Shows
Pursuing the MuseMark GuarinoWelcome to Pursuing the Muse. This go round we have Mark Guarino, a veteran journalist for the Washington Post and ABC News, and author of the award-winning music history book, Country and Midwestern. We discuss how Chicago’s role in country and folk history is like an independent research lab. While Nashville became the high-profile factory producing the finished "products" for the mass market, Chicago was the experimental space where the formulas were first discovered, tested, and pushed into weird, new directions away from corporate oversight. Mark's extensive stories reveal a rich century of Chicago's music evolution. ...
2025-12-231h 05
Love is the power podcast273. "Do better!"In the world of the thought, “They could have done better,” we are not left with much compassion or ability to show up the way we’d (probably) like to in any given situation. That’s one of things participants noticed in this week’s inquiry facilitated by Tom, beginning with noticing someone who brings up a sense of unlovingness within. It doesn’t matter if we’re believing that the person in question who could have done better is someone else, a whole group of people, or ourselves. The result is the same. Stress. This week’s episode ends with an inv...
2025-12-161h 09
Pursuing the MuseBrian DunneWelcome to Pursuing the Muse. This week we’re diving into the wonderful new album, Clams Casino, with the artist who created it, Brian Dunne.Brian is a singer-songwriter based in New York. He’s known for combining rock and roll with raw, literate self-examination, and he is also a member of the supergroup Fantastic Cat.Stick around as Brian discusses the core conflict of his working-class characters having to choose whether to "sell out or move out", how he produced the album at home, sometimes keeping the "lower quality audio" from original demos to pres...
2025-12-1652 min
Pursuing the MuseGabe LeeToday on Pursuing the Muse, we are in conversation with Nashville native, Gabe Lee!Gabe is an award-winning songwriter, recently named Saving Country Music’s 2023 Album of the Year winner for Drink The River. Known for crafting songs that blend country, folk, and rock, Lee is celebrated as a versatile performer and profound storyteller.Stay tuned to hear Gabe reveal the working title of his next album. He details the unique experience of recording it in a haunted mansion in West Virginia. And he explains why heartbreak is an incredible motivator for any songwriter. So wi...
2025-12-021h 10
Pursuing the MuseThe YayhoosWelcome back to Pursuing the Muse. I’m Tom Compton, and today we’re talking the recent vinyl release of the Yayhoos two albums with half the members of the band: Terry Anderson and Eric Ambel. The Yayhoos are a roots-rock supergroup, featuring former Georgia Satellites frontman Dan Baird, Eric Ambel of The Del-Lords, Terry Anderson of the Olympic Ass Kickin Team and bassist extradoinaire Keith Christopher. They are known for their loud, unapologetically ragged rock sound. Coming up you'll hear the chaotic story of recording their debut album, Fear Not the Obvious, live to eight-track in a Nor...
2025-11-181h 13Love is the power podcast268. The $84,000 bathroomThis week, as Tom puts it, the trigger for self-realization could be a bathroom! In a playfully profound inquiry on money, the group questions the thought, “There is a right and wrong amount of money to have, and a right and wrong way to spend it.” One person’s share acts as a through-thread in the inquiry, pondering whether or not it’s wrong to want and pay for a bathroom renovation. It sure feels wrong when this is the thought running our financial lives. But, as Tom will often ask, is the feeling proof? Is the sense of wrongnes...
2025-11-111h 23
Pursuing the MuseBuick AudraWelcome back to Pursuing the Muse! I’m Tom Compton, and we are kicking off season four strong with a special guest, welcoming Grammy Award-winning musician, songwriter, and producer Buick Audra. She's a Nashville resident, her fourth solo record, ADULT CHILD, is a strikingly personal concept album released in June 2025. She is also the guitarist and primary songwriter in the melodic heavy duo, Friendship Commanders, who just released their album BEAR this fall.Buick dives deep into the strikingly personal Adult Child album, telling us the profound meaning behind the refrain, "Can I slow it dow...
2025-11-111h 07Love is the power podcast257. I need to be valuedThis week’s episode explores the thought, “I need to be valued.” This thought can become so insidious with its underlying beliefs – for example, believing our support, our existence depends on being liked by others. There can be a laundry list of things we think we need to be valued for: our time, our presence, our various roles, and most often just … ourselves. But what happens when we believe this? What becomes of our sense of freedom? As Tom often puts it, does it give us a big, fat ‘Yes!’ to life? Or does this thought become a prison shackle that w...
2025-08-261h 27
Pursuing the MuseDK HarrellThis week, Pursuing the Muse declares "The thrill is not gone" because we're thrilled to feature blues phenom D.K. Harrell.At just 27, this Award-winning guitarist and vocalist is recognized as a leading light of the younger generation of blues artists. His new Alligator Records debut album, Talkin' Heavy, showcases his powerful original songs and unique sound, cementing his place among leading voices in blues.In our conversation, D.K. reveals how B.B. King literally taught him to talk when he was two years old, his commitment to writing modern, original blues lyrics that...
2025-08-191h 06Love is the power podcast255. Holding onto wantingIn this week’s short but sweet episode, we look at wanting attention and the high that seems to come when we get it. Tom points out that the high is really just a moment of experiencing what it’s like to let go of the need for attention. Could it be that what we’re really seeking is the experience of letting go? Often Tom will ask, in response to different desires (“I want people to love/like me, I want to matter, I want security…”), what do you want that for? Usually the answer is some variant of peace, re...
2025-08-0520 minPursuing the MuseDustin LowmanGet ready for a deep dive into the mind of Dustin Lowman! In the latest episode of Pursuing the Muse, Tom Compton sits down with singer-songwriter Dustin Lowman to discuss his captivating album, "Invulnerable,".Dustin Lowman is a singer-songwriter residing in the greater New York City area, drawing inspiration from masters like Bob Dylan. He released his album "Invulnerable" in late 2024, following EPs such as "Carnivalesque" and "Folk Songs". Lowman views songwriting as an inner sanctum where he converts the chaos from life into something constructiveIn the interview, Dustin shares the fascinating concept behind...
2025-07-1551 minLove is the power podcast252. I need my fearWho’s ready to question a collection of some of our favourite fears? In this episode, Tom brings up the thought, “There are certain experiences I need to be afraid of.” What follows is a popcorn inquiry of a mish-mash of terrifying situations, including: being burned alive, drowning, being judged, being rejected, losing support, hurting other people, and many more. Choose your own adventure: Fear Edition. What the belief in fear boils down to, we notice, is just not wanting to suffer. But as Tom points out, would you consider being constantly terrified of an endless list of possibilities suffer...
2025-07-081h 26Pursuing the MuseTim FitzgeraldPursuing the Muse is back. This episode, we're featuring jazz guitar virtuoso Tim Fitzgerald. Tim and Tom go way back, so Tom can vouch for the fact that Tim's journey is incredible. He transitioned from studying physics to music mastery, learning the rules and how to break them from Barry Harris and Rodney Jones. Tim's now a scholar of Wes Montgomery and has released the acclaimed 'Full House' album, which reimagines Wes's iconic solos. Stay tuned for an inspiring conversation.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Find out more about Tim Fitzgerald:https://www.timfitzgeraldmusic...
2025-07-081h 23Pursuing the MuseMike DelevanteIn this episode we're fortunate to have Nashville musician Mike Delevante join us. His new album, September Days, is in contention for record of the year. It boasts a timeless quality with jangly 12 string electric guitars and it offers a deeply personal feel. Notably, this marks Mike's first album of entirely self-written songs. It's a significant solo debut after years of making music with his older brother in the Delevantes. Get ready to delve into the creative journey behind Mike's remarkable new record, September Days.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Find out more about Mike:
2025-07-011h 32
Pursuing the MuseEric AmbelIn this episode, host Tom Compton talks with Eric Ambel, who truly embodies the word versatile in his work as a musician, producer, and even venue owner at one point. Eric says his many musical roles enhance each other. With a career spanning decades, Eric Ambel was a founding member of iconic bands like Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, The Del Lords and the Yayhoos. 25 years ago, Eric co-founded Cowboy Technical Services, a recording studio which has flourished, finding him to be highly sought after for his production skills. In this episode, we delve into his deep insights as...
2025-06-241h 17
Pursuing the MuseJon MuqPursuing the Muse is back for season 3! In this episode, host Tom Compton sits down with singer-songwriter Jon Muq, whose debut album, Flying Away, was widely acclaimed. On Jon's journey from Uganda to Texas, Jon learned to craft vital, joyful songs that are very much needed in our world today. The discussion explores his new single "Hear My Voice" and the creation of his album, produced by Dan Auerbach. Jon shares profound insights into his optimistic worldview and unique approach to challenges, which fuels the celebration present in his music. He also talks about plans for a second album...
2025-06-1751 minLove is the power podcast239. Experiencing being beautifulIn this inquiry on the thought, “who/what I am is not beautiful,” Tom says that when we discover our beauty it changes our relationship with everything. What’s it like in the world of seeing ourselves as unbeautiful creatures? How do we show up? How do we treat ourselves? These are the questions that arise in this beautiful inquiry, along with their profound answers. Could it be time to allow ourselves to consciously experience being beautiful?
2025-03-2558 minLove is the power podcast237. The religion of right and wrongTom likes to say there’s two main religions on this planet: “There’s right and wrong,” and “If you get it wrong it’s serious.” This week’s episode focuses on the first of those commonly held beliefs and – through The Work – questions it. When we enter question 3 and look at how we react, what happens when we believe the thought, we’re done looking at whether it’s true or not. We are purely experiencing the effect of believing that it is true. So even if this thought has been drilled into you by parents/school/society/what have you, you have...
2025-03-041h 26Love is the power podcast236. Do I really want to wake up?If you’ve been on a spiritual path or a journey of personal freedom of some kind, you might have come across the question of separation. Are we separate? From each other? From anything? From all that is? You might have also experienced the fear of “waking up” and having all individuality, all sense of self dissolve. What we noticed in this inquiry was that type of fear being one reason we hold onto believing in ourselves as separate from the rest of life. But maybe it isn’t like that. As Tom often asks: Are you? Meaning are you awar...
2025-02-251h 32Love is the power podcast235. You have to earn your keepHave you ever believed the thought, “I have to earn my keep”? This week Tom guides a beautiful and bountiful inquiry into that thought, and all the ways we use it to keep ourselves from the natural abundance and beauty of life. It was so easy to begin believing as children that we are not worthy of all good things. But what kind of life do we create when we take that concept for truth? Could it be that life sees us differently? As Tom points out: the sun is free, the trees are free, the air is free… nature...
2025-02-181h 19Love is the power podcast234. Self inquiry as social activismThere’s a lot going on in the world. Again. For many of us, the political landscape is where we get our work. Watching things that feel very far out of our control happen in ways we think they shouldn’t is infuriating. Take political “leaders” contributions to climate change or as an example. It can be incredibly difficult and terrifying to watch, as is bravely brought up in this week’s episode. One amongst many deep insights Tom shares in this time is that we reap what we sow, and if there’s fear behind a tree-planting project (e.g.) then w...
2025-02-1131 minLove is the power podcast233. The efforter and the comfort bubbleThis week we’re looking at the tendency to identify with “The Efforter” as it relates to practical daily life. Unsurprisingly, identifying as The One Who Has To Make It All Happen can be a not-so-fun experience when we’re being pushed from our comfort zone by life’s twists and turns, especially when they’re to do with a job/work situation that affects our day-to-day experience. Tom walks us through an insightful share-turned-group-inquiry in this episode that leads to some powerful awareness and freedom when we’re willing to see the truth.
2025-02-0450 minLove is the power podcast230. Trusting myself and lifeThis week’s episode is on trusting. Whether it’s distrust in ourselves or in life, how do we react when we believe either one can’t be trusted? Could it be that one belief is not so different from the other? As Tom puts it, at some point we got convinced that we can’t trust ourselves and that we need threats of negative consequences in order to live intelligently. Is that true? Follow along with your own experience or simply listen and soak in the fresh-air feeling of inquiry.
2025-01-1447 minLove is the power podcast228. More 'me' timeThis week we’re looking at the concept of “me time.” The coveted, elusive space that exists just for us, without obligations, roles, and responsibilities weighing us down. But could it be that “me time” is actually just a thought? A thought that, when we believe it, gives us a strong sense of being misused, undervalued, underappreciated and overworked? As Tom points out, it’s a world of poverty we live in when we believe we have to carve out and protect our personal time. What if it’s all my time? Would that make it easier to give an honest “Yes...
2024-12-171h 11Love is the power podcast226. A wonderful lifeThis week Tom posed the question, “Can you absolutely know it’s true that you are undeserving of a happy, wonderful life?” In the ensuing meditation, he also points out the possibility that our current individual lives and their events (whether we happen to be enjoying them or not) are exactly within our comfort zone, which is dictated by our sense of worthiness. It’s when the vast majority of people believed the Earth is flat. It didn’t make it true, but it did make the entire world feel limited and scary. It did make those who believed it live as...
2024-12-0357 minLove is the power podcast225. That's out-of-control!Love Is The Power listeners, join us this week for a powerful inquiry of a fearful mind. Tom guides a brave, beautiful share through The Work on the thought, “I can’t trust life with the outcome of this situation.” If you can relate to ever feeling afraid (of loss of time, money, agency, freedom, or anything else), this week’s episode is for you!
2024-11-2647 minLove is the power podcast219. Working on 'wrong'This week’s episode is a continuation of the conversation that started last week about needing other people to show up differently. As Tom points out, when we make something wrong, we automatically go to work on it, whatever it is. When other people show up a certain way that we declare “wrong,” we work on it by arguing with them (even internally). But we also declare things we notice about ourselves wrong. And we work on them too. We even declare our thinking that someone else has wronged us… um, wrong. Could it be that life is not actually...
2024-10-1545 minLove is the power podcast218. I need them to be differentIs there someone in your life you notice unlovingness towards? This week’s episode is an open-minded conversation and mediation on the experience of withholding love from the people we feel need to be different for the sake of our happiness. What’s it like being dependent on what someone else does or doesn’t do? As Tom puts it, everyone on the planet is fighting a righteous war. Everyone is on the side of right, as in all actions feel justified to the doer in some way. Could this be true? If it is, might the intelligent response be an...
2024-10-0847 minLove is the power podcast214. What a wasteIn this week’s episode, we revisit a group inquiry into the thought, “I can waste…[fill in the blank].” It’s a popular belief held by most of us in one way or another. We believe we can waste time, energy, money, food, resources and a litany of other things, but as Tom puts it: what if the nature of the Universe is limitless? Meaning “wasting” could be a non-issue. Sound like a fantasy? Let’s find out.
2024-09-101h 32Love is the power podcast213. I get to ask me?This week Tom leads a simple yet powerful exploration: What are some of the stressful stories you tell about yourself? “I’m not good enough.” “I don’t fit in.” “I’m just an anxious person.” “I’m too much, too intense.” And why not open it up to life? “Life is too difficult.” “Life is out to get me.” “Life is short (and therefore I can get it wrong).” How can we believe these stories without experiencing ourselves as limited and defective, and life as cruel and punishing? As Tom puts it, “Notice how perfectly you live whatever you’re believing.” What kind of world...
2024-08-2052 minLove is the power podcast211. Life is a competitionIn an exploration of what Tom calls “feeling the burn” – the sensation of embarrassment at a memory that disrupts our self-importance – what comes up is a beautiful inquiry into the treasured story “I am a loser.” While there is so much pain and self-condemnation in believing that, there is also a significant payout of never having to compete. Join in from wherever you are on the popcorn-style inquiry that ensues as we free ourselves of the notion that life is a competition.
2024-08-061h 01Love is the power podcast208. The Myth of DeathIn the world of gaining and losing, one of the main things we hold tightly to is the health of the physical body. We believe it’s something we can lose if we have it, or something we can strive for if we don’t. Either way, this belief creates an intense experience of fear and not-okayness. One of the sub-questions in The Work is “What physical sensations arise when you believe that thought?” In this week’s exploration of what Tom calls “The Myth of Death,” we’re exploring the possibility that health might have nothing to do with the physica...
2024-07-1639 minLove is the power podcast207. The world of oppositesCome with us into an exploration of the world of opposites. Tom guides an inquiry on what it’s like believing in the dualities that present themselves as real guiding stars (unacceptable-acceptable, success-failure, fair-unfair, competent-incompetent). These concepts hold hands and skip together through our experience, often without our realizing they are concepts. This week, we’re having a good look at various opposites and seeing who we might be without them.
2024-07-091h 30Love is the power podcast204. The End of Permission SlipsLast week we explored the illusory past and experimented with being free of identifying with it. In this part II, we’re questioning the fear response that, according to Tom, often shows up when we get close to the truth of who we are. In this episode, fear comes up around needing permission to live the way we’d like to live. Could it be that, in reality, we don’t need anyone’s permission? We notice that with this thought we experience varying shades of misery, limitation and resentment. We notice without it there’s openness and peace. Tom asks...
2024-06-2543 minLove is the power podcast202. Dutifully disturbedThis week we’re exploring the desire for, and the fear of, allowing what is. On the one hand, we want to be peaceful, open human beings. On the other, we are afraid of what will happen if we truly relax and let go of the need to be disturbed as a path to creating change. We hold onto our unhappiness to prove our goodness. Many of us learned to hold the suspicion that we are secretly uncaring, insensitive beings, and we resist allowing ourselves to relax and be at peace out of fear that we’ll find out for...
2024-06-1157 minLove is the power podcast190. If you don’t suffer, it doesn’t countOn the path of self-discovery, there are a lot of stories we hear that glorify suffering. It’s as if the things that come easy can't be trusted. But do you know for sure that suffering is a requirement for self-realization? That it can’t come from love, enthusiasm and interest in the truth -- it has to come from suffering. When something comes naturally, is it true that it ‘doesn’t really count?’ Or could it be that the only thing that’s missing is our allowing it to be. This week Tom invites us to let our lives work o...
2024-03-121h 29
Pursuing the MuseAndrew BryantWelcome to season one of Pursuing the Muse a podcast about songwriting. I'll be talking to musicians about what they do and how they do it with the craft of making songs.
Today, from just outside the Mississippi delta, I'm happy to bring you an interview with Andrew Bryant. He is a founding member of the Water Liars, as well as, an accomplished solo artist. His latest offering, "Prodigal," is a homecoming of sorts, a return to the roots that nourished his music. He explores the faith of where he grew up, the friends that have come and gone, along...
2024-01-3048 minLove is the power podcast179. I need to control myselfWe have the mistaken understanding that if we give ourselves the freedom to be as we are — especially when we’re feeling or desiring something ‘negative’ — that we will have to act out on it. But is that actually how it works? Giving ourselves full permission to be is like giving ourselves unlimited space and allowance to be, which Tom proposes are two qualities of love. Could it be that who we are responds to love and that all of the good things we want for ourselves, others, and the world have a much better chance of emerging from freedom ra...
2023-11-141h 41Love is the power podcast174. I am not goodIf you are a regular listener of this podcast then it’s likely you are open to the possibility that who-and-what-you-are is good. It’s also quite possible that after a glimmer of this truth, the insight has become a wish or a hope rather than an embodied knowing. This is what Byron Katie refers to as, “Living beyond our evolution.” It happens when we mentally relate to a truth but haven’t actually realized it for ourselves yet. This week Tom highlights one of the most insidious beliefs that can manifest in this way: thinking that we are good and l...
2023-10-1039 minLove is the power podcast172. I'm a human - is that true?This week’s meditation is an inquiry into being human. What is our actual experience when it comes to being alive and knowing that we’re here? Tom guides us into a powerful examination of the most common assumptions related to the underlying belief in separation and body dependence. Through exploring the nature of images, thoughts, sensations, and feelings as they relate to our direct experience, this guided meditation gets us in touch with the ever-present, effortless, limitless awareness that rests beyond it all.
2023-09-261h 41Love is the power podcast163. How to have a big-fat-yes to lifeWhat do we do when there’s something our conscious mind wants to experience and it’s not happening in our world? It’s easy to turn inward and feel guilt and shame about it or to turn outward and resent the circumstances of our Life. Yet, neither strategy seems to help us obtain the thing it is that we’d like to experience. This week Tom guides a participant through a new set of options. Follow along for a beautiful example of how the power of unconditional welcoming and open-hearted inquiry can transform our cringes and resistances to what we...
2023-07-2526 minLove is the power podcast161. You need to be right about anythingNeeding to be “right” can feel like a life or death event. Yet the truth is, we’d need to see the way every moment of eternity was going to play out in order to know for sure that something was truly “right” or “wrong.” Right? What does it do to our world when we believe we need to attain something we can’t ever know in the ultimate sense? Turns out there’s a lot of stressful impacts tied up in this one. Follow along for an episode that is jam-packed with powerful shares from the group and playful articulati...
2023-07-111h 19Love is the power podcast160. You need to be afraid of doing it wrongTom likes to say, the greatest religion on the planet is the story that you can do it wrong and it’s serious. Can you relate? Have you noticed how often you give off and receive this message - both explicitly and implicitly? As one group participant framed it, this belief seems to serve as a navigation system for moving through the world. Which is why it is so powerful to examine what we actually get when we believe this story. Do we really need to fear doing it wrong to live well in this world? Who are you wi...
2023-07-041h 12Love is the power podcast150. The part that wants to sufferThis week Tom invites us to consider the habit of imaging the past and future as a way to hurt ourselves. Could it be there is a part of you that wants to suffer? What happens when you welcome that part and all of the thoughts and sensations that go along with it? Often we hold on to suffering in order to prove a story, such as: I’m right, I was wronged, I’m not safe, or I’m missing something vital. Ultimately, it is an innocent attempt to protect the hurt ones inside. When we bring our curios...
2023-04-251h 31Love is the power podcast145. Doing it wrongIt’s amazing how many stories put us into prevention-mode rather than ‘yes-to-life’ mode. We can get more oriented towards making sure ‘bad’ things don’t happen to us than actually showing up to enjoy our lives. Even when we start to see clearly that believed stories are the true source of our suffering; it can still feel completely radical to consider living without them. This week’s episode brings inquiry to what Tom likes to call ‘the favorite religion on the planet’: you can do it wrong and you can be punished. Join us, as we question this highly cherished s...
2023-03-211h 26Love is the power podcast142. I need to have something to offerThrough inquiry we notice that there is a striking difference between what we hold on to a thought ‘for’ and what the thought actually ‘gives’ us. Once we see this discrepancy, we can decide what we’re actually interested in experiencing and drop the stories that aren’t supporting us with that interest. Sometimes simply seeing how we show up to life when we’re believing a thought can be all it takes to be done with a story forever. Regardless of how it happens for you, the work is an experiential practice. You’re invited to follow along with your own li...
2023-02-281h 30Love is the power podcast140. Is noticing enough?Many of us walk around with a persistent story and compulsion that we have to ‘do something.’ But is it actually true? What happens when you open up to the possibility that your job is done once you’ve noticed your experience? Could it be that simple? Could it be that noticing anything and everything is enough? Tom proposes that another name for noticing is ‘waking up’ and that that-which-notices is already free. If you find yourself interested in stepping off of the ‘I-need-to-do-something’ hamster wheel, then do your best to follow along as we experiment with allowing ‘noticing’ to be enough.
2023-02-141h 22Love is the power podcast139. Looking in the mirrorTom often describes Reality as ‘utter allowance’ - yet that is not how many of us would describe our day-to-day experience. Imagine standing in front of a mirror completely exposed. In reality, all of you is welcome. Are you aware of what it is that you have a hard time allowing to be? When following the path of inquiry, we often discover decisions made long ago and strategies implemented to keep us safe. This week’s episode explores what happens when we let in the possibility that we are all of it and begin to see clearly that all of it...
2023-02-071h 09Love is the power podcast138. Everything just isNotice how in our actual experience nothing is separate. There are no borders and there are no boundaries. There is no outer world and inner world. There is only one, ever present, uninterrupted, impenetrable experiencing. The mind is always looking for an edge, a distinction, a justification to declare what is allowed and not allowed. What is right and what is wrong. What needs to happen, what needs to go away. This week, Tom invites us to let go of this habit and allow it all to blur together as it is. When we see clearly that it’s al...
2023-01-3132 minLove is the power podcast135. Nothing required of youSo often we ask, ‘why am I here?’ from a place of frustration. But notice what happens when we genuinely contemplate this question. Could it be that there is nothing required of you? Nothing to do, nowhere to go, and no one to be? This week Tom leads a guided meditation into the possibility that there is absolutely nothing required of you to be here. Who are you and what is your presence like without the story that there are rules, demands, and requirements for your existence?
2023-01-1023 minLove is the power podcast127. The only presence there isThe only presence that you actually know through experience is - your own. It is the only thing that doesn’t come and go unlike all perceptions which have a beginning and an end. Notice how the qualities of this presence are welcoming, allowing, and as Tom puts it: “a 100% yes to everything that appears.” So what happens when we shift our focus away from the objects, people, and situations that eventually will come to pass and relax into the unmoving, unchanged presence of awareness that we are? Join us, as we get in touch with the experience of being...
2022-11-0133 minLove is the power podcast122. I can't get no satisfactionIs it possible to allow yourself to be satisfied with every aspect of your life? If you could be completely satisfied with everything the way it is right now, would you? In this week’s episode, Tom invites us to look at the habit of being dissatisfied with ourselves, our partners, our ‘situation’ around money, where we live, our hobbies etc. It might seem like holding on to dissatisfaction is helpful in getting you what you want - but is it? Is dissatisfaction actually the grand motivator we make it out to be? Or does it just lead to more s...
2022-09-271h 28Love is the power podcast120. You have to pay for your pastIn this week’s episode, we take a look at all of the past experiences we label as ‘shouldn’t have happened.’ Notice, that when we hold onto the past like this, we don’t allow it to be what it is: which is - over. We are blocked from receiving the grace of this brand new moment and experiencing the friendly qualities of the universe. Letting it be over can feel like ‘cheating’ or can just seem ‘wrong’ because as Tom puts it, ‘everyone knows you have to pay for your past.’ But do you? This week, we open up to the possibil...
2022-09-061h 28Love is the power podcast119. Wrong place, wrong time, wrong thingThis week’s episode dives head first into what Tom calls, ‘the greatest religion on the planet’ - the story of right and wrong. Is it possible to die at the wrong time? Is it possible to make a mistake? Is it possible to miss an opportunity? When we come from an ego perspective, we think, ‘if I don’t believe something is wrong, I won’t act to change the world.’ But is that really true? Do we actually need to judge life with shoulds and shouldn’ts, in order to effectively care for ourselves and each other? This may be why...
2022-08-301h 33Love is the power podcast117. Do you ever need your resistance?In this week's episode, Tom invites us to notice the habit of identifying with the sensation we call, 'resistance.' Resistance tends to consist of an image, sensation, and story, and is what Tom refers to as 'the imaginary doer that we put our name on.' Could it be that this habit is actually completely unnecessary to live a happy and effective life? Is it possible that there is no situation in which we need our resistance? Join us, for this week's living experiment where we turn our resistance around and consciously allow things to be exactly the...
2022-08-161h 29Love is the power podcast116. I need recognitionThis week we work with the universal belief of every ego: 'I need recognition.' As participants share their personal examples, Tom highlights the insidious nature of this stressful story and helps to expose all of the meaning we've attached to it. Could it be that striving for recognition is not actually about the recognition? Join us, as we apply each step of 'The Work' to discover the truth for ourselves - popcorn-style, among friends. Until love is satisfied by Caroline Corcoran | Awakening by Jimmy StoferFor more information about the Love is the power wee...
2022-08-091h 22Love is the power podcast115. Why are we here?This week’s episode explores what can seem to be unanswerable questions regarding the nature of reality. Why are we here? What is the purpose of this life? Taking these questions out of the head and into the heart, Tom proposes a way to choose your own north star, to get in touch with what you are interested in, and to take the courageous leap of finding out what is true through your own direct experience. Perhaps, the only thing we’ve really got to lose is our suffering. Let the experimentation begin!Until love is satisfied by C...
2022-08-0226 minLove is the power podcast113. The waking dreamThe experience of waking up from a nightmare seems effortless and obvious. Our eyes open and we see that it was just a dream even if there are lingering feelings and reactions moving through our body/mind. Could it be that this is exactly what happens when we question a story and see that it is not true? As Tom puts it, efforting comes from thinking, from the thought-identified self, from the mind. Whereas realization comes from that which is already free - and it's effortless. Join us, as we experience what it is to wake up to the...
2022-07-1938 minLove is the power podcast110. The only problem there isIn this week's episode, Tom makes a radical proposition: Could it be that everything you experience as "a problem" really boils down to one problem? The experience of a lack of love. Follow along as participants share their own powerful examples and we dive deep into the nature of reality, love, and freedom. Remember you never, ever have to love, accept, or welcome anyone or anything. These meditations are invitations for self-inquiry and you are unconditionally welcome to participate or not. Until love is satisfied by Caroline Corcoran | Awakening by Jimmy StoferFor more information a...
2022-06-281h 02Love is the power podcast109. You know what's possible and not possibleYou know what's possible and what's not possible in this existence. Is that true? Join us for a popcorn-style group inquiry around this concept led by Tom. If you're interested in joining the live meditation call - please visit theworkwithtom.com for more information. Until love is satisfied by Caroline Corcoran | Awakening by Jimmy Stofer
2022-06-211h 14Love is the power podcast108. On SafetyThis week, Tom guides us through an exploration of the effortlessness of it all. Follow along and notice for yourself just how effortlessly your thoughts, feelings, and sensations appear and disappear. Are you really the doer? Or could it be that you just - are aware - with zero effort? Following the meditation, we hear from two participants surrounding the topic of safety and what safety is dependent on, or not. We come to see that while it's hard to know what makes us safe, what we can know for sure is that whenever our safety is dependent on so...
2022-06-1456 minLove is the power podcast107. There isn't a place for meWhen we identify and follow an uncomfortable sensation in the body, it often reveals a painful story we've been holding onto. As we welcome the accompanying feeling that goes along with it, we can then begin to ask ourselves what we've made this mean. With time we start to see how it is not the event itself that causes us pain but the conclusions we've made about the event. This week a participant explores her story, "there isn't a place for me here." With Tom's loving guidance, she begins to open up to the possibility that not only does sh...
2022-06-071h 08Love is the power podcast105. Resistance as proofOne way to work with the resistance you experience is to ask yourself, "what story does this prove?" Often times we hold onto our resistance even when the situation is over because it's holding up a cherished story. Can you sense that at some point in the past you made a decision about the way things are and now every time you experience resistance it serves as proof that your conclusion is true? In this week's episode, several participants' share real-life examples of resistance and are guided to notice how it is working for them - or not. As T...
2022-05-241h 15Love is the power podcast104. Proving your goodnessIn this week's episode, a participant explores the difference between the image of goodness and the 'real thing.' With Tom's guidance, she considers the possibility that her self-hating behavior actually wants to accomplish something good and opens to the gift in having her unloving behavior out and exposed. This deep and powerful inquiry shines a light on how to work with the parts of ourselves that can be hard to forgive and realigns us to the unshakeable goodness that we are.Until love is satisfied by Caroline Corcoran | Awakening by Jimmy Stofer
2022-05-171h 10Love is the power podcast103. The many flavours of resistanceWe could say that a common unconscious habit on this planet is to identify with our perceptions rather than our presence. Everything becomes a struggle, an effort to avoid the bad and bring in the good. However, when we look at our feelings, sensations, and images through the lens of inquiry we start to notice the possibility of just how effortless it all may be. Is physical pain actually a burden to the awareness that notices it? Are the possible bad things that could happen in the future a true threat to the presence of awareness of this moment...
2022-05-101h 31Love is the power podcast102. Welcome backWelcome back to Season II of Love is the power. In this week's episode we introduce the team and recount the origin story of the Love is the power podcast. Tom reflects about his life before and after he discovered "The Work" of Byron Katie and shares many of the powerful insights and understandings he gathered along the way. Until love is satisfied by Caroline Corcoran | Awakening by Jimmy StoferFor more information about the Love is the power weekly meditation call - visit theworkwithtom.com
2022-05-0356 minLove is the power podcast101. Message from TomThank you to everyone who has participated in our group meditation calls and to all who have been tuning in to listen each week! Join us on March 15th, 2022 for the start of Love is the Power Season II. Until love is satisfied by Caroline Corcoran | Awakening by Jimmy Stofer
2022-02-2207 minLove is the power podcast100. The Work maintenance planAre you curious about how to maintain a Work meditation practice in your daily life? Tom suggests setting aside 15 minutes in the morning to explore one aspect of The Work. For instance, you can start by noticing some moment where you had a negative reaction. Use this opportunity to get curious about and meet the negativity without the agenda of getting rid of it. Simply discover all of the beliefs that go with the negative reaction. The next day, try spending 15 minutes with the “Is it true?” and “Do I know for sure that it is true?” questions. Bring your rea...
2022-02-1553 minLove is the power podcast99. The unresolved oneNotice your response to receiving critical feedback from another. Do you feel compelled to tell the person that they’ve hurt you? Do you find the urge to apologize and reach a resolution? Whatever your tendency, we all know how painful it can be to be judged by another—especially when we make it mean we’re a bad person! In this week’s episode, Tom helps a meditation participant welcome the precious part of her that’s identified with her “badness." The one who desperately seeks to find a safe space to relate to others. Through inquiry, we are invited...
2022-02-0829 minLove is the power podcast97. The hurt oneCould it be that you—not your parents, children, or any other person or entity—are responsible for your suffering? Quite a radical proposition. In this week's meditation, we explore this notion through the lens of the commonly-held beliefs "I should be appreciated" and "it was all a waste." Many of us can likely relate to the desire to be acknowledged for the sacrifices we make for others—especially when those efforts are a genuine attempt to correct the disappointments of our own childhood. Moreover, we likely know the pain that comes when we do not achieve our desired result...
2022-01-2538 minLove is the power podcast96. New Year meditation - Part IIOur Weekly Meditation Group tries on the New Year Meditation as guided by Tom. Tune in to hear folks share their New Year's wishes and also explore what shows up as resistance. To join us for our weekly sessions, please find Zoom and meeting details on Tom's website!http://www.theworkwithtom.com/group-meditations.html Until love is satisfied by Caroline Corcoran | Awakening by Jimmy Stofer
2022-01-181h 31Love is the power podcast95. New Year meditationWhat would you like to experience in 2022? This week, Tom leads a meditation session that allows us to get in touch with what we'd like for the new year and what might be in the way. To follow along, take a few moments to write down your new year's wishes. Then, say your statement out loud with either the words "I allow," "I’m open," or "I’m ready" as a preface. For example, "I’m open to experiencing more ease, effortlessness, and fun this year." Finally, allow your mind to offer up the reasons why this is not possib...
2022-01-1144 minLove is the power podcast94. Filterless experiencingThis week, Tom guides us in a meditation that explores pure, "filterless" experiencing. Settle in by allowing yourself to completely trust the chair and floor that supports the body. As you relax into your seat and surroundings, simply experience whatever is appearing, without knowing what it is or what it's for. If the mind demands for attention, be completely uninterested in whatever it might be saying, just for a few moments. What do you experience when you're not placing thinking, labels, names, stories—all the knowings of the mind—between you and whatever it is you're perceiving? Do you sens...
2022-01-0431 minLove is the power podcast92. A short, sweet holiday invitationThis holiday season, Tom invites you to practice consciously welcoming all of the different parts of yourself that show up as negative reactions around the family. It's an opportunity to try on the living turn-around "I allow myself to be exactly the way I am." Family gatherings can be used as a time for self-realization or reparenting, for no matter how sweet or beautiful our family of origin experience was, there is always some lack of love that was experienced. This week, experiment with noticing your negativity and bringing unconditional love to however you're showing up. As the saying...
2021-12-2138 minLove is the power podcast90. The love you areCould it be that our presence of awareness shares in the fundamental qualities of love? Utter allowance, openness, room for everything just the way it is; perhaps these phrases are descriptions of who we are. In this meditation, Tom invites us to contemplate and experience our oneness with and as love. As Katie puts it, "Who you are is not an option. You are love, and it hurts to believe you are other than who you are, to live any story less than love."Until love is satisfied by Caroline Corcoran | Awakening by Jimmy Stofer
2021-12-0725 minLove is the power podcast87. Making it happenYou may have heard Byron Katie talk about the three types of business: your business, my business, and God’s business. This week’s episode dives deeply into this notion and asks whether anything at all is actually "your business." In other words, do you make any of your thoughts, feelings, decisions, or experiences happen? Notice the response that arises within you: Whether you embrace or reject this question, did you will that response to happen or did it just appear? As you explore and unravel the fears, beliefs, and conclusions you’re holding onto around control, you may just g...
2021-11-161h 35Love is the power podcast86. The basics of experiencingConsider the possibility that there is no wrong experience, but just experiencing. When we cease to make an effort to redirect, control, or interfere with the natural flow of life, we allow the world to be just the way it is. As Tom likes to say, this is both a quality of love and of who we are without a story: We effortlessly allow all things to be as they are, even our perceptions of ourselves or the “I” we believed ourselves to be. Join us for a short, sweet, and poignant meditation that invites us to merge our expe...
2021-11-0941 minLove is the power podcast84. I'm responsible for other people's feelingsOpen up to the possibility that there is no one in the entire universe who is dependent on you for their happiness, joy, or wholeness. Does this trigger fear and discomfort or come as a welcomed relief? In this week's episode, Tom helps us navigate the push and pull that comes with wanting to be needed by others - we love the importance it brings until we are the reason for someone else's pain and suffering. When we open up to the possibility that everyone is responsible for their own experience, we come to realize that we may not...
2021-10-261h 38Love is the power podcast83. Conscious welcomingWhen we experience negative emotions, our habit is to resist. We do The Work, or whatever other practice we have in our toolkit, to get rid of our stressful stories and beliefs. But, what if we welcomed them instead? In this episode, Tom proposes a new way to meet our inner disturbances—that is, through conscious welcoming. This is likely a foreign concept for many of us. It may be challenging to even begin to approach. If that is the case, try picturing the negative image-story as a child. Then, welcome the precious child, with no agenda to change or...
2021-10-191h 28Love is the power podcast82. Fighting with realityMost of us would agree that our relaxed, trusting self is the most effective self we can bring to any moment — past, present, or future. Yet many of us have been so fed up, hurt, and let down by life that we are anything but relaxed and trusting. In this week’s episode, with the support of three powerful shares, Tom uses the principles of The Work and invites us to consider what we would need to be true about life to have a big fat “YES” to it.Until love is satisfied by Caroline Corcoran | Awakening by Jimmy...
2021-10-121h 38Love is the power podcast75. Getting something for nothingToday, our conversation launches from the premise that the central banking system reflects the human tendency to want to "get something for nothing." But whether we're talking about an economic, political, or cultural apparatus, it's likely that we've all noticed or experienced some form of inequity. What we may not have recognized, though, is that everyone has the potential to liberate themselves from unfair, unjust systems. (For example, Tom posits that crypto is indicative of the truth that we can be free in a corrupt financial system.) Moreover, it could be that we are just as, if not more...
2021-08-241h 03Love is the power podcast74. I'm ready to be free of all desiresA commonly-held belief around desire is that, without it, we wouldn’t experience the beauty that life has to offer. In fact, we might not do anything at all, let alone seek the company of a loved one or the sight of a breathtaking sunset. According to Tom, this is why everyone is terrified of peace: because we believe that a peaceful existence is non-existence. In other words, would we even get off the couch without desire’s call? This week’s episode invites us to consider whether desire is a requirement for, or the cause of, experiencing anything at all...
2021-08-171h 21Love is the power podcast68. Radiant beings of light and loveFor a moment, experience yourself as the light that illuminates all experience. Can you allow everything to be just the way it is, without judgements, requirements, or demands that it be different? According to Tom, complete and utter unconditional allowance is one of the qualities of love—and of us. Even if you fear freedom, are living by rules, or carry the trauma of depression in your body, can you allow yourself to experience this radiant being of light and love that you are? No matter what you’ve experienced, no matter how you show up, maybe it's time to l...
2021-07-061h 31Love is the power podcast62. Spiritual bypassingSpiritual bypassing is the tendency to use spiritual principles or practices to avoid facing unresolved issues. Sometimes this tendency—whether in ourselves or others—gives rise to another tendency: that of taking on the role of the spiritual bypass police. As Tom puts it, "this is a terrible job," for we often lose our peace and lose sight of the truth that people are free to use spiritual concepts however they wish. Instead of policing, what happens when we join with reality in utterly allowing all things to be just the way they are? Use offer...
2021-05-2543 minLove is the power podcast51. My goodness doesn't depend on being seenAnother way to look at our stressful thinking is as unconscious experiments with the truth. As Tom puts it, once we make the stressful thoughts conscious, we can assess whether or not their effects are working for us. In other words, we can see if our experiments lead us to trust or doubt the goodness that we are. In this episode, we explore the commonly held story “I need my goodness to be seen in order to show up fully as I am.” Join us in opening up to the truth, trying out the living turnaround, and being done with depe...
2021-03-091h 07
Love is the power podcast50. I'm ready to love and trust myself completelyIs it time yet? To love and trust yourself no matter what? This episode begins with a short guided meditation from Tom and ends with a sweet exploration on love. Whether you're in a romantic relationship or not, could it be that love happens all by itself? And that you don't need a partner to be at peace right now?Until love is satisfied by Caroline Corcoran | Awakening by Jimmy Stofer
2021-03-0240 min
Love is the power podcast48. Not just another pretty face"I don't ever want to experience physical pain, the body becoming unattractive, or the death of myself and loved ones." … Can you relate? This week's group meditation takes an interactive look at the saying, "what you resist persists." Or as Tom puts it, what it's like to live life with the soundtrack "I'm not open to that" playing in the background. When we hold onto this position, we're actually in constant relationship with what we don't want. So what happens when we are open and willing for all of it to happen? It could be that's who we are and...
2021-02-161h 05
Love is the power podcast43. Kicked out of loveIs it possible to be kicked out of love? Tom proposes that being 'kicked out' is a fear that most people have: It's anticipating the loss of support or believing that we are unloveable. What do you hide away or hold onto - for fear of being found out and kicked out? Join us for two powerful investigations into this story and the experience of who we are without it. Until love is satisfied by Caroline Corcoran | Awakening by Jimmy Stofer
2021-01-121h 30
Love is the power podcast42. New year resolutions: Tom styleHappy New Year! What would you like to experience this coming year? And what are you ready to be "done with?" In this episode, Tom supports group participants to get in touch their hearts' desires and to call the mind's bluff on everything it says is "in the way." We invite you to bring your own pen and paper and follow along for this simple yet impactful guided meditation. Until love is satisfied by Caroline Corcoran | Awakening by Jimmy Stofer
2021-01-051h 23
Love is the power podcast41. Not enoughThe Work can be applied to our most extreme hurts or to simple daily stressors. Through the steps of inquiry, we can begin to see the profound truths of life hidden beneath painful stories. Join us as Tom unravels two common beliefs: “There's not enough time" and "I need to know." Could it be we never need to know anything before we know it and we've always been enough just the way we are?Until love is satisfied by Caroline Corcoran | Awakening by Jimmy Stofer
2020-12-2950 min
Love is the power podcast40. The need to pleaseCould it be that approval is a stressful game we learn to play early in life? Who would you be and how would you live without the need to please? In this episode, Tom supports a meditation participant to explore her fears around disapproval and invites us all to experiment with being "done" with the approval/disapproval game.
2020-12-221h 11
Love is the power podcast37. The let downOne of the major benefits of The Work is the recognition that our thinking - and not the situation itself - causes us stress. From here, we can begin to practice what Tom calls being “not interested,” allowing stressful stories to fall away as we experience who and what we are without them. Join us for an active investigation into the commonly held stressful story that it’s possible to let ourselves and other people down.Until love is satisfied by Caroline Corcoran | Awakening by Jimmy Stofer
2020-12-011h 08
Love is the power podcast35. I'm not good enoughUntil love is satisfied by Caroline Corcoran | Awakening by Jimmy StoferVeronica, this month's 1:1 session winner, works with a relatable fear: being rejected in romantic relationship. With Tom's support, she explores some of the underlying meanings being put on the possibility that "he might not feel the same way I do." By identifying a painful decision made long ago and exploring being "not interested" in it now, Veronica opens up to the beauty of what she feels for this man and to loving beyond all fearful limits.
2020-11-1756 min
Love is the power podcastCouples workshopWe are excited to announce a couples-only weekend immersion, facilitated by Tom Compton, into the principles of The Work of Byron Katie. This retreat is ideal for beginners as well as more advanced practitioners of The Work and is intended to support couples with the everyday learning-and-growing opportunities that partnership provides.
Please visit theworkwithtom.com or carolinecorcoran.org/workshops to learn more & register today!
2020-11-0202 min
Love is the power podcast32. No freedom, no loveUntil love is satisfied by Caroline Corcoran | Awakening by Jimmy StoferIn this episode, we get into the commonly held belief 'it matters what people think of me.' Tom shares a few key moments from his personal journey with this stressful story, and Caroline and Dorry unpack closed hearts and unhelpful decisions made long ago. Could it be that we all have the right to be? And that when we have the freedom to be who we are, we are easily and effortlessly what we are? Which is: love.
2020-10-2754 min
Love is the power podcast31. On being with moneyUntil love is satisfied by Caroline Corcoran | Awakening by Jimmy StoferCould it be there's no "right" way to be with money? In this episode, Dorry shares some stressful stories around not using money in a "smart" way—in a way that promises a safe and secure future. Tom points to how "smart" or "not smart" might be irrelevant and invites us to consciously open up to not knowing how it’s all going to work out in the world of money, business, and the future.
2020-10-201h 03
Love is the power podcast30. It's very serious Until Love is satisfied by Caroline Corcoran | Awakening by Jimmy StoferBeing a human is serious business. Can you absolutely know this is true? Tom invites us to examine our ability to interpret each moment, specifically when it comes to things being serious. Join us in letting in "don't know for sure" and opening up to the uninterpreted moment—where love arises.
2020-10-131h 46
Love is the power podcast29. Making it personalAs Tom likes to say, once you've been doing The Work for a bit, you start to notice that there are no 'big' or 'small' stressful stories. Even the most insignificant moment can be charged with the most painful meaning. Rare is it, however, that you have the opportunity to do inquiry with the person you're projecting onto! Join us, as Dorry and Caroline share an old favorite, 'you don't like me,' received and facilitated by Tom.Until love is satisfied by Caroline Corcoran | Awakening by Jimmy Stofer
2020-10-061h 33
Love is the power podcast3. Bring on the cringeMeet : The cringe. An inner twinge that let's you know when one of your self-images, concepts, or cherished identities has been compromised. In this episode, Caroline's podcast-cringe leads the crew into an investigation of humility and freedom. As Tom puts it, "If I'm not free to be inarticulate, I'm not free." 0:00 Podcast Intro0:45 Episode Intro5:46 Conversation with Tom32:14 Thomas Merton Quote: “In Humility is The Greatest Freedom.48:24 Vernon Howard Quote on The False Self54:27 Anthony de Mello Quote on How “Freedom” is Another Word for “Love”1:02:00 Podcast Disclaimer
2020-04-071h 02
Love is the power podcast2. There's room for everythingIn this weeks episode we'll sit in on a live group experience facilitated by Tom. Grab your own pen and paper and join us as we get in touch with the space that has room for everything and question some of the identities we defend and protect. 00:00:00 - 00:00:17 Podcast Intro00:00:18 - 00:01:38 Episode Intro00:01:39 - 00:33:09 Group Meditation Led by Tom: There's Room for Everything00:033:10 - 00:38:06 Invitation to Open Eyes and Notice Physical Reality/The Body: No Thoughts are Required to Experience, to Be, to Move, to Do This Thing We Call Being Human00:038:07 - 00:38:50 Facilitation of Dialogue & Group Sharing (Invitation for F...
2020-03-311h 48