Today we welcome Sharon Salzberg, who is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. She is the co-founder of The Insight Meditation Society. Her podcast, The Metta Hour, has amassed six million downloads and features interviews with thought leaders from the mindfulness movement and beyond. Her latest book is called Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom. In this episode, I talk to Sharon Salzberg about navigating real life. When we are faced with trials and tribulations, it feels as if we're alone. On top of that, our underlying assumptions about the world and ourselves can make us feel worse. Sharon shares with us useful tips that can help us deal with overwhelming emotions and pain. She believes that by cultivating these loving-kindness practices, it can help us feel more open and free, allowing our inner lights to shine forth. Website: www.sharonsalzberg.com Twitter: @SharonSalzberg Topics 02:17 From isolation to openness and freedom 05:36 Suffering from our unexamined assumptions 07:33 “Shaking hands” with our emotions 11:35 Looking within with love 15:38 Guilt, shame, and remorse 19:23 Loving-kindness exercises 23:33 “When we connect with others, we find ourselves” 27:07 The light within us all 30:34 The Dalai Lama’s visit to insight meditation society 33:15 Widening our window of tolerance 39:11 Allow yourself to feel joy 40:57 Dealing with illness and physical pain 48:00 Aspiration powers our journey Subscribe to The Psychology Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/psychology-podcast-dr.-scott/id942777522 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-psychology-podcast-with-scott-barry-kaufman/the-psychology-podcast-with-dr-scott-barry-kaufman?refid=stpr See past episodes and join in the Discussion: https://scottbarrykaufman.com/podcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepsychologypodcast?ref=br_tf Twitter: https://twitter.com/psychpodcast #ThePsychologyPodcast