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Wonderstruck
Striking Wonder Productions
Recent Episodes
A lot of what Jeffrey Kripal writes about and explores doesn’t fit into our current worldview. A professor at Rice University, where he holds the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought, Jeff specializes in extreme religious experiences, a new comparativism in the study of religion, the paranormal, and the extraordinary dimensions of human existence. He helped create the groundbreaking GEM Program (Gnosticism, Esotericism, and Mysticism) and serves on the board of the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California.
From UFOs/UAPs to near-death experiences, psi phenomena, and mystical visitations, Jeff’s work challenges us to rethink reality itself. As he puts it, “The paranormal is trying to get our attention. Reality is not what we think it is.” His 13 books, including Authors of the Impossible, Mutants and Mystics, The Flip, How to Think Impossibly, and the upcoming three-volume set The Super Story, invite readers to explore the limits of current-day thought and the vast potential of the unknown.
In this conversation, we dive into grief, humor, and the transcendent. Jeff suggests that laughter can help us step outside our worldview, grief can open us to the impossible, and humanity’s tendency to dismiss the extraordinary may actually conceal profound truths. With meaningful observations like “Certainty is a big problem” and “Reality is transcending itself,” Jeff invites us to embrace the mysteries that defy explanation and to see the impossible as a gateway to deeper understanding.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro: Reality is not what we think
5:31 Psychoanalysis and spiritual experiences
13:17 John Mack's UFO research at Harvard
18:06 The impossible and expanding worldviews
24:04 Consciousness: brain vs. perception models
29:31 Grief, humor and paranormal experiences
36:44 UFOs as a "wedge issue" in science
43:17 Historical perspectives on UFO phenomena
50:46 Wonder, awe and the "impossible"
About Wonderstruck:
The Wonderstruck Podcast with Elizabeth Rovere is a deep yet lighthearted exploration of the mystical, metaphysical, transcendent, transformative, esoteric, and ecstatic aspects of human experience. It bridges science, spirituality, and philosophy through engaging conversations with scientists, scholars, experts, and experiencers.
In this season of the Wonderstruck Podcast, we delve into the profound mysteries of existence, exploring the depths of human consciousness, spirituality, and the interconnectedness of life. Through engaging conversations with professors, neuroscientists, comedians, healers, poets, psychotherapists, group therapists, philosophers, activists, and authors,we invite listeners to challenge conventional thinking and embrace a multidimensional understanding of reality.
Wonderstruck Links:
https://wonderstruck.org
https://www.instagram.com/wonderstruckpod/
https://www.youtube.com/@wonderstruckpod
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wonderstruck/id1671879661
https://open.spotify.com/show/6fS5boWGwYTShddG7SKlVw
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What if pain wasn’t just a problem to fix, but a portal to something deeper?
Diane Goldner didn’t set out to become a healer. As an investigative journalist writing for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, she approached energy healing with the sharp eye of a skeptic, ready to expose what didn’t hold up. But instead, she found something that flipped her world upside down. Today, she’s an internationally recognized healer and medical intuitive, helping people unlock their body’s hidden wisdom in ways the medical field could learn from.
In this episode, Diane shares the story of her awakening into the world of subtle energy — and how she now helps others access the hidden intelligence of the body. We talk about the surprising signals our pain carries, what it means to receive shaktipat, and why the boundary between science and mysticism may not be a boundary at all.
This is a conversation about seeing differently — about tuning in to what lies just beneath the surface, and discovering that healing might be less about fixing, and more about remembering who we really are.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro: Reality is more mutable than we realize
5:06 Diane's journey from skeptic to energy healer
10:27 What is energy healing and subtle energy?
15:45 Examples of energy healing in action
26:26 How Diane perceives energy during healings
32:35 The relationship between science and spirituality
38:41 Princeton's research on mind-matter interaction
46:44 Why energy healing sometimes doesn't work
54:39 The role of love in the healing process
1:04:23 Chakras and their role in energy healing
1:14:17 Diane's experiences with spiritual figures
1:16:25 How changing consciousness changes reality
1:20:59 Closing thoughts on imagination and perception
About Wonderstruck:
The Wonderstruck Podcast with Elizabeth Rovere is a deep yet lighthearted exploration of the mystical, metaphysical, transcendent, transformative, esoteric, and ecstatic aspects of human experience. It bridges science, spirituality, and philosophy through engaging conversations with scientists, scholars, experts, and experiencers.
In this season of the Wonderstruck Podcast, we delve into the profound mysteries of existence, exploring the depths of human consciousness, spirituality, and the interconnectedness of life. Through engaging conversations with professors, neuroscientists, comedians, healers, poets, psychotherapists, group therapists, philosophers, activists, and authors,we invite listeners to challenge conventional thinking and embrace a multidimensional understanding of reality.
Wonderstruck Links:
https://wonderstruck.org
https://www.instagram.com/wonderstruckpod/
https://www.youtube.com/@wonderstruckpod
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wonderstruck/id1671879661
https://open.spotify.com/show/6fS5boWGwYTShddG7SKlVw
Diane's Books:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Diane-Goldner/author/B001K8F9G6
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
John Cleese and Dr. Iain McGilchrist are good friends who share a deep appreciation for the power of humor and a fascination with neuroscience and consciousness. McGilchrist recalls falling asleep laughing at an episode of Fawlty Towers—only to wake up the next morning still laughing.
Cleese has spent a lifetime using humor not just to entertain but to challenge rigid thinking, expose absurdities, and reveal truths hiding in plain sight. McGilchrist, a psychiatrist, philosopher, and neuroscientist, has transformed our understanding of the mind, particularly how modern culture leans too heavily on the left hemisphere’s need for certainty—often at the expense of creativity, nuance, and vision.
In this special episode of Wonderstruck, co-hosts Elizabeth Rovere and Mary Attwood bring us a spirited “quadrologue” exploring humor, creativity, and consciousness. Cleese reflects on how comedy topples hierarchies, sharpens perception, and fosters resilience, while McGilchrist explains why humor itself depends on the brain’s ability to shift perspectives—something the right hemisphere thrives on.
Together, they unpack how laughter, play, and spontaneity expand our ways of thinking, helping us loosen up in a world that often takes itself far too seriously.
As Cleese puts it: "If humor isn’t woven into the fabric of the cosmos, I need to know why not."
Chapters:
0:00 Intro: Humor and consciousness
5:07 Humor as a democratizing force
10:23 Criticism and self-laughter in comedy
15:26 Humor's role in consciousness and creativity
20:42 Theory of mind and humor
26:56 Free will and determinism debate
32:45 Unlearning and the importance of humor
38:55 Creativity, relaxation, and uncertainty
44:40 Introversion and never being bored
48:38 Art, consciousness, and cosmic values
About Wonderstruck:
The Wonderstruck Podcast with Elizabeth Rovere is a deep yet lighthearted exploration of the mystical, metaphysical, transcendent, transformative, esoteric, and ecstatic aspects of human experience. It bridges science, spirituality, and philosophy through engaging conversations with scientists, scholars, experts, and experiencers.
In this season of the Wonderstruck Podcast, we delve into the profound mysteries of existence, exploring the depths of human consciousness, spirituality, and the interconnectedness of life. Through engaging conversations with professors, neuroscientists, comedians, healers, poets, psychotherapists, group therapists, philosophers, activists, and authors,we invite listeners to challenge conventional thinking and embrace a multidimensional understanding of reality.
Wonderstruck Links:
https://wonderstruck.org
https://www.instagram.com/wonderstruckpod/
https://www.youtube.com/@wonderstruckpod
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wonderstruck/id1671879661
https://open.spotify.com/show/6fS5boWGwYTShddG7SKlVw
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A lot of what Dr. Alex Gomez-Marin explores challenges the boundaries of traditional science. A physicist and neuroscientist, Alex leads the Behavior of Organisms Laboratory at the Instituto de Neurociencias in Alicante, Spain, and serves as the director of the Pari Center in Italy. His groundbreaking work spans neuroscience, physics, and the study of consciousness, with a focus on what he calls “the edges of consciousness.”
In this episode, Elizabeth joins Alex for a mind-expanding conversation about the limits of science as it’s traditionally understood. As Alex highlights, “What is funded is what gets studied,” meaning that the edges of consciousness are often dismissed as fringe and ignored by mainstream science. But materialism is not the only game in town—"science is far more than materialism and reductionism."
From his transformative Near-Death Experience (NDE) to his pioneering research on phenomena beyond the five senses, Alex bridges science, spirituality, and the humanities. He explains the receiver model of consciousness, which suggests that the brain functions more like an antenna than a generator, and explores phenomena such as remote viewing and telepathy, pushing the boundaries of what mainstream science considers possible.
Together, they discuss Alex's neuroscience research on blind individuals who “see” with their hearts called E.O.V., telepathy as the blending of thought and knowing, and the concept of reality as an evolving perception. Alex’s unique perspective invites us to question everything and embrace the unknown, reminding us that the cracks in the matrix may reveal that reality is far richer than we ever imagined.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro: Near-death experience and neuroscience
5:07 The Pari Center and exploring consciousness
10:04 Sharing a profound near-death experience
16:59 Science beyond materialism and reductionism
28:24 Different philosophical approaches to consciousness
34:44 The need for listening in scientific discourse
40:50 Studying extraocular vision scientifically
47:40 Using science to validate extraordinary experiences
51:52 Outro: Exploring the edges of consciousness
About Wonderstruck:
The Wonderstruck Podcast with Elizabeth Rovere is a deep yet lighthearted exploration of the mystical, metaphysical, transcendent, transformative, esoteric, and ecstatic aspects of human experience. It bridges science, spirituality, and philosophy through engaging conversations with scientists, scholars, experts, and experiencers.
In this season of the Wonderstruck Podcast, we delve into the profound mysteries of existence, exploring the depths of human consciousness, spirituality, and the interconnectedness of life. Through engaging conversations with professors, neuroscientists, comedians, healers, poets, psychotherapists, group therapists, philosophers, activists, and authors,we invite listeners to challenge conventional thinking and embrace a multidimensional understanding of reality.
Wonderstruck Links:
https://wonderstruck.org
https://www.instagram.com/wonderstruckpod/
https://www.youtube.com/@wonderstruckpod
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wonderstruck/id1671879661
https://open.spotify.com/show/6fS5boWGwYTShddG7SKlVw
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Vandana Shiva is not just an activist, she is a visionary, a force of nature, and a firebrand for a world in crisis.
She doesn’t merely challenge the mechanistic view of life; she dismantles it with the precision of a physicist and the passion of a poet. In its place, she offers something far more powerful: a universe alive with intelligence, diversity, and self-organization. This is a cosmos where everything pulses with meaning.
A scientist and warrior for the Earth, Vandana bridges worlds that many see as separate such as quantum physics and ancient wisdom, or science and spirit. Her message is meaningful: matter is not inert; it is consciousness in motion. From the sacred cycle of soil, food, and humanity to the concepts of autopoiesis, and symbiosis she reveals the elegant, often invisible web that connects us all.
She warns against the dangerous illusion that nature is a machine to be manipulated. In reality, the Earth is a living system, responsive and intelligent, and when we exploit it as if it were lifeless, we create imbalance, and what she calls the metabolic disorder of Gaia. Climate change, in her view, is not just an environmental crisis, rather, it is a profound disruption of life’s symphony, a call to return to harmony before it is too late.
But Vandana is not here to preach despair; she is here to ignite transformation. She speaks of joy as an act of resistance, humility as the gateway to true wisdom, and creativity as the very essence of life. The same Shakti, the regenerative power that makes trees grow, rivers flow, and galaxies spin, exists within us, and is inexhaustible and eternal.
In this conversation, Vandana invites us to awaken not just to the urgency of the moment but to the deeper truth of our existence. We are not separate from nature; we are nature. And when we embrace this reality, we don’t just sustain the world, we help it flourish. With unwavering courage, wisdom, and love, she calls us to step into a regenerative future, where we become stewards, co-creators, and protectors of the great, living Earth that carries us all.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro: Quantum physics and healing the planet
5:49 Living in consciousness vs. mechanistic thinking
11:00 Principles of quantum thinking in everyday life
16:19 Earth University: Nature as the teacher
22:25 Seed freedom and biodiversity preservation
28:01 Finding joy in interconnection and service
33:12 Humility and elevated consciousness
36:43 Quantum physics and divinity
40:51 Story of women's strength from nature
About Wonderstruck:
The Wonderstruck Podcast with Elizabeth Rovere is a deep yet lighthearted exploration of the mystical, metaphysical, transcendent, transformative, esoteric, and ecstatic aspects of human experience. It bridges science, spirituality, and philosophy through engaging conversations with scientists, scholars, experts, and experiencers.
In this season of the Wonderstruck Podcast, we delve into the profound mysteries of existence, exploring the depths of human consciousness, spirituality, and the interconnectedness of life. Through engaging conversations with professors, neuroscientists, comedians, healers, poets, psychotherapists, group therapists, philosophers, activists, and authors,we invite listeners to challenge conventional thinking and embrace a multidimensional understanding of reality.
Wonderstruck Links:
https://wonderstruck.org
https://www.instagram.com/wonderstruckpod/
https://www.youtube.com/@wonderstruckpod
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wonderstruck/id1671879661
https://open.spotify.com/show/6fS5boWGwYTShddG7SKlVw
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.