Open Ground

Erik Irvin
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Open Ground is a podcast about enthusiasm for a wise society: spreading encouragement for planting seeds of wisdom with others. In unhurried conversations with therapists, teachers, artists, builders and technologists, host Erik Irvin asks whether our accelerating world can also grow wiser, and explores the relationships, practices and rituals that help. Drawing on contemplative practice, parts work, somatics and integral thinking, each episode looks for common ground. For reflection and education, not therapy or medical advice.

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    From Doing to Being, with Eli Brown-Stevenson

    What happens when we let the felt sense of care, rather than the managing mind, sit in the driver's seat? Eli Brown-Stevenson, a Soto Zen priest at San Francisco Zen Center, joins Erik to talk about moving from doing to being, and what that might mean for kids, communities and a society reshaped by AI. We talk about: How a book about the Singularity led Eli to invest in humanity, and eventually to ZenBeing handed a sponge at Tassajara and told: just cleanThree capacities kids will need for the future, which Buddhism has been addressing for 2,600 yearsSuzuki Roshi's "main office and branch office," and why our inner managers find it scary"To control a cow, give it a wider pasture"How strangers become a "sangha body" during a 90-day practice periodUsing AI as a mirror for personal reflection (Eli's own practice, not a recommendation)Meeting a restless student with a smile instead of correctionPublic abundance, and hope that is "not blind optimism"About Eli Brown-Stevenson: Eli (dharma name So-on) is a Zen priest at San Francisco Zen Center, ordained in 2019, who lives and practices at Green Gulch Farm. Before Zen he worked in business and management. He has taught mindfulness to young children and brings Internal Family Systems (IFS) into conversation with Zen practice. Chapters0:00 Open Ground intro0:07 Welcome, Eli0:29 Why Zen? A book about the Singularity5:24 Arriving at Zen: Tassajara and a sponge12:59 What should we cultivate in the next few years?20:39 Care, Buddha nature and Waldorf26:31 From doing to being: the main office and the branch office32:53 Releasing control: the sangha body37:40 Abundance, equity and what AI can't do for us42:55 AI, brain science and alignment47:35 AI as a mirror58:25 Kids: being seen, not managed1:07:21 Public abundance and hope1:18:10 Closing Open Ground exists to spread encouragement and enthusiasm for planting seeds of wisdom with others. For reflection and education, not therapy or medical advice.

    From Doing to Being, with Eli Brown-Stevenson

  2. Oct 31

    Healing Relationships with Parents, with Kan Yan

    What would it take to heal your relationship with your parents as an adult? Kan Yan, host of the Parents Reimagined podcast and workshops, shares how he went from dissociating around his father, a Chinese immigrant with a fierce temper, to a weekly family conversation that still continues years later. We talk about: Why catharsis rarely changes relational patterns, and why slow "erosion" doesWill and capacity: setting realistic expectations of a parentThe immigrant gap that can feel like centuries between generationsEstrangement and no-contact, and why it often hurts parents mostKan's four-part model: releasing, reimagining, support and experimentationOral histories as a gentle way in with a hesitant parentWhy the parent relationship feels foundational to a stable sense of selfAbout Kan Yan: Kan hosts the Parents Reimagined podcast and coaches adult children who want to transform their relationships with their parents. His own family struggles led him into meditation, psychology and transformative coaching. Before that he earned a law degree from Harvard and worked at the United Nations, McKinsey & Company and MAPS. Website: parentsreimagined.comPodcast: Parents Reimagined on Spotify and Apple PodcastsSubstack: parentsreimagined.substack.comInstagram: @parentsreimaginedpodcast Content note: includes a brief mention of childhood abuse, including sexual abuse (around 47:40). Chapters 0:00 Open Ground intro0:10 Welcome: Kan Yan and Parents Reimagined2:09 How Kan's relationship with his father began to change4:29 The immigrant gap: "centuries" between generations6:21 Will and capacity12:32 Estrangement and no-contact15:41 The clearing conversation and a year of family therapy18:56 Catharsis vs. erosion23:37 Inviting fathers into intimacy25:16 The four-part model: releasing, reimagining, support, experimentation29:23 Oral histories and natural empathy35:32 Why the parent relationship feels foundational40:11 Chosen family and the family of origin43:54 Family as ancient ground47:18 Stories of redemption48:37 Closing Open Ground exists to spread encouragement and enthusiasm for planting seeds of wisdom with others. For reflection and education, not therapy or medical advice.

    Healing Relationships with Parents, with Kan Yan
  • 2 Episodes

About

Open Ground is a podcast about enthusiasm for a wise society: spreading encouragement for planting seeds of wisdom with others. In unhurried conversations with therapists, teachers, artists, builders and technologists, host Erik Irvin asks whether our accelerating world can also grow wiser, and explores the relationships, practices and rituals that help. Drawing on contemplative practice, parts work, somatics and integral thinking, each episode looks for common ground. For reflection and education, not therapy or medical advice.

Information

  • Creator
    Erik Irvin
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    2
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Erik Irvin
  • Show Website
    Open Ground