Open Heart with Lu Leslan

Lu Leslan
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Join musician and filmmaker Lu as she shares intimate stories about finding unexpected connections in life. From exploring identity through names to navigating between cultures, from creative breakthroughs to encounters with nature - each episode digs into moments of genuine human experience. Through vulnerable storytelling and reflection, Lu invites listeners to discover their own surprising connections in everyday life. Send your questions and stories - let's explore these connections together.

  1. May 21

    Break Free

    What truth remains when you dare to let go of everything that was never truly yours? In this Season 2 finale, Lu explores what it means to break free—not from life or people, but from the accumulated weight of traditions, rules, conventions, and noise inherited through the generations. She shares a deeply personal story about choosing solitude over convention, the Stoic wisdom of releasing what we cannot control, and a meditation on being the wave rather than riding it. This is Open Heart at its most honest—an invitation to ask what is truly yours and have the courage to live by that answer. SHOW NOTES: IN THIS EPISODE: Breaking free from traditions, rules, conventions and noise inherited through generationsThe burden of belonging and the echo chambers that define usPersonal story: choosing solitude as salvationThe Stoics on suffering and releasing what was never ours to holdNavigating life's conditions by seeing the big pictureWe are simply passengers sharing the same journey, sky, stars and breathThe wave passage: a meditation on peaceful surrender to life's natural cycleQUOTE: "Peace doesn't lie. And solitude—real, chosen solitude—is my salvation." SEASON 3 ANNOUNCEMENT: Open Heart Season 3 begins June 11, 2026. A brand new season exploring our world from a different perspective. Stay tuned. SHARE YOUR STORY: lu@leslancreativestudio.com Connect with Open Heart Podcast: Website: leslancreativestudio.comApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/open-heart-with-lu-leslan/id1861169448Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2duSwoSJVHFG8wn7SsC1F9YouTube: https://youtu.be/C47yEyI19CMOpen Heart with Lu Leslan is for anyone who aspires to understand themselves and the world more deeply. Through honest personal stories, philosophical insights, and practical wisdom, each episode invites you to live with more clarity, courage, and compassion. Subscribe and share with someone ready to open their heart.  RESOURCES MENTIONED: Lu's first documentary: Take a Bow: The Ingrid Clarfield Story (2011)

    9 min

  2. May 14

    Metamorphosis

    What if transformation isn't something you choose? In this episode, Lu explores metamorphosis as a magical, unstoppable and risky process happening in all of us—visible and invisible, in darkness and in light. She shares the butterfly's secret (complete dissolution before emergence), a deeply personal story about bringing a premature infant into the world, and why our tears are the seeds of transformation. Three profound questions anchor the episode: Does anyone know another person completely? Does it matter what my children think of me as a human being? Can humans trust each other enough to make something greater than themselves? SHOW NOTES: IN THIS EPISODE: Metamorphosis defined: meta meaning change, morphe meaning formThe butterfly's secret: complete dissolution before emergenceThe real risk: a fetus and womb—neither knows what the other will becomePersonal story: bringing a premature infant into the worldTears as seeds of transformation—our yearning for more humanityThree questions: knowing others, children's perceptions, collective trustThe transformation process needs no approval, no permission—only trustThe practice: noticing dissolution, sitting in not-knowingQUOTE: "The caterpillar doesn't cry. But we do." SHARE YOUR STORY: lu@leslancreativestudio.com NEXT EPISODE: Break Free – The Season 2 finale. Connect with Open Heart Podcast: Website: leslancreativestudio.comApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/open-heart-with-lu-leslan/id1861169448Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2duSwoSJVHFG8wn7SsC1F9YouTube: https://youtu.be/C47yEyI19CMThank you for joining this journey of openness and self-discovery. If this episode resonated, please consider subscribing and sharing with someone who might also benefit from my personal stories and insights. RESOURCES MENTIONED: Lu's first documentary: Take a Bow: The Ingrid Clarfield Story (2011)

    11 min

  3. May 7

    Intention

    What if intention isn't about achieving—it's about being? In this episode, Lu explores the difference between intention and goals, intention and expectation, and how living with intention requires courage to let things fall apart. She shares personal examples from daily life—preparing a meal with what she already has, bowing after hot yoga in gratitude—to demonstrate how mindful frugality leads to gratitude, centeredness, and appreciation. This is about choosing direction, trusting the process, and savoring every experience as if it might be the last. SHOW NOTES: IN THIS EPISODE: Intention vs. goal: compass not mapIntention vs. expectation: freedom vs. controlThe courage to risk: being ready for things to fall apartThe meal: using what you have, savoring what's hereThe frugal mind is a grateful mind, a centered mind, an appreciated mindThe hot yoga bow: gratitude for what the body allowsThe practice: three morning questions (Who do I want to BE? What can I CONTRIBUTE? What will I LET GO?)QUOTE: "Intention makes the ordinary extraordinary." SHARE YOUR STORY: lu@leslancreativestudio.com NEXT EPISODE: Metamorphosis – Complete structural transformation, not just change. Connect with Open Heart Podcast: Website: leslancreativestudio.comApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/open-heart-with-lu-leslan/id1861169448Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2duSwoSJVHFG8wn7SsC1F9YouTube: https://youtu.be/C47yEyI19CMThank you for joining this journey of openness and self-discovery. If this episode resonated, please consider subscribing and sharing with someone who might also benefit from my personal stories and insights. RESOURCES MENTIONED: Lu's first documentary: Take a Bow: The Ingrid Clarfield Story (2011)

    11 min

  4. Apr 30

    Chaos

    What if chaos isn't the problem? What if breakdown is how the system works? In this episode, Lu explores chaos as a functional process—from her granddaughter April's first grade lesson about good and bad germs, to the second law of thermodynamics, to the emotional chaos of puberty and relationships. She draws a powerful parallel between how our bodies process food beneath our awareness and how life processes growth beneath our conscious understanding. This is about trusting the breakdown, sitting with the overwhelm, and discovering that chaos is the work—not the punishment. SHOW NOTES: IN THIS EPISODE: April's lesson: good germs and bad germs working togetherThe second law of thermodynamics: entropy and why we can't stop disorderThe body as chaos processor: learning to listen to its signalsChaos through life: moving, remodeling, reorganizingChaos through the body: puberty, relationships, growing painsSitting with chaos: allowing energy to work through the systemThe duality of seen and unseen: macro life continues while micro chaos rebuildsThe practice: sit with chaos, trust the breakdownQUOTE: "We are the architects of the intention, but the guests of the process." SHARE YOUR STORY: lu@leslancreativestudio.com NEXT EPISODE: Intention – Living by design, not by default. Connect with Open Heart Podcast: Website: leslancreativestudio.comApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/open-heart-with-lu-leslan/id1861169448Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2duSwoSJVHFG8wn7SsC1F9YouTube: https://youtu.be/C47yEyI19CMThank you for joining this journey of openness and self-discovery. If this episode resonated, please consider subscribing and sharing with someone who might also benefit from my personal stories and insights. RESOURCES MENTIONED: Lu's first documentary: Take a Bow: The Ingrid Clarfield Story (2011)

    12 min

  5. Apr 23

    Imperfection

    EPISODE DESCRIPTION: What if perfection is the deepest illusion? What if the world is meant to be imperfect? In this episode, Lu explores imperfection at the core of human existence—from conversations across countries revealing no perfect system exists, to the biological parallel of good and bad bacteria we need to function. She shares her personal struggle as a pianist striving for excellence while knowing perfection is impossible, and how her high standards are both a strength and a source of suffering. This is about holding the paradox: striving for excellence AND accepting imperfection at the same time. SHOW NOTES: IN THIS EPISODE: No perfect system: conversations across countries about government and corruptionThe biological parallel: good and bad bacteria in our bodies and in our worldWe live in a perfectly imperfect worldThe pianist's paradox: striving for perfection while knowing it doesn't existPersonal struggle: orderly life, high standards, and the source of sufferingThe practice: laugh at yourself, say thank you, move onHolding the paradox: striving and acceptance togetherQUOTE: "Appreciating imperfection doesn't mean lowering your standards. It means holding high standards with compassion. For the world. For others. For yourself." SHARE YOUR STORY: lu@leslancreativestudio.com NEXT EPISODE: Chaos – The functional breakdown that fuels growth. Connect with Open Heart Podcast: Website: leslancreativestudio.comSocial media links:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/open-heart-with-lu-leslan/id1861169448Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2duSwoSJVHFG8wn7SsC1F9YouTube: https://youtu.be/C47yEyI19CMThank you for joining this journey of openness and self-discovery. If this episode resonated, please consider subscribing and sharing with someone who might also benefit from my personal stories and insights. RESOURCES MENTIONED: Lu's first documentary: Take a Bow: The Ingrid Clarfield Story (2011)

    11 min

  6. Apr 16

    Illusion

    What if memory is just reconstruction? What if the roles you play aren't the sum of who you are? In this episode, Lu explores illusion as the mechanism that keeps us building coherence where there is none. She shares a personal story about looking at a family photo and recognizing the woman but feeling no connection, the biological paradox of six elements creating infinite variety, and why the question "Who am I?" dissolves into silence. This is about noticing when you're creating illusions and learning to exist in the not-knowing. SHOW NOTES: IN THIS EPISODE: Illusion as the friend that keeps us in the loopMemory as reconstruction, not recordingPersonal story: the family photo and the stranger you recognizeThe evolving roles: music teacher, piano teacher, educator, podcaster, filmmakerThe biological paradox: six elements, infinite varietyThe unanswerable question: "Who am I?"The practice: noticing when you're creating coherenceQUOTE: "The self isn't a thing you find. It's a process you're always in the middle of." SHARE YOUR STORY: lu@leslancreativestudio.com NEXT EPISODE: Imperfection – Embracing the cracks in a perfectly imperfect world. Connect with Open Heart Podcast: Website: leslancreativestudio.comSocial media links: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/open-heart-with-lu-leslan/id1861169448 https://open.spotify.com/show/2duSwoSJVHFG8wn7SsC1F9 https://youtu.be/C47yEyI19CMThank you for joining this journey of openness and self-discovery. If this episode resonated, please consider subscribing and sharing with someone who might also benefit from my personal stories and insights. RESOURCES MENTIONED: Lu's first documentary: Take a Bow: The Ingrid Clarfield Story (2011)

    13 min

  7. Apr 9

    Human Bias

    What is the “self”—and who is this “you” trying so hard to become a better version of? In this episode, Lu Leslan explores the curious phenomenon of human bias: how the very self that seeks improvement is the same one tangled in the problems it wants to fix. Through humor, wisdom, and gentle reflection, we dive into five common “self-traps” that keep us stuck in endless loops of self-judgment, self-delusion, and self-care exhaustion. What if the solution isn’t more effort—but laughter and lightness? Join Lu as she unwraps this cosmic joke and shares a fresh perspective on who we really are. Show Notes: Revisiting the idea that we don’t see the world as it is, but as we areWhat does it mean that the “self” is a constructed story?The Five Self-Traps we all fall into: Self-Esteem, Self-Consciousness, Self-Delusion, Self-Talk, and Self-CareWhy the self trying to fix itself is like using a broken compassThe cosmic joke of self-improvement and why we’re the punchlineHow laughter can break the endless loop of bias and self-judgmentThe ancient wisdom of Wu Wei and the art of effortless beingInviting listeners to notice these patterns and respond with humor and kindnessResources: Email Lu your thoughts, stories, or questions: lu@leslancreativestudio.comPrevious episode on Existence and Absurdity (Episode 3) for reference and deeper contextConnect with Open Heart Podcast: Website: leslancreativestudio.comSocial media links: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/open-heart-with-lu-leslan/id1861169448 https://open.spotify.com/show/2duSwoSJVHFG8wn7SsC1F9 https://youtu.be/C47yEyI19CMThank you for joining this journey of openness and self-discovery. If this episode resonated, please consider subscribing and sharing with someone who might also benefit from a little laughter and lightness. RESOURCES MENTIONED: Lu's first documentary: Take a Bow: The Ingrid Clarfield Story (2011)

    11 min

  8. Apr 2

    Existence

    What does it mean to exist in a world of wars, poverty, and endless suffering? In this episode, Lu explores existential questions through the lens of Wu Wei—keeping perspective without force. She shares the duality of human existence (blessed with imagination, cursed with conflict), the wonder of looking at the night sky across time, and a powerful poem from a national park. This is about holding existence and absurdity in our minds because we can. SHOW NOTES: IN THIS EPISODE: The blessed and the cursed: duality of human existenceWu Wei: following the natural path like water flowing downstreamThe starlight phenomenon: connection across millenniaA national park poem about grace and courageThree questions: What can I control? What should I let go of? What can I learn today?QUOTE: "Philosophers have debated human existence for centuries. The final analysis in the face of absurdity is to live our life fully with the cards we have. Nothing more, nothing less. Just to BE." SHARE YOUR STORY: lu@leslancreativestudio.com NEXT EPISODE: Human Bias – How our experiences shape everything we perceive. RESOURCES MENTIONED: Lu's first documentary: Take a Bow: The Ingrid Clarfield Story (2011)

    8 min
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About

Join musician and filmmaker Lu as she shares intimate stories about finding unexpected connections in life. From exploring identity through names to navigating between cultures, from creative breakthroughs to encounters with nature - each episode digs into moments of genuine human experience. Through vulnerable storytelling and reflection, Lu invites listeners to discover their own surprising connections in everyday life. Send your questions and stories - let's explore these connections together.

Information

  • Creator
    Lu Leslan
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Open Heart with Lu Leslan
  • Show Website
    Open Heart with Lu Leslan