Life gives us people who inevitably push our buttons. They might be a friend, a loved one, or a colleague who might act in a way that ignites irritation, defensiveness, or even outright anger in us. In what feels like a fraction of a second, the old programming we’ve internalized takes over.

Underlying every talk, song, and story from the Ram Dass Legacy Retreat was the unmistakable presence of Maharaj-ji (Neem Karoli Baba)—Ram Dass’s guru. Throughout the retreat, Maharaj-ji was acknowledged as the ultimate driving force behind Ram Dass, Krishna Das, David Nichtern, and so many of the masters present. It was his lineage of unconditional love and service that set this whole energetic river into motion.

Remembering these lessons and sharing them with you helps us to know them as more than just guides. As more than victims of climate change disaster. As more than the sum of their parts.

The people who brought us safely through those mountains are not coming home themselves. And there’s nothing we can do to bring them home.

Intentional living means you set the intention, then you let go of the timeline. This conversation with Poet and Architect Noeyoni covers everything from spiritual insights to leadership perspectives and even chakras and mudras — it’s worth a listen!

Let’s revisit the Buddhist teaching about the two arrows. The first arrow is the pain itself. It’s the illness, the loss, the wave that pulls us under. That arrow flies on its own, released without our awareness. We don’t get to choose where it strikes, and it hurts.

Two of the three Sherpa guides who expertly guided our group of intrepid explorers to Everest Base Camp — Avi and Ranjon — are both missing in the floods in Nepal. When it happened, they were guiding a group to Kailash Mansarobar Tibet, and they haven’t been heard from since.

Former Amazon product leader Shalaka Kharche joins Anu Arora on leading in ambiguity, lessons from Indian classical music, and why AI starts with the problem.

Transformation is not change. There is no going back with transformation. The caterpillar doesn’t get to go back. It’s permanently reborn, and it pays a heavy price to take flight.

Amazon technology leader Ashish Singh joins Anu Arora to work through five common AI fears, from job loss and scams to what happens to human thinking.

Most leaders I coach don't consider themselves to be competitive. But comparison sneaks in anyway. It’s the peer who got promoted faster, the team that seems to ship more, and lately, it feels like we are even in competition with AI itself. Hear more about how an engineer leader in Amazon is handling the dynamics of this evolving AI world.

Mindfulness is not just something you tack on as an afterthought. It is a fundamental foundation in approach. It’s something you carry with you into every moment. Mindfulness helps with the capacity to pause between stimulus and response. To recognize the fear driving the decision, even before the decision is made.

Cal Poly Pomona dean Sandeep Krishnamurthy joins Anu Arora on why AI is singular, human intelligence is plural, and why AI may take your job but not your place.

If you are dealing with some tough emotions right now: depression is not a character flaw and it’s not about being ungrateful for what you have. Depression is not failure. It is simply how we process what cannot be processed any other way.

Grief has its own timeline. Anger manifests distinctly. The most mindful thing you can do is not to rush past either one. You can’t perform your way through anger or pretend it doesn’t exist. You can’t negotiate with it until it agrees to disappear.

Even when presented with undeniable evidence, a part of me still clung to denial. Denial that anything was really all that wrong.

When the technological playing field levels out — which it inevitably will — organizations will be competing on the quality of their leaders and in their ability to navigate uncertainty. The differentiator won’t be who adopted the best tools the fastest. It will be those who built the most trusted and capable leaders.

Love isn’t a finite resource. It’s not something we can run out of when it’s given freely. Love is regenerative.

There is no artificial intelligence in the world that can replace the learning, growth, and wisdom that come from the lived human experience. From trying and failing. From being in a room full of other people who have stumbled, then found their footing and turned to extend their hand to help someone else.

Our thoughts define us. So it’s important to control them. But like anyone else, it is not always easy to redirect. I am aware of the importance of being mindful. I know how to use all the tools in my toolbox – meditation, pranayama, journaling – and I know that entering an emotional spiral does not serve me.