The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern

Ep 182 - The Three Poisons

On the latest episode of The Road Home podcast, we dive into one of the deepest and most crucial teachings of Buddhist philosophy of the mind: the three poisons. These co

Ep. 181 - You Must Be Somebody Before You Can Be Nobody with Noel Coakley

On the latest episode of The Road Home podcast, Ethan was joined by friend Noel Coakley. A brilliant and kind psychotherapist and Dharma teacher, Noel has a style as a sp

Ep. 180 - What's Up With The Dudes? with Dr. Chris Willard

Recently I was talking to my friend Dr. Chris Willard, and he mentioned a desire to have a conversation about the effects of patriarchy on men, and especially younger men

Ep. 179 - The Power of Women Spiritual Teachers with Erica Bassani

After a brief memorial to the late Tenzin Robert Thurman, Ethan welcomes author and seeker Erica Bassani to discuss her new book, Women in Love with the Divine. Erica's b

Ep. 178 - What Acceptance Means (and What It Doesn't)

In this solo episode, Ethan takes on the practice of "acceptance." He gets into the nitty gritty of how frequently we spiritual folks misinterpret the meaning of acceptan

Ep. 177 - Love is Messy: The Dharma of Relationships with Devon and Nico Hase

Ethan welcomes teachers and authors devon and nico hase to discuss their new book, This Messy, Gorgeous Love: A Buddhist Guide to Lasting Partnership. Devon and nico are

Ep. 176 - Loving an Addict and Making Friends with Grief with Bryan Welch

Ethan welcomes author, meditator, entrepreneur and organic farmer Bryan Welch for a heart-opening conversation about grief, loss, and loving someone who can't be saved. I

Ep. 175 - Crucial Questions: What Is The Mind, Anyway? Musings on the relationship between Consciousness and Matter.

Hey friends, in this solo episode of The Road Home, I continue my occasional foray into some of the more interesting and important questions that come up while we study a

Ep. 174 - Mindfulness in Hell and Making A Dharma Mix Tape with Oneika Mays

Ethan welcomes yoga/mindfulness teacher Oneika Mays— the author of the great new book Sit With Me— for a fascinating conversation on her personal path through mindfulness

Ep. 173 - Fail Like A Legend: Confidence, Longing, and The Eight Worldly Winds, Revisited

Hey friends, this is the first episode of The Road Home in a bit. Please remember to check out and sign up for the upcoming Windhorse (Confidence) meditation workshop on

Ep. 172 - Invoking The Muse: Dharma Art with Josh Ritter

"Intuition doesn't seem to act aggressively." -Josh Ritter Ethan welcomes his friend, contemporary folk musician and novelist Josh Ritter for a conversation about creati

Ep. 171 - How To Make Use of Your Broken Heart

Sometimes life breaks your heart. Right now, the world is breaking most of our hearts. And if it isn't breaking your heart, you're not paying attention. But what does a b

Ep. 170 - Worldly Enlightenment and The Path of The "Householder" with Lou Sharma

In classic Buddhism, there is often a meaningful emphasis on going very deep into the spiritual life, often through leaving the world behind for long periods of time and

Ep. 169 - On Mindful Democracy with Jeremy David Engels

What's wrong with democracy these days? Can it be rescued? Can it be made more mindful? Can we work together to build something better? What's the role of compassion in b

Ep. 168 - How (and When) Do We Practice Compassion For Those Who Cause Harm?

Ethan tackles an age-old dharma question: how do we generate compassion for those who do harmful things? Should we even try, or does that make things worse? In the age of

Ep. 167 - The Fire Inside: A Conversation with Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad

Ethan talks to author, scholar and teacher Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad about her insightful new book The Fire Inside: The Dharma of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde. Mixing scholar

Ep. 166 - Kindness, Innocence, And Emotional Awareness: A Conversation with Sharon Salzberg

What is the relationship between Metta (lovingkindness practice) and developing, or rediscovering, a childlike innocence? How can Buddhist meditation help both kids and a

Ep. 165 - Against The Stream: Karma, Mindfulness, and The Algorithms We (Don't Have To) Live By

Ethan continues recent conversations on tech, mindfulness and dharma to examine how much of our karma (ie "habit energy" according to the late master Thich Nhat Hanh) is

Ep. 164 - What is Engaged Buddhism? A Conversation with Roshi Joan Halifax

At a recent event in support of Dharma Moon's Yearlong Buddhist Studies program on January 6th, Ethan was joined by the great Roshi Joan Halifax, to discuss the practice,

Ep. 163 - The Astrology of 2026: Revolutionary Momentum, Breakthrough and Integration with Juliana McCarthy

Ethan welcomes back bestselling author and Buddhist Astrologer Juliana McCarthy (Ethereal Culture, The Stars Within You) to dive headfirst into a discussion of the moment