Metta Hour with Sharon Salzberg

In episode 299 of the Metta Hour, Sharon sits down to answer your questions in the podcast's first-ever Ask Me Anything episode.
We asked Sharon’s community to submit questions ahead of time for this recording, and hundreds of you responded with heartfelt questions on a wide range of topics. The AMA series addresses questions about aging, caregiving, compassion, community, death and dying, family dynamics, global suffering, grief, health challenges, impermanence, lovingkindness, meditation practice, mental health, mindfulness, parenting, relationships, suffering, the spiritual path, trauma, and Sharon’s personal journey.
In this episode, Sharon responds to your questions about:
• Aging and extra suffering
• Caregiving and burnout
• Loneliness and community
• Microdosing lovingkindness
• Self-compassion
• Empathy versus compassion
Additional Resources
Stay tuned for additional installments of the AMA Series as Sharon continues to respond to your questions. The second installment of the series is set for release on November 24th, 2026.
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For episode 298, Sharon sits down with first-time guest Ann Tashi Slater.
Ann Tashi Slater is the author of Traveling in Bardo: The Art of Living in an Impermanent World. She has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Paris Review, and Oprah Daily, among others, and is a contributing editor at Tricycle, where she hosts an interview series about bardo and the art of living.
Ann’s speaking and teaching engagements include Princeton, Columbia, Oxford, and The American University of Paris. Her work explores how our personal histories and cultural roots shape us—and how we find meaning in a world where everything changes and ends. This is Ann’s first appearance on the Metta Hour Podcast.
In this conversation, Ann and Sharon speak about:
• Ann’s exploration of her Tibetan roots
• The liminal periods of our lives
• The definition of bardo
• How Ann discovered bardo teachings
• The Tibetan Book of the Dead
• The story of Ann’s great-grandfather
• Examples of everyday bardos
• Becoming more intimate with uncertainty
• Opening to being undefined in transitions
• Bardo leading to the experience of non-self
• How lovingkindness affects bardo periods
• What role grief plays in bardo
• The Buddhist story of Kisa Gotami
• Non-Attachment, Acceptance, Attention
• What Ann’s near-death experience taught her
• Accepting reality without giving up hope
• How do we live in a world where nothing lasts forever?
Additional Resources
The episode closes with Ann reading an excerpt from her book, Traveling in Bardo. You can learn more about Ann’s work right here.
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For episode 297, Sharon sits down with Chris Germer to discuss his new book, Self-Compassion for Shame.
Chris Germer, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and lecturer on Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is the author of several books including Self-Compassion for Burnout, co-authored with Dr. Kristin Neff. His new book, Self-Compassion for Shame: A Step-by-Step Guide to Inner Freedom was just released in September of 2026 from The Guilford Press. Chris lectures and leads workshops internationally and has a small psychotherapy practice in Massachusetts. This is his first appearance on the Metta Hour Podcast.
In this conversation, Sharon and Chris speak about:
Chris’s early interest in psychology
Learning meditation in the seventies
Contemplative practice with psychology
How Chris came to self-compassion
Sharon’s influence in Chris’s path
How loving-kindness changed Chris’s life
Chris’s public speaking anxiety
Sharon’s experience with public speaking
How Chris became aware of his own shame
Shame is an attack on the sense of self
Shame compared to similar emotions and traits
How we can learn to recognize shame
How the new book is organized
When shame can be helpful
Dr Kristin Neff’s model of self-compassion
Welcoming all parts of ourselves
Taking responsibility for our shame
Lean in, lean back, or let go
Non-striving and non-fixing in self-compassion
Self-compassion is the end of the struggle
How Chris approaches his therapy practice
Additional Resources:
The episode closes with Chris leading a guided meditation on self-compassion for shame. You can learn more about Chris’s work right here.
Related Metta Hour Episodes:
Episode 252 Dr. Kristin Neff’s most recent appearance on the Metta Hour, released in 2024.
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For episode 296 Tim Desmond returns to the Metta Hour to discuss his new book series with Sharon.
Tim Desmond is a psychotherapist, best-selling author, Distinguished Faculty Scholar at Antioch University, and student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hạnh, under whom he was ordained into the Order of Interbeing in 2005. Founder of Peer Collective, and co-founder of Morning Sun Mindfulness Center, Tim lives in Oakland, CA, and teaches mindfulness and self-compassion practices to audiences around the world. He is the author of several books including Buddhist Practices for Healing Trauma, and Buddhist Practices for Overcoming Depression, released by W. W. Norton & Company in 2026, and the forthcoming Buddhist Practices for Calming Anxiety. This is Tim’s second appearance on the Metta Hour Podcast.
In this conversation, Sharon and Tim speak about:
• Tim’s new book series
• Buddhism for mental health
• Right and wrong mindfulness
• Thich Nhat Hanh’s influence on Tim’s teaching
• Buddhist Practices for Healing Trauma book
• The “whole path” approach to mental health
• The mind as the garden for working with trauma
• What trauma-informed practice is
• The better way to catch a snake
• The Doors of Liberation teachings for trauma
• Buddhist Practices for Overcoming Depression book
• The role of Faith in working with depression
• Cultivating the motivation/energy for healing
• The self-sabotaging aspect of depression
• Self-understanding is loving awareness
• What offers resilience in the face of suffering
• Thich Nhat Hanh’s Froglessness teaching
• An update on Peer Collective
Additional Resources
The episode closes with a guided meditation from Tim. You can learn more about Tim’s work right here and learn about Peer Collective right here.
Related Metta Hour Episodes
Episode 194 Tim Desmond’s first appearance on the Metta Hour, released in 2021.
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Caverly Morgan joins Sharon for episode 295 of the Metta Hour Podcast to talk about her book, The Heart of Who We Are.
Caverly Morgan is a teacher of awakening, nonprofit founder, speaker, and author who blends the original spirit of Zen with a modern nondual and relational approach. Her practice began in 1995 and has included eight years of training in a silent Zen monastery. She has been teaching contemplative practice since 2001. Caverly supports others in remembering our true nature—not through more techniques or self-improvement strategies, but through presence, inquiry, and togetherness. The Heart of Who We Are was released in 2022 from St. Martin's Essentials. Her other book, A Kids Book About Mindfulness, was released in 2024. She is a founder of the nonprofits Peace in Schools and Realizing Freedom Together, and has pioneered ways for communities to awaken collectively, making teachings that lead to liberation accessible to all. This is Caverly’s first appearance on the Metta Hour Podcast.
In this conversation, Caverly and Sharon speak about:
What drew Caverly to the dharma
Her eight years in a Zen monastery
Going from monastic life to teaching youth
Caverly’s definitions of Zen and non-duality
Being aware of awareness itself
The shadows of any practice
The practice of inquiry and togetherness
What inspired the book, The Heart of Who We Are
The CARE framework
What self-compassion offers
Caverly’s work with Dr. Kristin Neff
How personal practice impacts others
Mindfulness with young kids
The Realizing Freedom Together nonprofit
Additional Resources:
The episode closes with a guided meditation from Caverly. You can learn more about Caverly’s work right here.
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