The Buddha taught a path of awakened living, but how does that manifest in today’s world of constant connectivity and widespread suffering?

How do we keep our hearts open without being defined or hardened by the pain that surrounds us, whether personal, collective, or historical? How do we navigate the paradox of holding both pain and joy, without mistaking suffering for punishment or personal failure? Can we infuse our compassion with wisdom and perspective to find the agency to take meaningful action in our communities? In her new series, Engaged Compassion, Sharon delves into these questions and more, engaging in candid conversations with a diverse group of teachers, activists, and changemakers.

For the inaugural episode, Sharon’s speaks with longtime friend and colleague, Jerry Colonna—a renowned coach, writer, and speaker who specializes in leadership, business, and the practice of radical self-inquiry. Jerry is the Co-founder and CEO of Reboot.io, a company inspired by the belief that work need not destroy us. He is also the author of two books: "Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up" (2019) and "Reunion: Leadership and the Longing to Belong" (2023). For more than two decades, Jerry has championed the idea that work should be non-violent to the self, the community, and the planet. This marks his third appearance on the Metta Hour Podcast.

In this conversation, Sharon and Jerry speak about:

Suffering and the end of suffering
The Four Noble Truths
Sara Bareilles and Gavin Creel
Holding many things at once
Where resilience comes from
How generosity can appear in extreme loss
Jerry’s time in India after an earthquake
The dynamics of hope and fear
How we actually “get over loss”
Misunderstanding karma
Control veiled as “magical thinking”
How unworthiness leads to isolation
Compassion is not hierarchical
The Dalai Lama winning a Grammy
Suffering versus Extra Suffering
Facing our helplessness
The fixation with fixing things
Finding fuel for the long haul
Facing our nihilism

Additional Resources

You can learn more about Jerry’s work and his organization Reboot.io right here. This episode is also being release on the Reboot Podcast, which can be found right here. You can listen to Jerry’s first appearance on the Metta Hour in Episode 102, recorded in 2019 and his second appearance, Episode 229, recorded in 2023.

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Ep. 281 – Engaged Compassion: Jerry Colonna

Metta Hour with Sharon Salzberg