On Tending to the Unfixable & Finding Beauty Anyway | Lisa Olivera

Emotional pain, of all kinds and magnitudes, is part of life. 

We’ll never be able to find ourselves free of it; 

no meditation or amount of therapy will cure us of the harder parts of being alive. 

Celebrated author and therapist, Lisa Olivera has confronted this reality for years, weaving her exploration of it throughout her popular SubStack, Human Stuff. 

She reminds us that the practice of turning toward the ache with care—reverence, even—might be one of the most meaningful gifts we can give ourselves. 

It might even save us.

Through her work, Lisa offers questions and practices that invite us into this possibility.

Questions such as:

• How do we confront and tend to the painful parts of being human without letting that pain entirely overtake us? 
• How do we find joy even when depression visits, even when we lose someone we love, even when the hurt of the world is ever-present? 
• How do we cultivate aliveness in the midst?

 Today we’ll engage with these questions alongside themes from her gorgeous new book:

When the Ache Remains: Lessons on Tending to the Unfixable and Finding Beauty Anyway, 

All of which point to how what Lisa calls; the ache of being alive, 

shapes our lives, 

how we can alchemize pain into medicine, 

how presence is accessible, 

and how it’s possible to find beauty and joy even in the midst of some of our most harrowing experiences.

For more on Lisa, her books, substack, events and other offerings, please visit lisaolivera.com

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Did you find this episode inspiring? Here are other conversations we think you'll love:

• On Soul Work for Times of Uncertainty | Francis Weller
• On Listening and Attending to the Soul | James Hollis
• On Why We Suffer and How We Heal | Dr. Suzan Song

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