Islands of Coherence

Brett Kane

Islands of Coherence is a podcast for people who refuse to go numb. The world is in freefall - politically, ecologically, spiritually - and most of us can feel it. But Nobel Prize-winning physicist Ilya Prigogine showed us something remarkable: when a system is in chaos, small pockets of coherence don’t just survive - they can shift the entire system toward a higher order. This show is about building those pockets. Each episode draws from spiritual practice, somatic work, artmaking, ecology, and activism to explore a single question: how do we cultivate wholeness - in ourselves, in our communities - while everything around us fragments?

  1. 1d ago

    Becoming Collapse Conscious and What To Do About It with Jamie Wheal

    To Support The Show:  Patreon.com/islandsofcoherence Subscribe, Like, Comment, and Hit the Bell for Notifications on YouTube Follow us on Instagram (@islands.of.coherence) and Tik Tok (@islandsofcoherence) Joining us on the show this week is author and co-founder of the Flow Genome Project, Jamie Wheal. Many of you have likely heard of Jamie through his groundbreaking work writing about flow states in his book, ‘Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALS, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolution the Way We Live and Work’ or his other more recent work, ‘Recapture the Rapture: Rethinking God, Sex, and Death in a World That’s Lost It’s Mind’. He’s also the thinker behind the popular Substack, ‘Altered States of America’ which has gone on to amass over 45k people. For this conversation, Jamie and I explore the confronting subject of collapse. Whether it’s ecological, societal, or cultural, there are certain perspectives that we can adopt which will help us navigate the unavoidable changes that are going to challenge humans in the next century. We also explore ways to stay inspired, how to navigate the wellness industrial complex, and why thinking about death is good for us. If you want to stay plugged in with Jamie’s work, head on over to his Substack at Jamiewheal.substack.com or consider checking out his online community over at skool.com/homegrownhumans. He’s also got some books you can order wherever you get your books. Show Topics - Discovering Flow - Becoming Collapse Conscious - Death as Initiator - Exploring Narratives of the Future - We’re Already in Collapse - How to Respond to Collapse - Denying the Pull of Influencer Culture - Antidotes for Disconnection - Creating More - Human’s Place in Nature

  2. Aug 27

    Courting Nature: Reigniting our Romance with the Natural World with Sophie Strand

    This weeks episode is with the incredibly talented Sophie Strand!  Sophie Strand is a writer and poet based in the Hudson Valley who focuses on the intersection of spirituality, storytelling, and ecology. Her poems and essays have appeared in numerous projects and publications, including Spirituality & Health, Atmos, Braided Way, and Art PAPERS. She is the author of The Flowering Wand, The Madonna Secret, and her recent memoir The Body Is a Doorway as well as the creator of the popular Substack “Make Me Good Soil.” Her writing has swept the internet like a wildfire with its beautiful prose, impactful insights, and palpable potency.  For this conversation we explore the ancient yet wholly relevant worldview of animism, the nature of intelligence, falling into a romantic relationship with the natural world, and the process of realigning masculinity.  If this episode leaves you feeling inspired, check out her work over at: sophiestrand.com https://sophiestrand.substack.com/ @cosmogyny SHOW TOPICS - What is Animism - Fairy Tale Logic - What Have We Lost By Plugging Our Ears to the Natural World? - Selfhood is a Network - A.I and the Curse of Prophecy - Self Optimization is a Distraction - Learning how to Commune with the Land We’re On - Connecting to Home While Away from Home - The Grief of Increasing Sensitivity - Returning to Sensuality - Bringing Masculinity into Balance - Importance of Fiction

  3. Aug 5

    The Art of War: Applying Ancient Wisdom to Modern Life with Jim Gimian

    To Support The Show:  Patreon.com/islandsofcoherence Subscribe, Like, Comment, and Hit the Bell for Notifications on YouTube Follow us on Instagram (@islands.of.coherence) and Tik Tok (@islandsofcoherence) Joining us on the show this lifelong student of The Art of War, Jim Gimian! In this conversation we explore how this ancient text which originated in feudal China contains lessons that can be applied to our modern lives in 2026. Jim has been studying and teaching The Art of War (the Sun Tzu Bing Fa) since 1980. He served as the general editor of the best-selling translation, The Art of War: The Denma Translation  (2001) which received critical acclaim from military officers, business leaders, and Asian Studies scholars. Gimian followed that with The Rules of Victory: How to Transform Chaos and Conflict - Strategies from the Art of War (2008), co-authored with Barry Boyce. Gimian has been presenting lessons from the Art of War to business and non-profit leaders in North America, Australia, and Europe since 1985. His work takes the form of seminars, leadership training programs, consulting, and coaching. The core of this work is presenting the text’s profound strategic thought in clear, simple, and accessible training that enables today’s leaders to employ these tools in their work and lives amidst the challenges of an increasingly complex and uncertain world. You can check out his course and coaching services over at Rules of Victory or  Order his book at The Art of War: Denma Translation Show Topics - What is The Art of War - The Concept of 'Taking Whole' - Why Should We Care About Preserving Our Opponent? - History of the Art of War - Philosophical Underpinnings of the Text - Seeing Ourselves Clearly - Conflict as a Sign of Interconnection - Leadership and Trusting Those You Lead - Navigating Living Systems - Pushing Round Boulders Down Hill

  4. Jul 15

    Unlearning Separation Through Language, Land, and Intuition with Tiokasin Ghosthorse

    To Support The Show:  Patreon.com/islandsofcoherence Subscribe, Like, Comment, and Hit the Bell for Notifications on YouTube Follow us on Instagram (@islands.of.coherence) and Tik Tok (@islandsofcoherence) Joining us this week for the show is member of the Cheyenne River Lakota Nation of South Dakota, Tiokasin Ghosthorse. In this conversation we explore the nature of language in how it shapes our ability to relate with ourselves and the world. From that foundation we take a look at solutions to the interlocking crises of the present day.  Tiokasin Ghosthorse is a member of the Cheyenne River Lakota Nation of South Dakota, an educator, musician, and internationally recognized speaker on peace and Indigenous issues. He is the founder, host, and executive producer of First Voices Radio, a program he started in 1993 that is now syndicated to over 120 public, community, and commercial radio stations across the US and Canada. A survivor of Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding schools, he has spent decades speaking on Indigenous cosmology, language, and humanity's relationship with the Earth — work that led to a 2016 Nobel Peace Prize nomination from the International Institute of Peace Studies and Global Philosophy. He's also a master musician who performs the traditional Lakota cedar flute worldwide, and has been featured at venues including the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, Lincoln Center, and the United Nations. Show Topics - How Humans Forgot Their Connection to the Planet - Lakota Language as a Living Language - English's Blind Spots - Is There a Greater Purpose for this Disconnection? - Decentering Humans - Recognizing Beauty and the Music of All Things - The Energetic Signature of Cities - Colonization Mindset - Reconnecting with Natural Languages - Grandmother's Songs - Intuition, Gratitude, and Ceremony

  5. Jul 8

    Rehumanization In A World on the Verge of Collapse with Fatima Khadijah

    To Support The Show:  Patreon.com/islandsofcoherence Subscribe, Like, Comment, and Hit the Bell for Notifications on YouTube Follow us on Instagram (@islands.of.coherence) and Tik Tok (@islandsofcoherence) Joining us on the Islands of Coherence Podcast this week is multi-pronged creative, Fatima Khadijah. For this chat we explore the energy of the Trickster and how it emerges to shake the seemingly stable foundations of outdated systems. We then dance between subjects of rehumanization, the potential power that is ours to claim post collapse, and the importance of softening the heart in trying times.  Fatima Khadijah is a Fool, Animist, Soothsayer, Psychonaut, Liberationist, Radical Futurist, Abolitionist, and Metaphysical Outlaw. Through art, writing, ritual, and play, she explores the relationship between imagination, spirituality, and collective liberation. She is the founder of The Luminary & Co., creator of custom pop culture prayer candles, and author of Institutionalized, a memoir-manifesto on the many ways institutions shape the human spirit. She is also building The Assembly of Universal Becoming, which is a sacred experiment in love and liberation, lovingly referred to as “the church of no church.” Her essays and visual works, including Foolery Against Fascism and Federated Commons, invite us to loosen our grip on inherited stories, recover our imagination, and dream toward more liberated futures. Show Topics - Utilizing Social Media Sustainably  - The Somatic Experience of Technology - What is the Trickster? - Uncertainty as the Antidote to Fascism - Breaking Points and What Comes After Collapse - Goodness as an Attractor - The Role of Tricksters and Clowns - Navigating Judgement From Others and Self - Whiteness and Dehumanization Fatimas Links Instagram: @iamfatimakhadijah Luminary & Co: https://theluminaryandco.com/ Assembly of Universal Becoming: https://universalbecoming.org/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/fatimakhadijah?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=eccf27c6-94cf-4ea6-a3f7-787056964ae0

5
out of 5
22 Ratings

About

Islands of Coherence is a podcast for people who refuse to go numb. The world is in freefall - politically, ecologically, spiritually - and most of us can feel it. But Nobel Prize-winning physicist Ilya Prigogine showed us something remarkable: when a system is in chaos, small pockets of coherence don’t just survive - they can shift the entire system toward a higher order. This show is about building those pockets. Each episode draws from spiritual practice, somatic work, artmaking, ecology, and activism to explore a single question: how do we cultivate wholeness - in ourselves, in our communities - while everything around us fragments?

You Might Also Like