Finding Zen with Michael Pottern

What if everything you’re searching for about yourself could be distilled into just one word?In this deeply reflective conversation, Michael Pottern sits down with Erin Weed to explore the process of uncovering your most authentic self. Not by adding more, but by remembering what’s already there.From personal loss to purpose-driven work, Erin shares how her journey led to creating The Dig, a method that reveals a single word that acts as your life’s operating system. Together, they explore resonance, truth, grief, and the subtle ways we drift from ourselves and how to return.This episode is about slowing down, listening deeper, and trusting the quiet signals that point you back home.

Devon Kerns is an entrepreneur-turned-guide in conscious exploration, blending years of business-building with a deep commitment to inner work. After navigating the volatility of entrepreneurship from a young age, he shifted his path toward service and support for others through meditation, intuitive insight, and expansive dialogue. Through his work on Insight Timer and beyond, Devon explores the intersection of technology, consciousness, and human potential, inviting people to access deeper intelligence beyond the thinking mind.What if AI isn’t just a tool, but a mirror?In this episode, Michael sits down with Devon Kerns to explore how artificial intelligence can deepen self-awareness, unlock creativity, and expand consciousness—if approached with curiosity instead of control.They discuss:Why “play” is the most powerful way to engage with AIHow asking better questions matters more than getting answersThe difference between thinking and accessing deeper intelligenceUsing AI to create meaningful, emotional experiences (like music and storytelling)How technology might actually give us more presence, not lessThis conversation moves beyond productivity and into something more essential: how we relate to the unknown.If you’ve been curious about AI, but unsure how it fits into a meaningful life, this episode offers a grounded, human perspective.7 Key Takeaways• Curiosity is more powerful than certainty. The future belongs not to those with answers, but to those who ask potent questions.• AI works best when approached through play. Treating AI like a space to explore, not perform, reveals more about yourself than the tool itself.• You are not limited to your intellect. Insight often arises when you step out of “trying to be smart” and into presence.• Creativity is collaborative, even with technology. AI can help translate personal stories into meaningful expressions, expanding access to creative output.• Presence begins in the body, not the mind. The simplest question—“What do I need right now?”—is often the hardest to answer.• Fulfillment is deeper than happiness. Happiness is fleeting; fulfillment comes from fully engaging with what is. • Technology can return us to what matters if used consciously. By removing friction in “doing,” AI has the potential to create more space for being.This episode is less about understanding AI and more about understanding ourselves in relation to it. If there’s one invitation to carry forward, it’s this: slow down, ask better questions, and allow space for what you don’t yet understand. Because in that space, something deeper begins to speak.

What if singing isn’t about performance, but about regulation, connection, and coming back to yourself?In this episode, Orange Peel explores how voice, play, and novelty can shift our nervous systems and open access to joy in ways that feel both simple and profound. Through singing and shared experience, we begin to move out of rigid patterns and into something more alive, responsive, and connected.The conversation moves through the science and felt experience of emotional memory, the role of novelty in breaking predictive loops, and how collective singing creates a sense of belonging that many people are quietly craving. It’s not about becoming a better singer—it’s about remembering how to feel.If you’ve been stuck in routine, disconnected from joy, or curious about how creativity and the body intersect, this episode offers a grounded and refreshing way back.7 Key TakeawaysSinging is a form of nervous system regulation. It engages the body in ways that promote safety, calm, and connection.Play isn’t optional—it’s biological. It supports neuroplasticity and helps us break out of rigid, repetitive patterns.Novelty interrupts prediction. When we introduce new experiences, we create space for change and new emotional pathways.Emotionally charged experiences become lasting memories. The more we feel, the more deeply something stays with us.Collective singing creates belonging. Shared voice synchronizes people, building trust and connection quickly.Joy can be practiced, not just experienced. It’s something we can access through intentional engagement, not just circumstance.Your voice is not about performance. It’s a tool for expression, regulation, and coming back into a relationship with yourself.There’s something quietly radical about choosing play in a world that rewards control. This episode doesn’t ask you to become someone new—it invites you to remember what’s already available. Through voice, presence, and shared experience, joy stops being something distant and becomes something you can return to, again and again.

In this episode of Finding Zen, Michael sits down with relational coach and tea ceremony practitioner Bu Nan Brown to explore the deeper art of connection in an increasingly distracted and disconnected world.Together, they discuss how modern life often pulls us away from genuine relational presence and why many of our struggles stem not from a lack of knowledge, but from a lack of attunement to ourselves and the people around us. Through reflections on emotional safety, vulnerability, ritual, grief, and relational intelligence, Bu Nan shares how slowing down and listening more deeply can open the doorway to real transformation.From tea ceremony and nervous system awareness to the courage required for authentic relationships, this conversation reveals how connection isn’t something we manufacture or force, but something that naturally emerges when we create the conditions for presence.A thoughtful and grounding exploration for anyone seeking deeper relationships, emotional clarity, and a more human way of living in a fast-moving world.7 Key TakeawaysConnection begins with presence. When we slow down enough to truly listen, relationships naturally deepen.Many struggles in modern life stem from disconnection rather than lack of knowledge or self-improvement.Emotional safety is the foundation for vulnerability, and vulnerability is the doorway to authentic connection.Rituals like tea ceremony help create environments where presence and relational awareness can emerge.Real connection requires courage because it asks us to show up without the armor of performance or control.Grief and life transitions often reveal how deeply we rely on relationships for meaning and support.Healing and growth often begin not by fixing ourselves, but by rediscovering our capacity to be fully present with others.This episode is not about improving your relationships through better strategies or communication techniques. It’s about remembering that connection begins with presence. When we slow down enough to listen, to feel, and to be seen without armor, the conditions for real relationship naturally appear.Connect with Bu Nan Brown:Website: ⁠bunanbrown.com⁠Instagram: @bunanbrownConnect with Michael Pottern:Website: ⁠denverzenden.comInstagram: @denverzenden

What does peace really mean to someone who grew up under the threat of war? In this powerful episode of Finding Zen, Michael Potter sits down with Yovel Peretz — Israeli special forces veteran and founder of Let’s Do Podcast — for a raw conversation about resilience, legacy, and redefining success.From learning how to wear a gas mask in kindergarten to building a purpose-driven media company in the United States, Yovel shares how discipline, devotion, and community have shaped his path. This episode is for anyone navigating adversity, chasing a bigger mission, or seeking calm in a chaotic world.If you've ever wondered how to find your zen after loss, uncertainty, or reinvention — this conversation will move you.Main Topics CoveredGrowing up in Israel under constant security threatsMilitary service, war, and the psychology of peaceIdentity, resilience, and refusing to be changed by othersEntrepreneurship with purpose over profitLegacy: empowering future generationsFatherhood, role models, and generational prideMen’s mental health and acknowledgmentThe ripple effect of storytelling and podcastingFinding daily moments of zen in chaosKey TakeawaysPeace isn’t abstract — for some, it simply means safety.True legacy isn’t money left behind — it’s values and empowerment passed forward.Success without purpose feels empty; impact creates fulfillment.Men need acknowledgment and emotional validation more than advice.One conversation, one piece of advice, can change — or save — a life.Connect with Yovel PeretzYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheWayOfThe1PercentSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0JS0G4mOQiKemBkou4VgTf?si=10231f3693f544f4Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yovelperetzz/Let’s Do Podcast: https://letsdopodcast.com/LDP YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LetsDoPodcastLDP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letsdo_podcast/If This Episode ResonatedFollow Finding Zen with Michael PotterLeave a reviewShare this episode with someone who needs encouragement todayPresence spreads when shared.Move a little slower. Listen a little deeper. And keep finding your zen.

In this episode of Finding Zen, Michael sits down with Dr. Christine Smith, a holistic physician with backgrounds in neuroscience, chiropractic, psychology, and functional medicine, to explore what it truly means to regulate the nervous system in a hyper-stimulated world.Together, they unpack how modern life keeps us locked in survival states, why you can’t out-supplement a stressed nervous system, and how healing follows an order of operations that begins with safety, coherence, and embodiment. From brainwave states and subconscious repatterning to trauma release, biohacking, psychedelics, and integration, this conversation reframes wellness as a state-based process rather than a checklist of fixes.This episode reveals a powerful truth: regulation isn’t about slowing down for its own sake, it’s about creating the internal conditions that allow the body, mind, and life to reorganize naturally. A grounded, insightful listen for anyone seeking sustainable healing, clarity, and resilience in a fast-moving world.7 Key TakeawaysHealing begins with nervous system regulation, not with supplements, protocols, or performance goals.Modern life keeps many people locked in high-beta survival states without realizing it.Brainwave states shape what kind of learning, healing, and change are actually possible.You cannot out-supplement, out-biohack, or out-optimize a dysregulated nervous system.The body heals in an order of operations: safety, stress regulation, gut health, immune balance, then performance.Tools like meditation, bodywork, psychedelics, and biohacking are catalysts, not solutions, integration is where change happens.7. Slowness, boundaries, and rest are not indulgences, they are skills that retrain the nervous system for resilience.Connect with the Guest – Dr. Christine SmithWebsite / Community: https://wellnessevolutioncommunity.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/drchristinesmithdc/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drchristinesmith/?hl=enThis episode is not about doing more or fixing yourself. It’s about regulation, restoring safety, and remembering that when the nervous system finds balance, clarity, healing, and transformation follow naturally.

They explore how alignment influences leadership, decision-making, relationships, and growth. Drawing from Jason’s experiences coaching executives and navigating high-risk environments like paragliding, aviation, and whitewater rafting, the conversation reveals how grounded presence and intuition guide wise action—even in uncertainty.1. Jason Gore is a CEO coach who has worked with hundreds of CEOs and thousands of executives.2. He is an international paraglider, ranked in the top 100 in the U.S. and top 1,000 worldwide.3. He is a professional rafting guide who leads multi-day expeditions, including trips of up to 23 days through the Grand Canyon.4. He is a licensed pilot who rebuilt and flew an antique wooden, open-cockpit aircraft for more than 160 hours.Living an Aligned Life1. Living an aligned life means all parts of us agree on what we want to accomplish and how we want to be.2. Many people experience tension between the ambitious “doing” self and the part that seeks rest, nourishment, and care.3. Alignment comes from listening to intuition and embodied wisdom rather than forcing decisions intellectually.Leadership, Presence, and Communication1. Leadership applies to everyone—not just executives—but to how we lead our lives, families, and communities.2. Approximately 90% of leadership is communication, something we practice daily.3. Aligned living shows up in how we communicate with others.4. Effective communication comes from values and inner knowing, not from image or performance.Direction & Decision-Making (From Startups to the Sky)1. A CEO’s primary role is ensuring the team is aligned and moving in the right direction.2. A common startup mistake is assuming direction is clear when the team experiences confusion.3. In paragliding, long flights depend on finding invisible patterns of rising air.4. Leadership paths, like flight paths, are rarely straight and often require zigzagging.5. Strong leaders hold a long-term vision while running short-term experiments to learn and adapt. Feedback, Growth, and Taking Your Seat1. A growth mindset is developed by trusting yourself to seek and receive feedback.2. Feedback often triggers defensiveness instead of curiosity, especially in close relationships.3. Younger CEOs frequently struggle to lead older, more experienced teams or manage forceful boards.4. The key is for leaders to “take their seat at the table” and trust they are qualified because they are in the role.5. Like a pilot in command, leaders must trust their training and instincts—even when the correct action feels counterintuitive.Modern Life, Success, and What Matters Most1. Modern life is complex and overwhelming, leading many people to disengage or check out.2. The only person who can improve your life is you, through choices aligned with your values.3. Success must be defined individually, not by cultural standards or material markers.4. At the end of life, people measure success by how they loved and were loved—not by accomplishments.5. There is deep irony in chasing wealth while sacrificing relationships and personal well-being.Conflict and Negotiation1. Conflict can be a powerful tool when approached intentionally.2. People often focus on the 20% they disagree on instead of building from the 80% they share.3. Difficult conversations require slowing the pace and intentionally setting the stage.4. The goal of negotiation is co-creation, not persuasion—finding shared motivation rather than forcing outcomes.Urgency, Risk, and Grounded Action1. In urgent situations, clear thinking is rare; training and presence matter more than analysis.2. Breath and awareness are critical anchors during moments of crisis.3. Panic narrows perception, while acceptance restores clarity and presence.4. Growth requires taking centered, grounded action even amid uncertainty.5. Progress is often made through small, deliberate steps rather than perfect clarity.

Episode Theme: Devotion - Breathwork, forgiveness, and frequency. Claudia shares how embodied healing and devotion reshape daily life, parenting, and nervous-system regulation.In this episode of Finding Zen, Michael sits down with Claudia Nannino for a deeply human conversation about breathwork, embodied healing, and the quiet power of devotion. Claudia shares her personal journey through addiction, self-forgiveness, and nervous-system repair, and how practices like conscious breathwork, altered states, and community helped her move from intellectual insight into true emotional integration. Together, they explore frequency as a way of making choices, the difference between discipline and devotion, and what it means to parent, heal, and live with greater presence. This episode is an invitation to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with the wisdom of the body.Key TakeawaysHealing happens when it moves from the mind into the body.Breathwork can access emotional release and altered states without substances.Forgiveness becomes possible when guilt and shame are felt and released, not forced.Devotion, not discipline, creates sustainable healing and daily practice.Frequency can serve as a body-based compass for decision-making and setting boundaries.Small, consistent practices regulate the nervous system more than big breakthroughs.Conscious parenting begins with self-regulation and presence, not control.This episode is not about answers. It is about listening more closely to the body, trusting sensation as information, and remembering that wisdom often speaks before words do.Claudia Nannino is a master breathwork facilitator, crystal curator, and guide to non-ordinary states of consciousness whose work is rooted in deep embodiment and lived experience. A Colorado native born to immigrant parents, her path into healing was catalyzed by a profound personal reckoning after returning to Denver in 2016, leading her away from traditional, logic-driven approaches and toward heart-centered, nontraditional modalities. Through Conscious Breathwork, extensive trauma-informed training, and a 250+ hour apprenticeship with Christian de la Huerta, Claudia found true integration and self-forgiveness, ultimately leaving her corporate career to serve others. She has since guided thousands of breathwork journeys worldwide and now trains facilitators through her own comprehensive apprenticeship program, holding devotion, reverence, and nervous-system safety at the core of her work.Connect with Claudia:Amarsi - Claudia’s website with upcoming events, retreats, & apprenticeshipshttps://www.amarsi.love/Claudia’s Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/clauditanow/ Amarsi Crystalshttps://www.amarsicrystals.com/ Resources & External References MentionedThe Body Keeps the Score – Bessel van der Kolk https://www.besselvanderkolk.com/resources/the-body-keeps-the-scoreHealthline – Breathwork Explained (Science + Benefits) https://www.healthline.com/health/breathworkBreathwork & Altered States of Consciousness (Research) https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2020.00170/fullHow Trauma Is Stored in the Body (Cleveland Clinic) https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-trauma-is-stored-in-the-body/Interoception (Listening to the Body) https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/interoceptionDevotion as a Spiritual Practice (Lion’s Roar) https://www.lionsroar.com/what-is-devotion/Polyvagal Institute (Nervous System Regulation)https://www.polyvagalinstitute.org/ Four free, curated wellness tools designed to support grounding, regulation, and everyday presence.https://explore.denverzenden.com/podcast-gifts-episode-3 Episode Sponsor – Denver Zen Den – We help people regulate their nervous system using light, sound, and vibration.Website: https://www.denverzenden.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/denverzenden/ Purchase our technology: https://www.mindwave.biz/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@denverzenden 

Episode Theme: Guardian - A powerful exploration of guardianship, integrity under pressure, and how human-first leadership can transform policing, heal trauma, and restore trust within strained systems.Episode Description In this deeply personal and systems-level conversation, Michael Pottern sits down with Sarko Gergerian, a police lieutenant and licensed therapist, to explore the evolution from “officer” to guardian. Together, they examine how trust, presence, and public-health-oriented approaches can transform policing, support first responders, and reopen pathways to healing through ethical access, spiritual sovereignty, and human-first leadership.Key TakeawaysGuardianship is not about power or status, but the responsibility to protect what is vulnerable and meaningful.Integrity is revealed under pressure, when fear is present, and doing the right thing comes at a real cost.Trauma is embedded in systems as much as individuals, requiring healing that addresses cultures and institutions, not just personal resilience.Authority without moral legitimacy erodes trust and turns leadership into control rather than stewardship.Ritual and meaning are essential for those who hold chaos, and without them, burnout and moral injury take root.True healing requires courage to face uncomfortable truths, not comfort or avoidance.Ethical guardianship begins with self-regulation, grounding leadership in nervous system awareness and self-honesty.This episode is not about ideology. It is about guardianship, trust, and remembering that systems can evolve when humans are placed back at the center.Sarko’s Bio - Lt. Sarko Gergerian, MS, MA, is a law enforcement professional, clinician, and scholar whose work bridges public safety, depth psychology, and ethical leadership. A lieutenant in a Massachusetts police department, he co-founded the nationally recognized CLEAR (Community & Law Enforcement Assisted Recovery) methodology, integrating trauma-informed policing with recovery-oriented care. He holds graduate degrees in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Depth/Analytical Psychology, is published in peer-reviewed venues, and speaks nationally and internationally with the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), including an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience (#2357). Sarko is the founder of F.R.E.E. Gaia, supporting first responders’ spiritual-religious access to entheogenic sacraments under constitutional and RFRA protections, and serves as a teaching assistant with the SoundMind Institute’s psychedelic facilitator training program. His work honors Western, Indigenous, and emergent ways of knowing in service of healing, human dignity, and regenerative leadership; the views expressed are his own.Sarko’s Contact InfoSarko Gergerian - LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sarko-gergerian-818967233/How To Change Your Mind MiniSeries - Netflixhttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt21062540/ Upcoming Documentary - Ecstatic: Psychedelics, Drugs, and Therapyhttps://vimeo.com/1146052014/f051773016 Episode Links - Resources & External References MentionedInternational Association of Chiefs of Policehttps://www.theiacp.org Community & Law Enforcement Assisted Recovery (CLEAR)https://www.paariusa.org Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studieshttps://maps.org Rick Doblin - Founder of MAPShttps://lnk.bio/rickdoblinphd Colorado Natural Medicine Health Acthttps://dpo.colorado.gov/NaturalMedicine Illuminating Heroeshttps://illuminatingheroes.org We’ve also included a link to 4 free, curated wellness tools designed to support grounding, regulation, and presence.https://explore.denverzenden.com/podcast-gifts-episode-2  Sponsor – Denver Zen Den – We help people regulate their nervous system using light, sound, and vibration.Website: https://www.denverzenden.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/denverzenden/ Purchase our technology: https://www.mindwave.biz/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@denverzenden 

Episode Theme: Trust VR. AI. Psychedelics. Death. This episode explores how trust, not technology, is the true gateway to healing and connection.In this episode of Finding Zen, Michael Pottern sits down with Jeremy Nickel to explore how trust forms the invisible architecture beneath spiritual practice, technology-mediated connection, and psychedelic-assisted healing. From VR meditation and the Overview Effect to AI-guided integration and modern facilitation, the conversation examines how trust in self, systems, and one another creates the conditions for safety, vulnerability, and transformation. This wide-ranging dialogue invites listeners into a deeper look at how we design containers that allow presence, awe, and healing to emerge naturally, without force.Key TakeawaysTechnology can reveal presence, not replace it, when designed to reduce distance and invite genuine human connection.Honesty emerges when people feel safe, supported by clear boundaries, consent, and thoughtfully held containers.True surrender arises not from chaos, but from a structure that allows the nervous system to relax.Lasting transformation depends more on preparation and integration than on the intensity of the peak experience itself.Anonymity, when designed with care, can unlock deeper authenticity by removing fear of judgment.Zen is a practice of intention, requiring stillness and clarity to be actively chosen and protected in daily life.The future of Zen lies in human-centered design that uses technology to honor trust, sovereignty, and what is fundamentally sacred.Jeremy Nickel is a tech and spiritual entrepreneur and Unitarian Universalist minister whose work lives at the intersection of immersive technology, contemplative practice, and psychedelic-assisted healing. With a background in VR development and leadership within wellness-focused technology companies, he explores how tools like AI and virtual reality can be used not for escape, but for presence, insight, and genuine human connection. Rooted in a lifelong meditation practice and a justice-oriented, theologically spacious ministry, Jeremy brings a deeply human lens to altered states, preparation, and integration, emphasizing safety, consent, and relational trust. A founder and community builder, he collaborates with clinicians, technologists, artists, and spiritual leaders to create experiences that honor both mystery and responsibility, guided by a belief that healing happens in relationship and that technology, when shaped by humility and care, can serve as a sacred tool for meaningful transformation.Connect with JeremyKetReady – AI-powered ketamine preparation & integrationhttps://ketready.comSomaQuest – Jeremy Nickel’s new businesshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-nickel/ Jeremy Nickel’s LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-nickelJeremy’s Substackhttps://open.substack.com/pub/jeremynickel/p/no-pill-big-wonder-my-journey-into Resources & External References MentionedOverview Effect Short Filmhttps://vimeo.com/55073825 Frank White – Originator of The Overview Effecthttps://overviewinstitute.orgVRChat – Platform hosting The Overview Effect experiencehttps://www.patreon.com/posts/overview-effect-92287857 TRIPP – VR wellness and meditation platformhttps://www.tripp.comCalifornia Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS)https://www.ciis.eduInterTrek (Portland, OR)https://intertrek.orgWe’ve also included a link to four free, curated wellness tools designed to support grounding, regulation, and everyday presence.https://explore.denverzenden.com/podcast-gifts-episode-1  Episode Sponsor – Denver Zen Den – We help people regulate their nervous system using light, sound, and vibration.Website: https://www.denverzenden.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/denverzenden/ Purchase our technology: https://www.mindwave.biz/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@denverzenden