The Garrison Institute Presents: The Common Good

Latest Episodes:

Meditation with Sharon Salzberg: Self Compassion Feb 18, 2026

Show notes

In this seven-minute guided meditation, Sharon invites you to turn a kind and gentle attention toward any suffering you may be experiencing—meeting pain with compassion, connecting to our shared human experience, and returning to bodily presence and phrases of self-compassion with kindness and acceptance.

This meditation was originally recorded for The Garrison Institute's Contemplative-Based Resilience initiative. We will be bringing you smaller practices in your feed each month.

You can find more meditations and contemplative resources like this at ⁠GarrisonInstitute.org⁠, along with information about our Contemplative-Based Resilience initiative and other programs supporting those who serve our communities.

Follow the podcast at ⁠https://www.garrisoninstitute.org/podcasts/⁠

Indy Johar: Complexity, Care, and Life-Ennobling Systems Feb 09, 2026

Show notes

Architect, systems innovator, and Dark Matter Labs co-founder Indy Johar joins Jonathan F.P. Rose for a far-reaching conversation on how we might redesign the invisible operating systems of society for a more just, regenerative, and compassionate world. Together they explore relational citizenship, radical civic economies, bioregional organizing, and why care, presence, and partial knowing are essential foundations for the future. They also examine what it means to be human in an age of AI, and how human, ecological, and machine intelligences might co-evolve without separation.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about the podcast, please send us a note at podcasts@garrisoninstitute.org to let us know what you think.

Produced by The Garrison Institute and The Podglomerate.

Daniel Goleman: Emotional Intelligence and the Science of Wellbeing Jan 26, 2026

Show notes

In this expansive conversation, Daniel Goleman—author of Emotional Intelligence and a pioneer in the science of wellbeing—explores how inner awareness shapes leadership, systems change, and the future of our shared world. Drawing on neuroscience, contemplative practice, and decades of research, Goleman explains why emotional intelligence, empathy, and compassion are no longer soft skills, but essential capacities for ethical leadership and resilient societies. Together with host Jonathan F.P. Rose, he examines mindfulness as attention training, the social contagiousness of emotion, and how individual transformation connects to collective responsibility, economics, and climate action.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about the podcast, please send us a note at podcasts@garrisoninstitute.org to let us know what you think.

Produced by The Garrison Institute and The Podglomerate.

Meditation with Sharon Salzberg: Feeling the Breath Jan 19, 2026

Show notes

In this seven-minute guided meditation, Sharon invites you to bring your attention to the feeling of the breath, and as the mind wanders, to gently train your mind to let go, forgive yourself, and begin again—returning with kindness to the breath.

This meditation was originally recorded for The Garrison Institute's Contemplative-Based Resilience initiative. We will be bringing you smaller practices in your feed each month.

Follow the podcast at ⁠https://www.garrisoninstitute.org/podcasts/⁠

Bayo Akomolafe: Post-Activism and the Trickster Future Jan 12, 2026

Show notes

What if the way we respond to crisis is part of the crisis itself? In this wide-ranging conversation, philosopher and post-activist thinker Bayo Akomolafe invites us to step beyond binaries, solutions, and moral certainty into a deeper encounter with ambiguity, relationality, and becoming. Drawing on Yoruba cosmology, post-humanist philosophy, and lived experience, Bayo explores fugitivity, post-activism, the role of the trickster, and why “being good” may no longer be enough in an age of climate collapse, inequality, and systemic exhaustion. Together with host Jonathan F.P. Rose, Bayo theorizes the limits of the common good and imagines what it means to live sideways—attentive to the present rather than chasing arrival.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about the podcast, please send us a note at podcasts@garrisoninstitute.org to let us know what you think.

Produced by The Garrison Institute and The Podglomerate.

Siddhartha Mukherjee: Genetics and Empathy Dec 22, 2025

Show notes

In this wide-ranging and personal conversation, physician, scientist, and bestselling author Siddhartha Mukherjee explores what genes, cells, and human societies reveal about our profound interdependence. Drawing from The Gene and The Song of the Cell, Mukherjee reframes biology not as a fixed blueprint, but as an improvisational system—shaped by horizontal gene transfer, environment, and the constant exchange of interdependent life forms. He weaves together Indian classical music, evolutionary science, and lived experience to argue that empathy and compassion are not optional virtues, but the foundation of truth, intelligence, and collective survival. The discussion extends to artificial intelligence, medicine, and the ethical challenge of building technologies with the capacity for empathy.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about the podcast, please send us a note at podcasts@garrisoninstitute.org to let us know what you think.

Produced by The Garrison Institute and The Podglomerate.

Meditation with Sharon Salzberg: Letting Go of Thought Dec 08, 2025

Show notes

In this five-minute guided meditation, Sharon invites you to anchor your awareness in the breath while practicing the gentle art of letting go. When thoughts arise, whether pleasant or difficult, you're guided to recognize them as "not breath," release them, and return your attention to the present moment.

You can find more meditations and contemplative resources like this at GarrisonInstitute.org, along with information about our Contemplative-Based Resilience initiative and other programs supporting those who serve our communities.

Sharon Salzberg: Interconnection and the Tools for Real Happiness Dec 01, 2025

Show notes

In this rich and inspiring conversation, meditation pioneer Sharon Salzberg explores how we move from the “three S’s” of modern life—separate, scared, and selfish—to the “three C’s”: connected, compassionate, and courageous. Sharon shares practical tools from her Real Happiness framework, the annual 28-day meditation challenge, and her decades of work with caregivers, frontline workers, and trauma survivors. She and host Jonathan Rose discuss building a genuine culture of wellness, transforming empathy into sustainable compassion, and understanding our deep interdependence in everyday life. Sharon also offers a glimpse into her upcoming projects, including a children’s book and a new play based on her spiritual journey.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about the podcast, please send us a note at podcasts@garrisoninstitute.org to let us know what you think.

Produced by The Garrison Institute and The Podglomerate.

Konda Mason: Regenerative Justice and Ancestral Healing Nov 24, 2025

Show notes

Visionary activist and spiritual teacher Konda Mason joins The Common Good to explore how healing the land is inseparable from healing ourselves. In this powerful conversation with Jonathan F.P. Rose, Konda shares the story of Jubilee Justice, a cooperative reclaiming Black agricultural wisdom through regenerative rice farming and community ownership across the American South. She traces rice’s deep African roots, the resilience of its farmers, and how cooperative economics can restore both soil and spirit. Konda also introduces her transformative Journeys Program, where truth-telling, ancestry, and compassion bridge divides of race, land, money, and faith. The episode closes with a grounding practice of ancestral connection—reminding us that joy and reverence are essential tools for justice.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about the podcast, please send us a note at podcasts@garrisoninstitute.org to let us know what you think.

Produced by The Garrison Institute and The Podglomerate.

Meditation with Sharon Salzberg: Listening Deeply Nov 17, 2025

Show notes

In this five-minute guided meditation, Sharon invites you to tune into the sounds around you. Perfect for a quick reset during a busy day or as part of your regular mindfulness routine, this practice helps you use everyday sounds as gentle anchors to return to the present moment, wherever you are.