A Year in Review for Wild Awake Hearts

 We’re ending this year with a deep reflection: a year in review for wild awake hearts. You know it’s the end of the year when there you are, just trying to drink your tea in peace, and your feed is full of “Optimize Your 2026,” “New Year, New You,” and shit like that. Meanwhile, the Buddha is somewhere looking at all these color-coded habit trackers like, “Beloveds… you know you’re still going to die, right?” So let’s try something different. Something with a Buddhist flair. Something that lets you walk into the new year not as a “better project,” but as a freer, truer, more alive version of you.You will learn:// Why conventional year-end reviews often turn into spiritualized self-attack, and what to do instead.// How to use Buddhist teachings like impermanence and not-self to soften, not harden, your reflection.// A simple way to honor both heartbreak and beauty, inspired by Mark Nepo’s “Adrift.”// How to bring a social justice lens into your inner work so your practice isn’t separated from the world’s pain.// Questions that reveal where we abandoned ourselves this year, and where we showed up bravely.// How to recognize your own moments of aliveness and decolonize the dreams you’re chasing.// Why remembering lineage is a rebellious act // Ways to honor the earth as a living relative in your year-end reflection, not just a backdrop.// How to set intentions that feel like prayers rather than punishments, and one simple ritual you can do today.Resources:// Episode 154: Off the Cushion - Activism + Spirituality // Episode 174: Decolonize Your Mind - A Story of My Mother and Me// Episode 184: The Power of Intention, Ritual, and Ceremony: Rediscovering the Sacred in Everyday Life// Episode 260: Wild + Woven – Why We Need Both Nature and People// Episode 286: The Concept of No-Self (and Greater Intimacy) – Off the Cushion Part 7// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.// Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// Have you benefited from even one episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast? I’d love it if you could leave a 5-star review on iTunes by clicking here  or on Spotify by clicking here.

This is a PSA and reminder for us all that sometimes changing our circumstances (like through a move, leaving our job or a relationship etc) really is the most compassionate, wise, and liberating choice…and sometimes it’s just changing what our suffering looks like on a superficial level. I’ll share my own story of leaving Alaska for Spain and jam on how to know when it’s helpful to change our environment and when it’s not. Plus, we’ll explore how Buddhist psychology can help us discern whether to stay or go.In this episode, you will learn://The myth of the “geographical cure,” and why moving abroad rarely delivers the fresh start people imagine// Why the mind always travels with us.// How to tell the difference between suffering created by our environment and suffering created by our internal patterns.// When changing circumstances is a wise, life-supporting choice, and when it becomes avoidance in disguise.// What Buddhist teachings on emptiness and perception show us about our relationship to place.// How trauma science and positive psychology explain the limits of “starting over.”// A simple reflection practice to help you discern whether you need an internal shift, an external shift, or both.Resources:// Episode 28: Practical Emptiness// Episode 29: Should I Stay or Should I Go?// Episode 202: The Healing Power of Emptiness// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.// Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// Have you benefited from even one episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast? I’d love it if you could leave a 5-star review on iTunes by clicking here  or on Spotify by clicking here.

Today we’re exploring what it’s like to live with a kind of inner fire that refuses to stay quiet. Ziji + Spiritual Audacity. A deep, embodied courage that comes from being radically awake in our own lives. We’ll look at how this shows up personally and in the collective, and how choosing to live from our real nature, steady in love, committed to truth, and devoted to collective liberation. In this way, our practice becomes both a practice and a rebellion.You will learn:• Why speaking up matters when truth is being distorted.• How spiritual audacity becomes love in action.• How the lie of separation weakens us, and connection strengthens courage.• Why disappointing others is often necessary to stay aligned.• How anger can catalyze action without taking over.• How collapse and reactivity keep us stuck, and what the middle way looks like.• How spiritual audacity interrupts old stories and reconnects you to your basic goodness.Resources:// Episode 37: How to Disagree Like a Buddha// Episode 154: Off the Cushion – Activism + Spirituality// Episode 252: Resistance Calisthenics for the Rebel Ones// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.// Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// Have you benefited from even one episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast? I’d love it if you could leave a 5-star review on iTunes by clicking here  or on Spotify by clicking here.

I know it can be fun + inspiring to listen to how to make progress on our path: open our hearts, be more patient, confident, have healthy boundaries, learn to forgive… AND the challenge can be knowing WTF to do with it all on a day-to-day basis. So today, we are wrapping up the off-the-cushion series with how to bring these wisdom teachings together into a daily practice that doesn’t feel overwhelming. We’ll jam on why integration can feel weird and how to find moments to practice in our everyday lives. And I’ll give you a few ideas to help you check in with yourself and your practice regularly.You’ll Learn// What integration actually means (and why it’s the most advanced practice of all)// How to bring mindfulness, wisdom, and compassion into ordinary moments// Why resistance shows up even after big insight — and how to work with it// The role of community and lineage in sustaining the path// How to embody the freedom you’ve been studying all along in a daily practiceResources:// Episode 122: Come See for Yourself - Ehipassiko// Episode 100: How to Know You’re Making Progress// Did you miss any of the Off the Cushion Series? Check them all out here:// Episode 278: Off the Cushion and Into the World – Intro and the Three Jewels// Episode 279: Reality Check// Episode 281: Wisdom In Action// Episode 282:  Remembering Our Humanity – A Lesson of the Ages// Episode 283: The Still Point: Where Freedom Begins// Episode 285: 5 Self-Sabotage Patterns ALL Brains Have // Episode 286: The Concept of No-Self (and Greater Intimacy)// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.// Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// Have you benefited from even one episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast? I’d love it if you could leave a 5-star review on iTunes by clicking here  or on Spotify by clicking here.

This week is a revisit of an episode exploring metta (the Buddhist practice of lovingkindness) and how when we hold back to protect our hearts, we can welcome in more vulnerability, re-opening ourselves to lovingkindness through vulnerability. We’ll jam on what to do when we hit a wall and why we might struggle to express lovingkindness toward ourselves and others.In this episode you will learn:// Why vulnerability is the most powerful form of protection for our hearts. // How being willing to drop the armor is key to experiencing and giving lovingkindness // Why protecting our hearts can sever us from a sense of love and belonging // Two basic qualities we can train in to practice lovingkindness // What to do when we hit a wall seeing or expressing lovingkindness toward ourselves and others Resources:// This episode was inspired by teachings from Tara Brach that she gave during the 2-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training Program. You can find her work at www.TaraBrach.com// Check out Rebel Buddhist Episode 51: Self-Compassion// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.// Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// Have you benefited from even one episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast? I’d love it if you could leave a 5-star review on iTunes by clickinghere  or on Spotify by clicking here.

When everything around us is changing, how do we stay grounded without shutting down?In this week’s episode, we dive into The Three Marks of Existence. Qualities that are true for anything that exists. Yes, anything!We’ll explore impermanence, suffering, and the concept of “not-self” and talk about how releasing clinging to our sense of Self can deepen connection and freedom and ease in our lives. This allows us to love AND ride the challenging times more freely.You will learn:• Why facing change, instead of fighting it, might be the most radical act of peace.• How to turn the ache of impermanence into appreciation, presence, and freedom.• The real meaning of “suffering” in Buddhism (and why it’s not as depressing as it sounds).• What the Buddha meant by “not-self” — and how loosening our grip on identity can bring deep relief and belonging.• Simple ways to meet uncertainty and loss with steadiness, not fear.• How these teachings can make you more grounded, compassionate, and awake in a world that’s constantly shifting.Resources:// Episode 9: Impermanence, Death, and Other Sexy Things// Episode 60: How to Avoid Unnecessary Suffering// Episode 63: Being Human is Hard – the First Noble Truth// Episode 64: Cultivating Radiant Inner Confidence – Ziji// Episode 222: Struggling with When Things End// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.// Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// Have you benefited from even one episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast? I’d love it if you could leave a 5-star review on iTunes by clicking here  or on Spotify by clicking here.

Ever notice how just when your practice starts to deepen, our mind gets loud as hell, distracted, unmotivated, or tired? Don’t worry - it’s totally normal. This week, we’re getting real about what’s known as the Five Hindrances; the craving, aversion, doubt, fear/worry, and existential MEH  that keep us stuck. We also explore how to manage them so we can continue to become the little Rebel Buddhas we already are beneath it all.You will learn:// How to recognize the Five Hindrances as natural patterns of the mind, not personal failures.// How to meet craving, anger, fatigue, restlessness, and doubt with mindfulness instead of resistance.// How modern psychology mirrors these teachings as trauma responses and emotional defenses.// How each hindrance transforms into its opposite strength when met with awareness.// How to use mindfulness and compassion to balance energy, emotion, and focus in daily life.// How the Brahmavihārās (loving-kindness, compassion, joy, equanimity) serve as our hearts’ response to difficulty.Resources:// Episode 13: How to Quit Buffering// Episode 51: Self-Compassion// Episode 90: The Antidote to Doubt// Episode: 107: Equanimity in Everyday Life// Episode 142: Your Wild Mind - The North + Protectors// Episode 203: Cool Boredom - Why It’s Necessary for Our Practice// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.// Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// Have you benefited from even one episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast? I’d love it if you could leave a 5-star review on iTunes by clicking here  or on Spotify by clicking here.

This week’s episode is a special replay on how to step off the cushion and into the world, interweaving our spirituality with activism. We’ll be exploring compassion in action and how to take our practice from our internal work out into the world. Because our world IS what we are. It’s living through ALL of us.You will learn:// How to reconcile the seemingly different energies of activism and spirituality // The one feeling to tap into to motivate our activism from a more loving place instead of hate or unhealthy anger // Why we are naturally called to take care of Earth and all of its inhabitants, even the non-human ones // 3 reflections we can do to connect ourselves with our belonging with others // The true purpose of activism Resources:// Episode 4: Anti-Racism + Radical Mindfulness // Episode 5: Try Allyship and the Willingness to Be Uncomfortable // Episode 278: Off the Cushion and Into the World – Part 1 Intro and the Three Jewels// Episode 279: Reality Check – Off the Cushion + Into the World Part 2// Episode 281: Wisdom In Action – Off the Cushion Part 3// Episode 282: Remembering Our Humanity – A Lesson of the Ages// Episode 283: The Still Point: Where Freedom Begins – Off the Cushion Part 5// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.// Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// Have you benefited from even one episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast? I’d love it if you could leave a 5-star review on iTunes by clicking here  or on Spotify by clicking here.

This we wrap up our discussion of the Eightfold Path by talking about 3 components of Meditation/samādhi: Wise Effort, Wise Mindfulness, and Wise Concentration. We’ll talk about how our meditation practice isn’t just to calm the mind, and why we need it now more than ever. Plus I’ll give you some ways you can begin practicing samādhi in your own daily life.You will learn:// The real reason we meditate (it’s not what you think!)// The 3 parts of samādhi: Wise Effort, Wise Mindfulness, and Wise Concentration// Why modern industrialized society has given many of us a complicated relationship with “effort”// How meditation (samādhi) trains the mind to pause between impulse and action - not to escape life, but to meet it fully.// Why ethical living quiets inner conflict and creates the ground for real peace and a solid meditation practice.// How to recognize when effort becomes striving// What mindfulness truly means: remembering what matters and staying awake to what’s real, even when it’s uncomfortable.// How concentration offers refuge in an age of distraction// Why the Eightfold Path isn’t about checking out, but learning to see clearly and act with integrity in a world that needs awake hearts.Resources:// Episode 44: The Power of the Pause// Episode 208: The Sit Spot Practice - When It’s Hard to Meditate// Episode 209: Ripening and the Inevitability of Our Awakening// Listen to Ana talk with Brooke Castillo on The Life Coach School Podcast about how Buddhism was using thoughtwork thousands of years ago// Episode 278: Off the Cushion and Into the World – Part 1 Intro and the Three Jewels// Episode 279: Reality Check – Off the Cushion + Into the World Part 2// Episode 281: Wisdom In Action – Off the Cushion Part 3// Episode 282:  Remembering Our Humanity – A Lesson of the Ages// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.// Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// Have you benefited from even one episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast? I’d love it if you could leave a 5-star review on iTunes by clicking here  or on Spotify by clicking here.

We can often think that very few ancient teachings could apply to these historic times, when things seem upended in ways the world has never seen (or so it seems;). This week, we explore lessons that are over 2600 years old that remind us of our humanity and what really matters, no matter the era, our job, our age, our nationality, our sexuality, our religion, or any other way we might identify. This is about getting clear about how we want to show up in the world, and committing to that for the benefit of our liberation - and others’.You will learn:// How ethics and inner peace go hand in hand // Why cultivating and committing to your own set of ethics is so critical in today’s world// An exploration of Wise Ppeech, Wise Action, and Wise Livelihood// How our work can be our prayer// 4 questions we can begin to ask ourselves to help us stay in alignment// 2 practices around wise speech and wise action to try out in our daily lives.Resources:// Episode 34: How to Forgive// Episode 194: Work - Survival Dance or Sacred Offering// Episode 253: Forgiveness and the Art of Beginning Again// Episode 274: The Ripple Effect (And the Story of Bruce)// Episode 278: Off the Cushion and Into the World – Part 1 Intro and the Three Jewels// Episode 279: Reality Check – Off the Cushion + Into the World Part 2// Episode 281: Wisdom In Action – Off the Cushion Part 3// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.// Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!// Have you benefited from even one episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast? I’d love it if you could leave a 5-star review on iTunes by clicking here  or on Spotify by clicking here.