After a client checked in on her wellbeing following a newsletter that said she felt overwhelmed, Diana reflects on how modern life collapses the space we need to know what fuels us versus drains us. She shares creating space through an “energy audit,” moving commitments, stepping back from Instagram, and hiring help, alongside preparing for an emotionally significant talk at her son’s prestigious prep school where her eating disorder and perfectionism began. In her Sangha/Dharma talk, she reframes “space between stimulus and response” into space within, between, and around us, emphasizing psychological distancing—relating to thoughts and feelings rather than being inside them. Drawing from time in the ER with a close friend recovering from extensive cancer surgery, she explores interbehavioral fields, brain “syncing” research, and the idea that what holds everything is consciousness. 

Every year, Dr. Diana Hill brings her family to Plum Village in Southern France, no small feat with two teenagers. This episode distills five lessons from this year's retreat: why letting yourself cry is an act of love, the mantra "sometimes things like this happen," the idea that you're the missing instrument shaping the harmony around you, how disease can purify the soul, and why every movement, every step, every conversation has its own small life. Practical wisdom from the monastics of Plum Village, translated for wherever you're using your energy right now.