The definitive guide to resilience: twenty-one of the world’s most respected wisdom keepers distill lifetimes of hard-won wisdom into one accessible volume
Featuring original artwork created for each conversation, this is a book to keep close, share generously, and open whenever life asks you to stay steady
In this rare and timely collection, seasoned journalist Jo Confino and artist Paz Perlman gather 21 of the most respected mindfulness teachers, contemplatives, activists, and wisdom keepers of our time for intimate conversations shaped by decades of lived experience.
Together, they explore one urgent question: What helps us stay present, steady, and fully human in times of uncertainty, division, and rapid change?
Featuring one of Thich Nhat Hanh’s final interviews alongside expansive conversations with Richard Gere, Sharon Salzberg, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Tara Brach, Joan Halifax, Joanna Macy, Matthieu Ricard, and other extraordinary voices, this book offers direct access to more than 1,000 years of collective practice and insight across traditions and cultures.
Inside, readers will discover:
- Thich Nhat Hanh on learning to love better, releasing fear of the future, and why humanity is intelligent enough—but not yet loving enough.
- Tara Brach on healing the trance of unworthiness and discovering the freedom that becomes possible when we stop fighting ourselves.
- Jon Kabat-Zinn on meeting uncertainty without panic, suffering without despair, and life exactly as it is.
- Joan Halifax on death, grief, and what the dying can teach us about living with greater courage, tenderness, and presence.
- Joanna Macy on active hope, ecological grief, and finding the strength to act for a troubled world without losing heart.
- Matthieu Ricard on transforming hatred into compassion and why inner transformation remains one of the most radical acts of our time.
- Richard Gere on awakening in everyday life, spiritual friendship, and remaining committed to what matters most in times of upheaval.
- Sharon Salzberg on loneliness, belonging, and returning to kindness when life breaks your heart.
Original artwork by Paz Perlman created in dialogue with each conversation is featured throughout, transforming the book into both a contemplative journey and a work of art.
Whether read cover to cover or opened at random, this is a treasure and a trusted companion for reflection, renewal, and the ongoing practice of meeting this moment with awareness, compassion, and care.
