Banyen Books ~ Branches of Wisdom

In this episode, Judith Orloff, MD—bestselling author of The Empath’s Survival Guide—returns to explore how to recognize, celebrate, and protect children’s sensitivity while nurturing resilience and healthy boundaries. Drawing from her new children’s book, The Highly Sensitive Rabbit, Orloff shares the story of Aurora, a caring cottontail who learns to embrace her gifts as a highly sensitive being after her family is displaced by a flash flood. Designed for parents, educators, and anyone who has ever been told they are “too sensitive,” this conversation weaves together storytelling, psychology, and lived experience, as Dr. Orloff reflects on her own journey as a sensitive child and offers compassionate guidance for supporting sensitive children—and the inner child within us all.

In this episode, pioneering psychotherapist Andrew Feldmár joins Kolin Lymworth, founder of Banyen Books, for a wide-ranging conversation on the evolving role of psychedelics in psychotherapy and the central importance of human relationship in healing. Drawing from his book Radical Adventure: An Inquiry Into Psychedelic Psychotherapy, Feldmár reflects on his early initiation into LSD therapy in the 1960s and decades of clinical practice, challenging standardized protocols in favor of deep, relational engagement between therapist and patient. A Vancouver-based psychologist trained by figures such as R. D. Laing and Stan Grof, Feldmár brings a lifetime of insight into psychedelic therapy, while Lymworth offers the perspective of a community-builder whose vision has helped make Banyen Books a gathering place for wisdom, inquiry, and healing.

In this episode, world-renowned herbalist, teacher, and author Rosemary Gladstar reflects on a lifetime of relationship with the plant world through her book The Generosity of Plants: Shared Wisdom from the Community of Herb Lovers. Drawing on more than five decades of practice, Rosemary shares stories, insights, and teachings rooted in herbal healing, gardening, and wildcrafting, illuminating the generosity, intelligence, and sacred presence of plants. Often called the “godmother of American herbalism,” Gladstar is a central figure in the modern herbal movement and the author of many influential works, including Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide, offering listeners a rich, contemplative exploration of plant wisdom and community.

In this episode, New York Times bestselling author and environmental thinker Paul Hawken explores the deeper story of carbon through his latest book, Carbon: The Book of Life. Moving beyond the familiar climate narrative, Hawken reveals carbon as the elemental force that animates all living systems—plants, animals, fungi, agriculture, and human life itself—and invites a more integrated, life-affirming relationship with the natural world. Founder of Project Drawdown and Regeneration, and author of influential works including The Ecology of Commerce, Blessed Unrest, and Regeneration, Hawken brings decades of insight into how re-imagining our relationship with nature can help shape a just, resilient, and hopeful future.

In this episode, mythologist and storyteller Michael Meade reflects on the ancient sources of wisdom that continue to surface amid the polarization and rapid change of modern life. Drawing on his deep background in mythology, anthropology, and psychology, Meade weaves together timeless myths, cross-cultural ritual, and contemporary insight to illuminate the stories we are living now. Author of Awakening the Soul, The Genius Myth, Fate and Destiny, Why the World Doesn’t End, and The Water of Life, and creator of the Living Myth podcast, Meade is also the founder of the Mosaic Multicultural Foundation, where he brings mythic understanding into service of cultural healing and community renewal.