In this episode, John interviews author, book editor, meditation teacher, and psychotherapist, Dr. Connie Zweig. We begin by exploring Connie’s history with meditation and the value and importance that she places on maintaining a practice in order to be present with the often overwhelming affect of inner work. She cites the necessity of body practice to work with the shadow – the content, traits, memories, and affects that does not fit into the ego-ideal. Why do this? Because, as she states, “Shadow work is the process of development.” We can learn to become aware of these inner figures by personifying them to relate to them in ways that provides us an opportunity to integrate the content rather than act it out. We continue the conversation with the ways in which we identify with the shadow, the structure of the psyche, the origins of the shadow character, the protective aspects of shadow, ego development, family of origin, agism, the body/mind relationship, repression, consequences of shadow repression, identification with roles, becoming an elder, rites of passage, age as our curriculum, life completion, and more.