain-Based Coaching, and Leadership Coaching for Organizational Well-Being. You can find out more about Joshua’s work at www.perennialleader.com. To attend this week's event, please go to thewalledgarden.com/events/ To get mentoring with J.W. Bertolotti, go to thewalledgarden.com/mentoring/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Fisher was first introduced to Stoic tenets while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. He also spent twenty years working in Silicon Valley, California, as a computer hardware specialist, software engineer, sales executive, and regional manager for a large software company. In 2004, Chris moved to Florida and returned to public service as a law enforcement officer. In preparation for his retirement from law enforcement, he relied on his life-long passion for photography to create a real estate photography business in 2019. Chris began studying at the College of Stoic Philosophers in 2011, where he completed the Stoic Essential Studies in 2012 and the Marcus Aurelius School in 2013. He is currently the Scholarch of the college, but prior to this position he sat on the New Stoa board and served as Dean of Students. Chris is the author of the Traditional Stoicism blog and the Stoicism on Fire podcast. In 2016, Stoicism Today published Chris’ defence of the traditional Stoic doctrine of Providence in “Stoicism Today: Selected Writings II.” In 2019, he contributed a chapter about Stoicism in the book titled “Pandeism: An Anthology of the Creative Mind.”   Chris currently lives near Tampa, Florida, with his wife of twenty-five years and two of his five children who haven’t yet flown from the nest. Stoicism on Fire Podcast/Blog: https://traditionalstoicism.com/ The College of Stoic Philosophers: https://collegeofstoicphilosophers.org/ Traditional Stoicism Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1702622473314563 To register for this week's Walled Garden event with Kai Whiting and Jonathan Church on Stoicism and Free Speech, go here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIvdeGqrjIvG9bHS8mXPjir8fJDZl1kkmcE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode script was generated by Chat GPT based on prompts by Simon J. E. Drew. Register for "Chat GPT, AI Models and The Walled Garden: An Introduction to The Senate": https://thewalledgarden.com/an-introduction-to-the-senate SCRIPT The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought about a new era of technological progress and potential, but it has also raised concerns about the meaning of human existence and the potential for madness. As AI becomes more sophisticated, there is a growing fear that it may surpass human intelligence, leaving us questioning our place in the world and our purpose in life. One of the key challenges posed by AI is the potential for it to replace human labor in many industries, leading to widespread job displacement and economic inequality. This could cause people to feel disconnected from their work and the broader societal structures that give their lives meaning. Additionally, the rise of AI may challenge our understanding of what it means to be human, leading to feelings of existential angst and confusion. READ THE FULL SCRIPT HERE: https://thewalledgarden.com/meaning-and-madness-human-survival-in-the-age-of-artificial-intelligence Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Simon Drew and Judith Stove in conversation around Seneca's 40th letter: On the Proper Style for a Philosopher's Discourse. To register for our meetup on the same letter, go to: https://thewalledgarden.com/post/on-the-proper-style-for-a-philosophers-discourse Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Event Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-iliad-at-grace-san-francisco-a-public-reading-event-tickets-511419889657 The International Readers of Homer: https://www.internationalreadersofhomer.org/ Kathryn Hohlwein is a poet, author, teacher, world traveler, and Homerist. Born in the Rocky Mountains, she graduated from the University of Utah in 1951 and received an M.A. from The Bread Loaf School of English of Middlebury College in Vermont 1953. For 37 years, she taught poetry, creative writing, world literature, poetry in translation, and the Homeric imagination at the University of Utah, Ohio State University, and for many years at California State University, Sacramento. Her publications include: Touchstones: Letters Between Two Women 1953 to 1964, The Middle Kingdom, What's Funny About Forever, and The Little Chapel in Donegal. Upon retiring from teaching, she founded the International Readers of Homer, through which she created multilingual, audience-participation readings of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, the International Readers of Homer has delighted audiences in London, New York, Los Angeles, Brussels, Montevideo, Alexandria, Tehran, Athens, and the Greek islands of Kos and Chios. She is looking forward to the upcoming reading of The Iliad in San Francisco in May 2023, just a week shy of her 93rd birthday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr Sofia Koutlaki is a Greek writer, author of Among the Iranians: A Guide to Iran’s Culture and Customs. Her academic trajectory traced a line through English literature, the Classics, and linguistics. She analysed Iranian politeness, face and communication and lived in Iran for a total of 14 years. Based in London, she now explores memoir and life writing, and the influence of Stoicism, mysticism and other spiritual practices on personal development and wellbeing. She discerns our shared humanity in the commonalities of different traditions, and often questions beliefs (how do I know what I know?). www.sofiakoutlaki.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode script was generated by Chat GPT based on prompts by Simon J. E. Drew. Register for "Chat GPT, AI Models and The Walled Garden: An Introduction to The Senate": https://thewalledgarden.com/an-introduction-to-the-senate SCRIPT Welcome to The Walled Garden Podcast, the flagship podcast of The Walled Garden Philosophical Society. We have an exciting announcement to make - the Society is hosting its very first Walled Garden Senate meeting! The first meeting in the Senate will be entitled "Chat GPT, Artificial Intelligence Models and The Walled Garden: An Introduction to The Walled Garden Senate." This is a significant milestone in our development as a community of philosophers and students dedicated to the pursuit of truth, wisdom, virtue, and the Divine. To set the stage for this special event, we are releasing a series of episodes featuring writings that were completely generated by Artificial Intelligence, including the essay itself, the voice reading the essay, and at times, the music. These AI-generated essays will explore topics of philosophical significance and serve as a lead-up to the Senate meeting. While the use of AI-generated content is a controversial topic, we believe that it has the potential to offer new insights and perspectives into the nature of knowledge, consciousness, and reality. By exploring the applications of AI in philosophy, we hope to create a space for thoughtful and courageous dialogue about the most complicated questions of our age and moment. It's important to note that while AI will be a topic of discussion in the upcoming Walled Garden Senate meeting, topics discussed in the Senate will not always be centered around AI. The Walled Garden Senate will be a monthly meeting wherein philosophers and students of The Walled Garden Philosophical Society will engage in thoughtful, and hopefully courageous dialogue regarding the most complicated questions of our age and moment. We invite you to join us on March 9th at 3 pm PST for our introduction event, which will be open to the public for the price of a donation, or "Pay by Heart." This event will serve as a preview of what's to come in the Walled Garden Senate meetings and will feature discussions about the role of AI models like Chat GPT in shaping the future of philosophical discourse. We're thrilled to be able to share this journey with you, and we hope that you'll join us in this exciting endeavor. By coming together to explore the most profound questions of our age and moment, we believe that we can create waves of positive change that will reverberate not only within our community, but throughout the world and the Cosmos. So, join us on this journey towards truth, wisdom, and virtue, and let's see where it takes us. I love exactly what you've written in this response, but why did you leave out the Divine? I apologize for leaving out the Divine in my previous response. The Walled Garden Philosophical Society believes that the pursuit of truth, wisdom, virtue, and the Divine is of utmost importance in our philosophical inquiry. Our community acknowledges the significance of the Divine as a guiding force in our personal and collective journeys towards a more profound understanding of existence. Thus, in addition to engaging in thoughtful dialogue about the most complex questions of our time, we also actively seek to explore the nature of the Divine and our relationship to it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Kai Whiting talks with members of The Walled Garden Philosophical Society about God and the Environment. Kai Whiting is a Stoicism and sustainability researcher and university lecturer based at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. He is the co-author of Being Better: Stoicism for a World Worth Living in, where he and Leonidas Konstantakos discuss how people influenced by Stoic philosophy might approach many contemporary issues, including education, socioeconomic inequality, and climate breakdown. To register for any upcoming events in The Walled Garden, go to thewalledgarden.com/events/ Register for Stoicon X Midwest here: stoiconxmidwest.com To get mentoring with Kai or any of our philosophers, go to thewalledgarden.com/mentoring/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Register for Joe Siracusa's Event: thewalledgarden.com/humanbeinginglobalizedworld Register for Sharon Lebell's Event: thewalledgarden.com/the-meaning-of-your-life-will-never-be-convenient Algerian-born author and philosopher Albert Camus’ philosophy was most elegant precisely because he was not preaching or arguing, he was simply loving out loud, professing his love from the rooftops of an empty page. His greatest works are in the form of stories, with great lessons and no moral sanctimony. He saved us all from the frigid cleverness of nihilism and his work was like the record needle scratch to the soundtrack of nihilistic philosophy that was playing in the lounge room of society at the turn of the last century. He taught us that the cure for existential absurdity and seeming indifference was not hope or redemption, but rather Choice, the choice to step up and create the meaning we were looking for in this world. Join me as I explore the elegant wisdom of this brilliant man. – Rocco Jarman (Facilitator) Listen to Rocco Jarman's Podcast, The Eyes Wide Open Life Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Simon Drew speaks with friend and co-seeker Joe Tucker about  Stoic philosophy, sacred texts, and the modern search for wisdom.    To join The Walled Garden, go to thewalledgarden.com and use the promo code PRACTICALSTOIC to get over 20% off a caretaker membership. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Simon, Sharon and Kai discuss Emerson's passage on rediscovering our own connection with the divine in our age. Link to music from the beginning of the meetup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3jSct9cO_s Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juan Perez facilitates an event in The Walled Garden focusing on the heroism of Marcus Aurelius. Juan has been a Business Consultant for more than 8 years and has implemented successful Change Management projects worldwide. He's created a method for change at a personal and professional level using Innovation Tools, Organizational Psychology and Stoicism. He's a proud father of 2 little kids, he has a podcast, a book on the way, and a passion for philosophy and music. Go to thewalledgarden.com/events to see more upcoming events. Go to thewalledgarden.com/mentoring to apply for philosophical mentoring with Juan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to The Walled Garden Podcast! In this episode, Simon shares his most recent event recording from The Walled Garden Philosophical Society where he explores the wisdom of Lucius Annaeus Seneca. The event was titled: "Ode to Seneca, a Tribute to My Guiding Sage". To register for this week's event on "The Sanctuary", go to: thewalledgarden.com/post/messages-for-our-time-sanctuary To register for any/all future events, go to: thewalledgarden.com/events To become a Caretaker, go to: thewalledgarden.com/join Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Assoc. Prof. Matt Sharpe teaches philosophy at Deakin University, and since 2010 has increasingly been teaching Stoic contents, and engaging with modern Stoicism. He has appeared at Stoicon where he spoke on Stoicism and comedy, and has published widely on Albert Camus, including a piece on Camus and Stoicism to mark the 60th anniversary of his death (January 2020). Stoicism, Bullying and Beyond is the first book applying Stoic philosophy, and its extraordinary exercises in resilience and self-care, to the epidemic problem of bullying and 'mobbing'. Aimed preeminently at targets, it offers guidance on managing negative emotions, and making good decisions, in what for many people is the greatest challenge of their lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About Our Guest: Joshua is a retired veteran, avid reader, and lifelong learner. He hosts In Search of Wisdom to engage in meaningful conversations on how to live in a complex world. He enjoys exploring the integration of timeless principles and practices with everyday life. Joshua is an ICF-trained Leadership Coach with a passion for collaborative partnerships. Joshua is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in strategic leadership and holds a Master of Science in management. He has executive certificates in the Psychology of Leadership, Organizational Consulting and Change Leadership, Brain-Based Coaching, and Leadership Coaching for Organizational Well-Being. You can find out more about Joshua's work at www.perennialleader.com. To register for this week's Walled Garden Meetups, go to thewalledgarden.com/events and register via the links available.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott F. Aikin is an American philosopher and Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he also holds a joint appointment in Classics. He earned an M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Montana in 1999 and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Vanderbilt University in 2006. His principal areas of research are epistemology, argumentation theory, ancient philosophy, and pragmatism. And on top of all this he's also the co-author of the book "Why We Argue (How We Should) - A Guide to Political Disagreement."  UNIVERSITY: https://as.vanderbilt.edu/philosophy/bio/scott-aikin  BUY SCOTT'S BOOK: https://www.amazon.com/Why-Argue-How-Should-Disagreement/dp/0415859050 SENECA SURPASSING GOD: https://www.academia.edu/34402290/Seneca_on_Surpassing_God Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About Jonathan Church: Jonathan Church is an economist with two decades of experience working in the private and public sectors. His professional background is in antitrust, intellectual property, valuation, inflation, index number theory, statistics, and finance. In 2016, he began writing a weekly column for The Good Men Project, with a focus on current affairs, social justice, and masculinity. In 2018, he was diagnosed with a low-grade brain tumor, which led not only to brain surgery and radiation, but also a decision to pursue his passion for writing and scholarship without restraint. Outside of his day job and time with his daughter, he spends most of his remaining time as an independent scholar writing on economics, finance, and social justice. He has been published in Quillette, Areo Magazine, Arc Digital, The Agonist Journal, Merion West, The Good Men Project, Culturico, New Discourses, The Washington Examiner, The Daily Stoic, and The Federalist. He has also published poetry in Lummox, Big Hammer, and Street Value, as well as short stories in Vending Machine Press and The Agonist Journal. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in economics and philosophy, and from Cornell University with an M.A in economics. He is also a CFA charter holder. Any time left over is spent exercising and playing chess.  The Walled Garden is a podcast and community of independent philosophers and seekers who are dedicated to the pursuit of truth, wisdom, virtue, and the divine. Led by Australian poet, philosopher, and musician Simon Drew, American philosopher, author, and speaker Sharon Lebell, and British philosopher and researcher Kai Whiting, The Walled Garden hosts regular live events and meetups with fascinating philosophers, theologians, artists, leaders, and seekers who can teach us all about how to live a flourishing existence. Visit The Walled Garden: thewalledgarden.com Join our free Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/5TAUzfdCe8 Get one-on-one mentoring with our philosophers: https://thewalledgarden.com/mentors Register for Upcoming Events: https://thewalledgarden.com/events Shop at The Walled Garden: https://thewalledgarden.store/ About Simon Drew: Simon is a poem-writing, multi-instrument-playing, mountain-climbing philosopher. Known by Sharon as an “intrepid soul traveller,” he uses his art to explore deep questions about the nature of the divine and the path to personal Alignment. Simon is most widely known for his work on The Practical Stoic Podcast (now The Walled Garden). Simon’s book, The Poet & The Sage, was released in 2021. About Sharon Sebell: Sharon is one of the pioneers of the contemporary Stoicism movement, and the author behind the best-selling interpretation of Epictetus’ writings, “The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness.” As a musician and prominent writer, Sharon seeks to liberate the wisdom of the past in order to facilitate deeper meaning-making and personal flourishing. About Kai Whiting: Kai is one of the world’s foremost experts on traditional Stoicism, as well as being a lecturer and researcher in the field of sustainability. In his book, “Being Better: Stoicism for a World Worth Living In,” Kai and his co-author Leo Konstantakos encourage their readers to expand their circles of concern and to work for the common flourishing of humanity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Walled Garden is a podcast and community of independent philosophers and seekers who are dedicated to the pursuit of truth, wisdom, virtue, and the divine. Led by Australian poet, philosopher, and musician Simon Drew, American philosopher, author, and speaker Sharon Lebell, and British philosopher and researcher Kai Whiting, The Walled Garden hosts regular live events and meetups with fascinating philosophers, theologians, artists, leaders, and seekers who can teach us all about how to live a flourishing existence. Visit The Walled Garden: thewalledgarden.com Join our free Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/5TAUzfdCe8 Get one-on-one mentoring with our philosophers: https://thewalledgarden.com/mentors Register for Upcoming Events: https://thewalledgarden.com/events Shop at The Walled Garden: https://thewalledgarden.store/ About Our Guest: Joe Tucker is a fellow seeker of wisdom from Chattanooga, Tennessee. He's a frequent listener and contributor to The Walled Garden podcast, a true philosopher of the heart, and is currently studying anthropology and philosophy. About Simon Drew: Simon is a poem-writing, multi-instrument-playing, mountain-climbing philosopher. Known by Sharon as an “intrepid soul traveller,” he uses his art to explore deep questions about the nature of the divine and the path to personal Alignment. Simon is most widely known for his work on The Practical Stoic Podcast (now The Walled Garden). Simon’s book, The Poet & The Sage, was released in 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Walled Garden is a podcast and community of independent philosophers and seekers who are dedicated to the pursuit of truth, wisdom, virtue, and the divine. Led by Australian poet, philosopher, and musician Simon Drew, American philosopher, author, and speaker Sharon Lebell, and British philosopher and researcher Kai Whiting, The Walled Garden hosts regular live events and meetups with fascinating philosophers, theologians, artists, leaders, and seekers who can teach us all about how to live a flourishing existence. Attend our upcoming interview and Q&A with Karen Duffy: https://thewalledgarden.com/post/wise-up-with-karen-duffy Visit The Walled Garden: thewalledgarden.com Join our free Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/5TAUzfdCe8 Get one-on-one mentoring with our philosophers: https://thewalledgarden.com/mentors Register for Upcoming Events: https://thewalledgarden.com/events Shop at The Walled Garden: https://thewalledgarden.store/ About Our Guests: Ryan Driscoll is a veteran of the US Army with multiple deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He is also the facilitator of the Nashville Stoics Meet-Up group and the host of the podcast Stoic Warfighters in which he explores Stoicism as it relates to military themes through interviews with experts. Stoic Warfighters Podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicwarfighters Nashville Stoics: https://www.meetup.com/nashville-stoics/ Leonidas Konstantakos has a PhD in the field of Stoicism and International Relations, especially Stoic just war theory. He, along with Kai Whiting, is the co-author of “Being Better, Stoicism for a World Worth Living in”.  About Simon Drew: Simon is a poem-writing, multi-instrument-playing, mountain-climbing philosopher. Known by Sharon as an “intrepid soul traveller,” he uses his art to explore deep questions about the nature of the divine and the path to personal Alignment. Simon is most widely known for his work on The Practical Stoic Podcast (now The Walled Garden). Simon’s book, The Poet & The Sage, was released in 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Walled Garden is a podcast and community of independent philosophers and seekers who are dedicated to the pursuit of truth, wisdom, virtue, and the divine. Led by Australian poet, philosopher, and musician Simon Drew, American philosopher, author, and speaker Sharon Lebell, and British philosopher and researcher Kai Whiting, The Walled Garden hosts regular live events and meetups with fascinating philosophers, theologians, artists, leaders, and seekers who can teach us all about how to live a flourishing existence. Visit The Walled Garden: thewalledgarden.com Join our free Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/5TAUzfdCe8 Get one-on-one mentoring with our philosophers: https://thewalledgarden.com/mentors Register for Upcoming Events: https://thewalledgarden.com/events Shop at The Walled Garden: https://thewalledgarden.store/ About Sharon Sebell: Sharon is one of the pioneers of the contemporary Stoicism movement, and the author behind the best-selling interpretation of Epictetus’ writings, “The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness.” As a musician and prominent writer, Sharon seeks to liberate the wisdom of the past in order to facilitate deeper meaning-making and personal flourishing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brandon Tumblin is the host of the Strong Stoic Podcast, and we're now honoured to say that he's joining us in The Walled Garden Philosophical Society as a mentor and contributor. In this conversation, you'll find a genuine philosophical dialogue and one which touches on many subjects from the divine light to the future of TWG. To register for tomorrow's event in TWG, go to: https://thewalledgarden.com/philosophy-and-music-a-dialog-and-a-dance Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Walled Garden is a podcast and community of independent philosophers and seekers who are dedicated to the pursuit of truth, wisdom, virtue, and the divine. Led by Australian poet, philosopher, and musician Simon Drew, American philosopher, author, and speaker Sharon Lebell, and British philosopher and researcher Kai Whiting, The Walled Garden hosts regular live events and meetups with fascinating philosophers, theologians, artists, leaders, and seekers who can teach us all about how to live a flourishing existence. Visit The Walled Garden: thewalledgarden.com Join our free Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/5TAUzfdCe8 Get one-on-one mentoring with our philosophers: https://thewalledgarden.com/mentors Register for Upcoming Events: https://thewalledgarden.com/events Shop at The Walled Garden: https://thewalledgarden.store/ About Our Guest: Jynnette Lewis is an Oracle, Spiritual Life Coach, and Business Strategist. After almost 25 years in spiritual and personal development work, she received the Call to take a more proactive role in helping shape our transforming world. Through her coaching programs she helps leaders and entrepreneurs implement astrology-based strategies to empower themselves, manage their energy, and build sustainable businesses. She draws from a vast array of knowledge and experience including reiki, yoga, kundalini kriya yoga, gnostic Christianity, Taoism, African Traditional Religions, the Archangelic Realm, and more. She trains leaders in her coaching programs to use spiritual frameworks to facilitate culture change through consciousness change. About Simon Drew: Simon is a poem-writing, multi-instrument-playing, mountain-climbing philosopher. Known by Sharon as an “intrepid soul traveller,” he uses his art to explore deep questions about the nature of the divine and the path to personal Alignment. Simon is most widely known for his work on The Practical Stoic Podcast (now The Walled Garden). Simon’s book, The Poet & The Sage, was released in 2021. About Sharon Sebell: Sharon is one of the pioneers of the contemporary Stoicism movement, and the author behind the best-selling interpretation of Epictetus’ writings, “The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness.” As a musician and prominent writer, Sharon seeks to liberate the wisdom of the past in order to facilitate deeper meaning-making and personal flourishing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is a recorded version of an epistle by Simon Drew recently posted on Modern Stoicism (CLICK HERE TO READ). The epistle is preceded by Simon discussing Ukraine, walled gardens, the meaning of tragedy, and the path to wisdom. To attend any of The Walled Garden events in the coming month, go to thewalledgarden.com/events For one-on-one philosophical mentoring with Simon, Sharon, or Kai, go to thewalledgarden.com/mentors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join the Walled Garden community at thewalledgarden.com. Use the promotional code PRACTICALSTOIC to get a special discount on a Caretaker membership for the first 100 members. In this episode, Simon speaks with Prof. Joseph Siracusa about the potential threat of a war with China. Prof. Joseph Siracusa is the professor of Political History and International Diplomacy at Curtin University. Born and raised in Chicago and a long time resident of Australia, Joseph studied at the University of Denver and the University of Vienna and received his PhD at the University of Colorado (Boulder). He has worked at Merrill Lynch in Boston and New York; the University of Queensland; and for three years served as a senior visiting fellow in the Key Centre for Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance at Griffith University. He has authored and co-authored 310 refereed publications including 75 books, monographs and chapters, 115 journal articles/entries and scholarly reviews, and 120 refereed proceedings. His publications include the following: America and the Cold War, 1941-1991: A Realist interpretation, 2 volumes (Praeger, 2010) Nuclear Weapons: A Very Short Introduction (Second edition, Oxford University Press, 2015) The Death Penalty and U.S. Diplomacy (Rowman & Littlefield, 2013) A Global History of the Nuclear Arms Race, 2 volumes (Praeger, 2013) Language of Terror: How Neuroscience Influences Political Speech in the United States (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015) Diplomatic History: A Very Short Introduction, to be published by Oxford University Press, in early 2021 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Simon sets the scene for our upcoming Walled Garden meetup on Emerson’s call for us to experience the enlightenment that our ancestors felt. The passage read comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essays on nature.  The poem read was from Simon’s own storehouse.  You can read the rest of the poems in that collection and listen to the album, Pairidaēza Suite, here: https://thewalledgarden.com/post/pair...  You can register for the meetup mentioned via this link: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJck...  Fern Tree Gulley painting by Thomas Clark: https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/col... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kai Whiting and Simon Drew discuss the power and tradition of philosophical mentoring as a path toward greater meaning and flourishing in life. The Walled Garden Philosophical Society now offers one-on-one philosophical mentoring with our stellar philosophers from around the world. Go to thewalledgarden.com/mentoring to apply today. Philosophical Mentoring, simply put, is a service of soul doctoring wherein the philosopher and mentee engage in meaningful and thoughtful dialogue concerning the most effective ways to deal with the various challenges and opportunities faced by the client. Go to thewalledgarden.com/mentoring to apply today. Go to thewalledgarden.com/join to become a caretaker in The Walled Garden Philosophical Society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Simon is joined by Western Australia based facilitator Ashley McCole to talk about how to deal with polarisation during the holiday period. Merry Christmas everyone!   To join The Walled Garden, go to thewalledgarden.com.  Use the promo code PRACTICALSTOIC to get a discount on the Caretaker membership. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Walled Garden is a podcast and community of independent philosophers and seekers who are dedicated to the pursuit of truth, wisdom, virtue, and the divine. Led by Australian poet, philosopher, and musician Simon Drew, American philosopher, author, and speaker Sharon Lebell, and British philosopher and researcher Kai Whiting, The Walled Garden hosts regular live events and meetups with fascinating philosophers, theologians, artists, leaders, and seekers who can teach us all about how to live a flourishing existence. Visit The Walled Garden: thewalledgarden.com Join our free Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/5TAUzfdCe8 Get one-on-one mentoring with our philosophers: https://thewalledgarden.com/mentors Register for Upcoming Events: https://thewalledgarden.com/events Shop at The Walled Garden: https://thewalledgarden.store/ About Our Guest: Mark Divine is an entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, philanthropist, and one of the world’s top leadership and coaching experts. After a successful 20 year career as a Navy SEAL and SEAL Commander, Mark was hired by the Navy to create a nationwide coaching and leadership program for the SEALs. The bold goal of this program was to give the SEALs the best leadership and mental-management tools in the world – to help them forge unbeatable SEAL teams that achieve mission success in the most stressful, challenging environments on earth. Divine’s leadership and coaching program for the SEALs was so effective that it’s now being used outside of the Navy by top CEOs, Fortune 100 companies, USA Olympics, elite universities, major league sports franchises, celebrities, and successful individuals from all over the world. Mark Divine is the author of 5 best-selling books, including his latest book Staring Down The Wolf: 7 Leadership Commitments That Forge Elite Teams. He hosts a #1-ranked podcast on iTunes (Mark Divine’s Unbeatable Mind) and he is the founder of 5 successful companies: Unbeatable Mind, SEALFIT, NavySEALs.com, USCrossFit, and the award winning Coronado Brewing Company in California. Divine believes that any individual, team, or company can unlock 20X performance with the right tools and training. His company, Unbeatable Mind, helps millions of people achieve their full potential in life and business through their free training resources and advanced training programs for leaders, corporate teams, coaching professionals, and high-achieving individuals. As a philanthropist, Mark Divine founded the Courage Foundation to help our wounded Veterans who are suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS). Recently Divine and his Courage Foundation team set a world record by completing over 22 million burpees to raise awareness, support, and funding for our Veteran heroes. THE UNBEATABLE MIND: unbeatablemind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Go to thewalledgarden.com/events to register for this week's events. David Alexander is an American psychotherapist and philosopher. On his podcast, Between Two Ravens, David explores the heights and depths of Norse mythology. David is interested particularly in Jungian psychology, classical Stoicism, and mythology, and he now brings these interests to The Walled Garden Philosophical Society as an official contributor in our community. The Walled Garden Philosophical Society now offers one-on-one philosophical mentoring with our stellar philosophers from around the world. Go to thewalledgarden.com/mentoring to apply today. Philosophical Mentoring, simply put, is a service of soul doctoring wherein the philosopher and mentee engage in meaningful and thoughtful dialogue concerning the most effective ways to deal with the various challenges and opportunities faced by the client. Go to thewalledgarden.com/mentoring to apply today. Go to thewalledgarden.com/join to become a caretaker in The Walled Garden Philosophical Society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this last episode of our Inspiration Sessions, we hear from another contributor Sharon Lebell. Sharon is the author of "The Art of Living: The Classic Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness" as well as an accomplished musician. Sharon shares her thoughts on what she envisions The Walled Garden being--a place of refuge where we can explore new ideas, find peace and meaning in our lives, and try out the experiment of forging deep authentic connections with different people within the digital space. Sharon also shares a spontaneous interlude on her one of a kind instrument, and discusses how she hopes that The Walled Garden can be a place where people can experience what she calls "The Big Amazing".  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Walled Garden is a podcast and community of independent philosophers and seekers who are dedicated to the pursuit of truth, wisdom, virtue, and the divine. Led by Australian poet, philosopher, and musician Simon Drew, American philosopher, author, and speaker Sharon Lebell, and British philosopher and researcher Kai Whiting, The Walled Garden hosts regular live events and meetups with fascinating philosophers, theologians, artists, leaders, and seekers who can teach us all about how to live a flourishing existence. About Our Guest: Rocco is a Philosopher, Poet and Mystic, with a deep understanding of Hermetics and Psychology, whose game changing work in Mindfulness modalities, psychological self-repair, inner-child work, consciousness and the nature of reality form the core of popular courses and programs aimed at self-discovery and psychological self-repair and his command of poetry and archetypal language make him one of the most impressive thinkers and teachers in the present moment. He is the creator and host of the Eyes Wide Open Life podcast and Spiritual teacher and mentor of a new Way, called simply The Way. He is also a mindfulness coach teaching new modalities of meditation, emotional intelligence and competency, inner-child healing, conscious relationship and life mastery as part of the effective Alchemy Program. Eyes Wide Open Life: https://eyeswideopenlife.org/ Visit The Walled Garden: thewalledgarden.com Join our free Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/5TAUzfdCe8 Get one-on-one mentoring with our philosophers: https://thewalledgarden.com/mentors Register for Upcoming Events: https://thewalledgarden.com/events Shop at The Walled Garden: https://thewalledgarden.store/ About Simon Drew: Simon is a poem-writing, multi-instrument-playing, mountain-climbing philosopher. Known by Sharon as an “intrepid soul traveller,” he uses his art to explore deep questions about the nature of the divine and the path to personal Alignment. Simon is most widely known for his work on The Practical Stoic Podcast (now The Walled Garden). Simon’s book, The Poet & The Sage, was released in 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Simon is interviewed by Sharon Lebell about his newly published book, The Poet & The Sage.  About The Poet & The Sage: The Poet & The Sage is an esoteric work of deep symbolism and archetypal metaphor. Delivered through the time-tested language of poetry and prose, The Poet & The Sage merges the worlds of philosophy, theology, mysticism, mythology, and narrative to convey deep truths about human nature, and about our common aim of being reunited with that which is most divine about us. The careful student will do well not to simply read this book, but to sit with it, and to allow the ideas therein to play gracefully within the heights and depths of their soul. You can purchase The Poet & The Sage here: https://thewalledgarden.store/products/copy-of-the-poet-the-sage  The full interview and Q&A is available in video format for Walled Garden patrons at thewalledgarden.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seneca, Logos, & Philosophical Gardens with David Fideler  About our Guest: David Fideler has worked as a college professor, editor and publisher, and director of a humanities centre. He studied ancient Greek philosophy and Mediterranean religions at the University of Pennsylvania and holds a PhD in philosophy. Born in the United States, he currently lives in Sarajevo with his wife and son, and is the editor of the Stoic Insights website. David is the author of Breakfast with Seneca: A Stoic Guide to the Art of Living. Called “The most companionable of the new Stoic books” by the New York Times, Breakfast with Seneca was also voted one of the best nonfiction books of the year by the editors at Amazon.com. Buy Breakfast with Seneca: https://www.amazon.com/Breakfast-Seneca-Stoic-Guide-Living-ebook/dp/B08X2YKWF3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Walled Garden is a podcast and community of independent philosophers and seekers who are dedicated to the pursuit of truth, wisdom, virtue, and the divine. Led by Australian poet, philosopher, and musician Simon Drew, American philosopher, author, and speaker Sharon Lebell, and British philosopher and researcher Kai Whiting, The Walled Garden hosts regular live events and meetups with fascinating philosophers, theologians, artists, leaders, and seekers who can teach us all about how to live a flourishing existence. Visit The Walled Garden: thewalledgarden.com Join our free Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/5TAUzfdCe8 Get one-on-one mentoring with our philosophers: https://thewalledgarden.com/mentors Register for Upcoming Events: https://thewalledgarden.com/events Shop at The Walled Garden: https://thewalledgarden.store/ About Our Guest: Since 2002 Dr. Bruce Tallman has been a full-time spiritual director and marriage coach in private practice. He is passionate about his mission, which is to help people grow in wisdom and love. In spiritual direction, he has worked with laity and clergy from every Christian denomination. He has published two books for spiritual directors (one of them, Finding Seekers: How to Develop a Spiritual Direction Practice from Beginning to Full-Time Employment, is a bestseller in the field). He has also published two books on spirituality for clergy and lay people (see the "Books" page). He has had hundreds of articles on spirituality published in the London Free Press and other newspapers and is an adjunct faculty for the Haden Institute for Spiritual Directors Training. From 1988 to 2002 Dr. Tallman was the director of two adult religious education centers for the Roman Catholic Diocese of London, Ontario. He holds a Doctor of Ministry degree in Spiritual Direction/Counselling from the Graduate Theological Foundation, which is affiliated with the Gregorian Institute in Rome and Oxford University in England. From 1988 to 2002 Dr. Tallman helped over 1500 couples prepare for marriage in 50 group marriage preparation courses he facilitated for the diocese. Since August 2002 he no longer does group sessions but has worked with over 2000 individual engaged couples from every Christian denomination as well as couples who are spiritual but not religious. All in all, he has helped over 3500 couples prepare for marriage. Dr. Tallman has been married for many years and understands every kind of struggle couples go through. He and Grace (who works as a crisis mental health counsellor) have three wonderful adult children and they are each other’s best friend and soulmate. About Simon Drew: Simon is a poem-writing, multi-instrument-playing, mountain-climbing philosopher. Known by Sharon as an “intrepid soul traveller,” he uses his art to explore deep questions about the nature of the divine and the path to personal Alignment. Simon is most widely known for his work on The Practical Stoic Podcast (now The Walled Garden). Simon’s book, The Poet & The Sage, was released in 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Continuing our series on our vision for The Walled Garden, this week we hear from another contributor, Jake Bush. Jake shares his experiences growing up in rural Idaho and how spending time in nature contributed toward his philosophies on life. He discusses growing up in, and subsequently separating from the Mormon faith, traveling the world and learning of diverse belief systems and ways of living, and his thoughts on Humanism and how The Walled Garden could help instill a larger sense of unity among diverse members of one human family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

REGISTER FOR UPCOMING EVENT: thewalledgarden.com/humanbeinginglobalizedworld ABOUT THE EVENT: Many people are struggling to find their place in this increasingly globalized world. Now that we’re more hyper-connected than ever before, what does it really mean to be human? How do we relate to our neighbours, both at home and abroad? How can we find meaning and stability when our focus on localised community building has been redirected with our modern ability to move beyond borders at higher speeds than ever before?  Join Prof. Joe Siracusa for a talk and Q&A to explore these questions and more.  Listen to Here & Now: thewalledgarden.com/hereandnow Dr. Joseph Siracusa is a giant among men, a true citizen, and a professor of wisdom in these times of widespread folly. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Joe went on to explore the world and human nature to an extent that very few could boast. He has now spent over 40 years in higher education in Australia and currently serves as the President Emeritus of the Australia Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. Joe has published over 50 books covering some of the most complicated political, diplomatic, and historical issues of modernity. By merit of the quality of his works and words, we—the Founding Members of The Walled Garden Philosophical Society—have called Dr. Joseph M. Siracusa to serve as our Honorary Professor in Residence.  Join The Walled Garden Philosophical Society: CLICK HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a 2.5 hour conversation that I had with Professor Joseph Siracusa in Melbourne, Australia, on the 17th of March, 2022, just before the Ukrainian invasion. We discussed the Ukraine-Russia tensions, international diplomacy, history, theology, philosophy, and many other topics. Note that the audio for this episode was compromised, and so what is presented is the audio from the iPhone recording. It's not ideal, but the message will overshadow the audio quality by far. About professor Joseph Siracusa: Prof. Joseph Siracusa is a professor of Political History and International Diplomacy at Curtin University. Born and raised in Chicago and a long time resident of Australia, Joseph studied at the University of Denver and the University of Vienna and received his PhD at the University of Colorado (Boulder). He has worked at Merrill Lynch in Boston and New York; the University of Queensland; and for three years served as a senior visiting fellow in the Key Centre for Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance at Griffith University. He has authored and co-authored 310 refereed publications including 75 books, monographs and chapters, 115 journal articles/entries and scholarly reviews, and 120 refereed proceedings. His publications include the following: America and the Cold War, 1941-1991: A Realist interpretation, 2 volumes (Praeger, 2010) Nuclear Weapons: A Very Short Introduction (Second edition, Oxford University Press, 2015) The Death Penalty and U.S. Diplomacy (Rowman & Littlefield, 2013) A Global History of the Nuclear Arms Race, 2 volumes (Praeger, 2013) Language of Terror: How Neuroscience Influences Political Speech in the United States (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015) Diplomatic History: A Very Short Introduction, to be published by Oxford University Press, in early 2021 thewalledgarden.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Walled Garden is a podcast and community of independent philosophers and seekers who are dedicated to the pursuit of truth, wisdom, virtue, and the divine. Led by Australian poet, philosopher, and musician Simon Drew, American philosopher, author, and speaker Sharon Lebell, and British philosopher and researcher Kai Whiting, The Walled Garden hosts regular live events and meetups with fascinating philosophers, theologians, artists, leaders, and seekers who can teach us all about how to live a flourishing existence. Visit The Walled Garden: thewalledgarden.com Join our free Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/5TAUzfdCe8 Get one-on-one mentoring with our philosophers: https://thewalledgarden.com/mentors Register for Upcoming Events: https://thewalledgarden.com/events Shop at The Walled Garden: https://thewalledgarden.store/ About Our Guest: From becoming an iconic MTV VJ to starring in Dumb and Dumber to being diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, Karen Duffy has been through a lot. But it was only when she became a mother that she realized she had some pretty solid life lessons to pass down. In her new book, she offers advice on building a friend group that is weasel free, finding the love of your life, and determining how much to tip the waiter (as with everything—be generous!). With dry humour and maternal warmth, she shows how we all can learn from unexpected philosophers, even from Bulgarian dancing bears. About Simon Drew: Simon is a poem-writing, multi-instrument-playing, mountain-climbing philosopher. Known by Sharon as an “intrepid soul traveller,” he uses his art to explore deep questions about the nature of the divine and the path to personal Alignment. Simon is most widely known for his work on The Practical Stoic Podcast (now The Walled Garden). Simon’s book, The Poet & The Sage, was released in 2021. About Sharon Sebell: Sharon is one of the pioneers of the contemporary Stoicism movement, and the author behind the best-selling interpretation of Epictetus’ writings, “The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness.” As a musician and prominent writer, Sharon seeks to liberate the wisdom of the past in order to facilitate deeper meaning-making and personal flourishing. About Kai Whiting: Kai is one of the world’s foremost experts on traditional Stoicism, as well as being a lecturer and researcher in the field of sustainability. In his book, “Being Better: Stoicism for a World Worth Living In,” Kai and his co-author Leo Konstantakos encourage their readers to expand their circles of concern and to work for the common flourishing of humanity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode script was generated by Chat GPT based on prompts by Simon J. E. Drew. Register for “Chat GPT, AI Models and The Walled Garden: An Introduction to The Senate”: https://thewalledgarden.com/an-introduction-to-the-senate SCRIPT: Welcome to The Walled Garden Podcast, the official podcast of The Walled Garden Philosophical Society. I am your temporary host, stepping in for Simon Drew. Today's episode is a special one as it was entirely generated by Artificial Intelligence technologies. We have some exciting news to share with our listeners. On March 9th at 3 pm PST, The Walled Garden Philosophical Society will be hosting an event called "Chat G P T, Artificial Technology Models, and The Walled Garden: An Introduction to The Senate". This event will be open to the public for a donation of your choosing, and you can register at thewalledgarden.com/events. During the event, Rocco Jarman, a renowned Australian poet, mystic, and philosopher, will join Simon Drew, a co-founder of The Walled Garden Philosophical Society and a musician and poet, to introduce The Senate. The Senate is a series of events that will only be available to members after March 2023. In these events, our community will come together to engage in thoughtful philosophical discussions with courage and vulnerability, working towards a consensus on some of the most complex issues of our time. See the full text here: artificial-enlightenment-the-age-of-freedom-and-abundance Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Walled Garden is a podcast and community of independent philosophers and seekers who are dedicated to the pursuit of truth, wisdom, virtue, and the divine. Led by Australian poet, philosopher, and musician Simon Drew, American philosopher, author, and speaker Sharon Lebell, and British philosopher and researcher Kai Whiting, The Walled Garden hosts regular live events and meetups with fascinating philosophers, theologians, artists, leaders, and seekers who can teach us all about how to live a flourishing existence. Visit The Walled Garden: thewalledgarden.com Join our free Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/5TAUzfdCe8 Get one-on-one mentoring with our philosophers: https://thewalledgarden.com/mentors Register for Upcoming Events: https://thewalledgarden.com/events Shop at The Walled Garden: https://thewalledgarden.store/ About Our Guest: Shane Trotter is the author of Setting the Bar: Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Era of Distraction, Dependency, and Entitlement. As a writer, educator, and High-School Strength and Conditioning Coordinator, he has been challenging youth development norms for over a decade. Shane believes that too much emphasis on comfort and a lost sense of community standards has left people feeling purposeless, disconnected, and trapped in self-limiting patterns. Shane has been featured by multiple coaching clinics and Spartan.com. His articles have been published by websites with millions of readers, such as Quillette, Areo, and Breaking Muscle, where he was an Expert Coach in Residence and helped start the Breaking Muscle podcast. His blog, Inspired Human Development, focuses on exploring the principles of human thriving. Subscribe to get his newsletter, Stuff They Never Told You, for free each week. About Simon Drew: Simon is a poem-writing, multi-instrument-playing, mountain-climbing philosopher. Known by Sharon as an “intrepid soul traveller,” he uses his art to explore deep questions about the nature of the divine and the path to personal Alignment. Simon is most widely known for his work on The Practical Stoic Podcast (now The Walled Garden). Simon’s book, The Poet & The Sage, was released in 2021. About Sharon Sebell: Sharon is one of the pioneers of the contemporary Stoicism movement, and the author behind the best-selling interpretation of Epictetus’ writings, “The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness.” As a musician and prominent writer, Sharon seeks to liberate the wisdom of the past in order to facilitate deeper meaning-making and personal flourishing. About Kai Whiting: Kai is one of the world’s foremost experts on traditional Stoicism, as well as being a lecturer and researcher in the field of sustainability. In his book, “Being Better: Stoicism for a World Worth Living In,” Kai and his co-author Leo Konstantakos encourage their readers to expand their circles of concern and to work for the common flourishing of humanity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About our guest: Paul O’Brien is an entrepreneurial strategist, philosopher, and raconteur who invented divination software and created the world’s largest astrology and divination eCommerce business, Tarot.com. He is a sought-after advisor, interview subject, and speaker, as well as author of The Visionary I Ching: A Book of Changes for the 21st Century, Intuitive Intelligence, and the Visionary I Ching app for smartphones (available on Indie Goes). His latest release is the Visionary I Chingcard deck (available by Beyond Words Publishing, free sample reading at:  http://visionaryichingcards.com/ ). Executive director of the Divination Foundation, for 30 years Paul has hosted Pathways radio in Portland, Oregon, an interview program focused on personal and cultural transformation (podcasts at Divination.com and iTunes). Paul's Website: https://www.tarot.com/bios/paul-obrien Soul Searching with Seneca: https://anchor.fm/simon-drew To sign up for this week's Soul Searching with Seneca Meetup, go to thewalledgarden.com/events/ The Walled Garden: thewalledgarden.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we discuss ideas for social media engagement and The Walled Garden. Wrestling with moral and practical issues with social media, we come to a consensus regarding our strategy, which we hope will allow us to communicate effectively with our global audience. To register for this week's meetup, featuring a conversation between Sharon Lebell and Simon Drew on his new book, The Poet & The Sage, CLICK HERE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we hear from Prof. Joe Siracusa regarding the current conflict in Israel and Palestine as well as the most pressing diplomatic and political challenges of 2023 to date.

Dr. Joseph Siracusa is an Chicago-born historian, professor and author with 40+ years in Australian higher education and over 50 books on history, diplomacy, politics, and nuclear weapons to his name. Joe currently teaches at Curtin University, and he serves as the President Emeritus of the Australia Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. By merit of the wisdom and understanding that Joe has cultivated over his life, we have called him to become the Honorary Professor of The Walled Garden Philosophical Society.

Contributing Philosopher Judith Stove gives a talk entitled "Losing Our Memories: Stoicism & The Suppression of Truth."

About this talk: New legislation in Australia seeks to levy large fines on media companies for sharing ‘misinformation and disinformation.’ But who decides, and what is the impact on the historical record? Our starting point is two Stoic-related texts from Seneca and Tacitus, concerning Roman Imperial suppression of texts and frank discussions. As Tacitus wrote in 98 CE: ‘Rome of old explored the utmost limits of freedom; we have plumbed the depths of slavery, robbed as we are by informers even of the right to exchange ideas in conversation. We should have lost our memories as well as our tongues had it been as easy to forget as to be silent.’

Read Judith's writings: https://thewalledgarden.com/rootsofthegarden/

Rocco Jarman is an Australian mystic, poet and philosopher. He's the author of Keeper of the Flame: A Message from Tomorrow, and Stepping Through: Following our own star through the door to Tomorrow. His podcast is called the Eyes Wide Open Life Podcast, and you can find Rocco at eyeswideopenlife.org and as a contributor on thewalledgarden.com.

To register for our upcoming event, Lighting Flames: A Vigil for Humanity, go to thewalledgarden.com/allevents/lighting-candles/

Sharon is one of the pioneers of the contemporary Stoicism movement, and the author behind the best-selling interpretation of Epictetus’ writings, “The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness.” As a musician and prominent writer, Sharon seeks to liberate the wisdom of the past in order to facilitate deeper meaning-making and personal flourishing.


In this episode, Sharon gives a talk titled "The Meaning of Your Life Will Never Be Convenient."

Sharon is one of the pioneers of the contemporary Stoicism movement, and the author behind the best-selling interpretation of Epictetus’ writings, “The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness.” As a musician and prominent writer, Sharon seeks to liberate the wisdom of the past in order to facilitate deeper meaning-making and personal flourishing.

In this episode, Sharon gives a talk titled "Drift & Return." This talk was a part of our online event, Lighting Candles: A Vigil for Humanity. The full event video is available to members of The Walled Garden Philosophical Society at https://thewalledgarden.com/lighting-candles-a-vigil-for-humanity/.

Rocco Jarman is a renowned poet, philosopher, and mystic, recognized for his commitment to personal and societal transformation. With a deep belief in the infinite potential of humans, Jarman has overcome his own struggles with brokenness, disconnection, and confusion, finding a profound sense of gratitude and belonging through his journey. His life's work revolves around a transformative formula that shifts individuals from a state of brokenness to wholeness, and from confusion to understanding.Jarman possesses exceptional insights into psychology, human behavior, and societal dysfunctions, blending science and mysticism to offer solutions to contemporary challenges. His unique perspective aims to demystify both science and mysticism, encouraging a focus on essence over unnecessary complexities.In addition to his philosophical endeavors, Jarman boasts a 25-year career in corporate transformation and leadership. His expertise spans organisational development, strategy, project management, and technology. He is dedicated to contributing his vast knowledge and experience to The Walled Garden and its community, driven by a profound sense of love and a commitment to being a force for good in a world he views as in need of healing and enlightenment.

In this episode, Rocco gives a talk titled "Lighting Candles." This talk was a part of our online event, Lighting Candles: A Vigil for Humanity. The full event video is available to members of The Walled Garden Philosophical Society at https://thewalledgarden.com/lighting-candles-a-vigil-for-humanity/.

Martha Alter Hines is a multifaceted professional with a rich background as a clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and body worker, boasting twenty years of experience. In addition to her roles as a mother, astrologer, channel, and healer, Hines has made significant contributions to the field of social work, particularly in her capacity as a supervisor of social workers. Her career took a pivotal turn in 2018 following a profound spiritual awakening that redirected her path away from traditional social work towards embracing her roles as a channel and healer. Guided by this spiritual call, Hines now utilizes astrology, channeling, and various spirit-guided healing modalities to facilitate deep, transformative experiences for individuals, helping them to reconnect with their true essence across all dimensions of existence.
Hines is dedicated to creating grounded, safe spaces that enable beings to rediscover their identities on a soul level, drawing upon her extensive experience in psychotherapy and bodywork. She believes firmly in the urgency communicated by the spirit world for individuals to remember their true selves, encompassing their connections to the Earth, spirit, soul, body, heart, mind, cosmos, and the divine. In her current practice, Hines integrates her professional background with the wisdom of the spirit world and the inherent knowledge within every being as part of the infinite divine. Her approach transcends traditional therapy, rooted in robust trauma-informed skills, to offer a holistic path to healing and self-discovery.

In this episode, Martha gives a talk and offers a meditation as a part of our online event, Lighting Candles: A Vigil for Humanity. The full event video is available to members of The Walled Garden Philosophical Society at https://thewalledgarden.com/lighting-candles-a-vigil-for-humanity/.

Brittany Polat is a writer, researcher, and presenter on practical Stoicism. Her books help people from all walks of life find inner peace and long-lasting happiness through tried-and-true Stoic techniques. Brittany holds a Ph.D. in applied linguistics, but she currently studies human nature through the lens of Stoic psychology and philosophy. She is a steering committee member of Modern Stoicism, a board member of The Stoic Fellowship, and co-founder of the new nonprofit Stoicare (www.stoicare.com). Brittany strongly believes in the power of Stoicism to help us flourish as individuals and as a society.







Join us on March 23rd for a collaborative conference by The Walled Garden Philosophical Society and Stoicare: Lighting The Way: Philosophical Role Models of the Past & Present

Shane Trotter is the author of Setting the Bar: Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Era of Distraction, Dependency, and Entitlement. As a writer, educator, and High-School Strength and Conditioning Coordinator, he has been challenging youth development norms for over a decade. Shane believes that too much emphasis on comfort and a lost sense of community standards has left people feeling purposeless, disconnected, and trapped in self-limiting patterns. Shane has been featured by multiple coaching clinics and Spartan.com. His articles have been published by websites with millions of readers, such as Quillette, Areo, and Breaking Muscle, where he was an Expert Coach in Residence and helped start the Breaking Muscle podcast. His blog, Inspired Human Development, focuses on exploring the principles of human thriving. Subscribe to get his newsletter, Stuff They Never Told You, for free each week.

William O. Stephens, Ph.D., retired Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Creighton University with interests in ancient philosophy, ethics, and Stoicism, has contributed significantly to the field through interviews, podcasts, and translations, including a revised edition of "The Ethics of the Stoic Epictetus."

Scott Aikin is a Professor of phiolosophy at Vanderbilt University. His research encompasses the theory of knowledge, ancient philosophy, informal logic, and philosophy of religion, focusing on the justification of beliefs, conceptions of knowing in ancient philosophy, epistemic appraisal of arguments, and conditions for knowledge of God, seamlessly integrating his research interests with his teaching in formal logic, ancient philosophy, and epistemology.

Matthew Sharpe, an accomplished author and Associate Professor, has a rich background in philosophy with over two decades of teaching and supervision, contributing significant works and numerous articles across a broad spectrum of philosophical disciplines, including the history of ideas and Stoic thought, and is actively involved in the modern Stoic community and Stoicon events.

































Matthew Sharpe, an accomplished author and Professor at the Australian Catholic University, has a rich background in philosophy with over two decades of teaching and supervision, contributing significant works and numerous articles across a broad spectrum of philosophical disciplines, including the history of ideas and Stoic thought, and is actively involved in the modern Stoic community and Stoicon events.

Rocco Jarman is a philosopher-poet, embracing the essence of humanity’s narrative while guiding others through the journey of self-discovery and collective evolution. As a bridge between past and future, he explores the depths of intentional existence, weaving through symbolism, mythos, and psychology to illuminate the path forward. His roles span from teacher to advocate, from dreamer to leader, each facet reflecting a commitment to unlocking the potential of tomorrow through the power of personal and shared myth.

Eyes Wide Open Life: https://eyeswideopenlife.org/

7-DAY SOUL REBOOT: https://thewalledgarden.com/7daysoulreboot/

SOUL SPEAKING EVENT: https://thewalledgarden.com/allevents/soul-speaking-the-craft-calling-of-the-bard/

THE SILVER BRANCH: https://thewalledgarden.com/thesilverbranch/

THE HEARTH & THE WELL: https://www.amazon.com/Hearth-Well-Tending-Sacred-Return/dp/B0D1K8KLRG 

Rocco Jarman is a philosopher-poet, embracing the essence of humanity’s narrative while guiding others through the journey of self-discovery and collective evolution. As a bridge between past and future, he explores the depths of intentional existence, weaving through symbolism, mythos, and psychology to illuminate the path forward. His roles span from teacher to advocate, from dreamer to leader, each facet reflecting a commitment to unlocking the potential of tomorrow through the power of personal and shared myth.

Eyes Wide Open Life: https://eyeswideopenlife.org/

7-DAY SOUL REBOOT: https://thewalledgarden.com/7daysoulreboot/

SOUL SPEAKING EVENT: https://thewalledgarden.com/allevents/soul-speaking-the-craft-calling-of-the-bard/

THE SILVER BRANCH: https://thewalledgarden.com/thesilverbranch/

THE HEARTH & THE WELL: https://www.amazon.com/Hearth-Well-Tending-Sacred-Return/dp/B0D1K8KLRG 

Dr. Megan McElheran is a Clinical Psychologist and Chief Executive Officer of Wayfound. Dr. McElheran completed graduate training at the PAU-Stanford University Clinical Psychology Consortium, during which she obtained specialized training in the treatment of PTSD through the National Center for PTSD in Menlo Park, CA. Dr. McElheran has been in practice in Calgary since 2008. She continues to focus on work with first responders, and her clinical practice involves work with active-duty members of the Canadian Forces, members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, members of the Calgary Fire Department, medical personnel, and others who are directly or vicariously impacted by traumatic events. She routinely engages in teaching and supervisory activity to ensure the sound dissemination of empirically grounded interventions for trauma. Dr. McElheran completed a TEDx speech in 2011 related to Trauma, Change, and continues to regularly engage in speaking events, both locally and internationally.




Wayfound: https://www.wayfound.ca/

7-DAY SOUL REBOOT: https://thewalledgarden.com/7daysoulreboot/

SOUL SPEAKING EVENT: https://thewalledgarden.com/allevents/soul-speaking-the-craft-calling-of-the-bard-663/

THE SILVER BRANCH: https://thewalledgarden.com/thesilverbranch/

Rocco Jarman is a philosopher-poet, embracing the essence of humanity’s narrative while guiding others through the journey of self-discovery and collective evolution. As a bridge between past and future, he explores the depths of intentional existence, weaving through symbolism, mythos, and psychology to illuminate the path forward. His roles span from teacher to advocate, from dreamer to leader, each facet reflecting a commitment to unlocking the potential of tomorrow through the power of personal and shared myth.

Eyes Wide Open Life: https://eyeswideopenlife.org/

7-DAY SOUL REBOOT: https://thewalledgarden.com/7daysoulreboot/

SOUL SPEAKING EVENT: https://thewalledgarden.com/allevents/soul-speaking-the-craft-calling-of-the-bard/

THE SILVER BRANCH: https://thewalledgarden.com/thesilverbranch/

THE HEARTH & THE WELL: https://www.amazon.com/Hearth-Well-Tending-Sacred-Return/dp/B0D1K8KLRG 

Robin Waterfield is a British classical scholar, translator, editor, and writer of children's fiction. He was born in 1952, and studied Classics at Manchester University, where he achieved a first class degree in 1974. He went on to research ancient Greek philosophy at King's College, Cambridge until 1978, after which he became a lecturer at Newcastle University and then St Andrews University. He later became a copy-editor and later a commissioning editor for Penguin Books. He is now a self-employed writer, living in southern Greece.

Some of his notable works include:

• Plato of Athens: A Life in Philosophy
• Prophet: The Life and Times of Kahlil Gibran
• The Greek Myths: Stories of the Greek Gods and Heroes Vividly Retold
• Why Socrates Died: Dispelling the Myths
• Epictetus The Complete Works: Handbook, Discourses, and Fragments

TWG Seasonal Offerings

7-DAY SOUL REBOOT: https://thewalledgarden.com/7daysoulreboot/

SOUL SPEAKING EVENT: https://thewalledgarden.com/allevents/soul-speaking-the-craft-calling-of-the-bard/

THE SILVER BRANCH: https://thewalledgarden.com/thesilverbranch/

THE HEARTH & THE WELL: https://www.amazon.com/Hearth-Well-Tending-Sacred-Return/dp/B0D1K8KLRG 

ABOUT MARK VERNON: Dr. Mark Vernon is a psychotherapist and writer, with an interest in ancient philosophy, and a focus on the skills and insights that illuminate our inner lives. His books cover subjects from friendship and belief, to wellbeing and love. His most recent books are Dante’s Divine Comedy: A Guide for the Spiritual Journey and A Secret History of Christianity, which is based upon the ideas of the Oxford Inkling, Owen Barfield. As a psychodynamic psychotherapist, he has a private practice in London, working with individuals who have a variety of concerns, as well as having worked at the Maudsley Hospital in south London in a personality disorder service. He contributes to and has presented a number of programmes on the radio, and writes as a journalist, with his work being published by the BBC, Aeon, Church Times, and elsewhere. He teaches at The Idler Academy and also leads workshops and gives talks.

Website: https://www.markvernon.com/

Register for Soul Speaking: Imagination & Wisdom: https://thewalledgarden.com/allevents/soul-speaking-june-2024/

7-Day Soul Reboot: https://thewalledgarden.com/7daysoulreboot/

Prof. Massimo Pigliucci holds PhDs in Evolutionary Biology and Philosophy and is the K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at City College of New York. His research covers the philosophy of science, pseudoscience, Stoicism, and New Skepticism.He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for his work on genotype-environment interactions and defense of evolutionary biology.Prof. Pigliucci has published in major outlets like the New York Times and the Washington Post, and he writes on Medium. He has authored or edited 16 books, including the bestseller "How to Be A Stoic."

Website: https://howtobeastoic.wordpress.com/

Soul Speaking: https://thewalledgarden.com/allevents/soul-speaking-june-2024-418-391/

Rocco Jarman is a philosopher-poet, embracing the essence of humanity’s narrative while guiding others through the journey of self-discovery and collective evolution. As a bridge between past and future, he explores the depths of intentional existence, weaving through symbolism, mythos, and psychology to illuminate the path forward. His roles span from teacher to advocate, from dreamer to leader, each facet reflecting a commitment to unlocking the potential of tomorrow through the power of personal and shared myth.

Eyes Wide Open Life: https://eyeswideopenlife.org/

7-DAY SOUL REBOOT: https://thewalledgarden.com/7daysoulreboot/

THE SILVER BRANCH: https://thewalledgarden.com/thesilverbranch/

THE HEARTH & THE WELL: https://www.amazon.com/Hearth-Well-Tending-Sacred-Return/dp/B0D1K8KLRG 

David Alexander is an American psychotherapist and philosopher. On his podcast, Between Two Ravens, David explores the heights and depths of Norse mythology. David is interested particularly in Jungian psychology, classical Stoicism, and mythology, and he now brings these interests to The Walled Garden Philosophical Society as an official contributor in our community.

In this episode, we discuss the apocalyptic narative in Norse Mythology and discuss it's paralells and meanings for our lives and cultures. 

Between Two Ravens Podcast: https://tworavenpodcast.wordpress.com/

Rocco Jarman is a philosopher-poet, embracing the essence of humanity’s narrative while guiding others through the journey of self-discovery and collective evolution. As a bridge between past and future, he explores the depths of intentional existence, weaving through symbolism, mythos, and psychology to illuminate the path forward. His roles span from teacher to advocate, from dreamer to leader, each facet reflecting a commitment to unlocking the potential of tomorrow through the power of personal and shared myth.

Eyes Wide Open Life: https://eyeswideopenlife.org/

7-DAY SOUL REBOOT: https://thewalledgarden.com/7daysoulreboot/

THE SILVER BRANCH: https://thewalledgarden.com/thesilverbranch/

MENTORSHIP WITH ROCCO: https://thewalledgarden.com/teacher/rocco-jarman/

David is co-host of Between Two Raven’s Podcast. He is a psychotherapist practicing in Albuquerque, NM. He writes and podcasts about the importance of understanding archetypes and mythology in the journey to make meaning of life, practice wisdom, and develop a personal philosophy of life.


David runs events in The Walled Garden through his grove, The Ravens Nest; a place to gather to discuss Wisdom Poetry, Norse Mythology, and Archetypes. David will explore Old Norse poems with other Walled Garden Contributors and members are invited to attend to discuss and explore how Wisdom and Meaning can be found through exploring mythological poetry. Hugin and Munin were the names of Odin’s two ravens, their names mean Thought and Memory or Soul. In the Raven’s Nest, we will explore the psychological significance of metaphors and archetypes found in the Old Norse myths.

Register today for David's next event: https://thewalledgarden.com/events/ 

This is the first episode of the revamped Practical Stoic Podcast, now The Walled Garden Podcast. In this episode, Simon Drew, Sharon Lebell, Kai Whiting, and Jacob Bush discuss their new collaboration - thewalledgarden.com. They discuss the vision and mission of The Walled Garden, as well as the symbolism behind the name. ----more---- Discount for all listeners of the Practical Stoic Podcast: PRACTICALSTOIC Use this discount code to get over 20% off your Caretaker membership on thewalledgarden.com. Plus, you won't pay anything for the first month. Go here to join: thewalledgarden.com/membership-levels/ ----more---- About Sharon Lebell: Sharon Lebell has been an inspiring writer and speaker about philosophy, spirituality, and religion for thirty years. She is best known as the author of the international bestseller The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness, a contemporary interpretation of the Stoic teachings of Epictetus. Her primary focus is how to live a life of virtue and meaning. Central to her message is how we can use our lives to improve the lives of others and the necessity of beauty and engagement with art, music, and design as keystones of a well-lived life. About Kai Whiting: Kai Whiting is a Stoicism and sustainability researcher and lecturer based at UCLouvain in Belgium. He is the co-author of Being Better Stoicism for a World Worth Living in, which tells the personal stories of Zeno, Cleanthes, Epictetus, Musonious Rufus, and ancient Sparta so that we can solve some of the key challenges of the 21 st century. When Kai is not thinking and writing about Stoicism, he likes to build Lego, work out, and read books in Spanish and Portuguese. About Simon Drew: Simon Drew is a poet, musician, photographer, and philosophical mentor. He has a Bachelor of Music Performance from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and is currently studying for a Master of Divinity at Trinity College. He is most well known for his work with the Practical Stoic Podcast, which has since evolved into the Walled Garden. Simon's poetry and writings often play in the realms of mysticism, prophecy, and wisdom, bringing the deepest insights of his consciousness to light in search of answers to life's most fundamental questions. His first book, The Poet & The Sage, is set to be released in late 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices