In this episode of Living Dharma, we sit down with Susan Kaiser Greenland—best-selling author, mindfulness teacher, Mind & Life fellow, and a pioneering voice in bringing contemplative practice into schools and family life.

Susan shares her path into meditation through a family health crisis, the challenges of a strong “thinking mind,” and how her legal training helped her navigate secular education settings with precision and care. We explore her foundational principle—“serve the child in front of you now”—and what she’s learned about attention, regulation, and humility from decades of working with young people. Susan also discusses her recent book Real World Enlightenment: Discovering Ordinary Magic in Everyday Life, and offers grounded reflections on practicing compassion and democratic values amid collective anxiety and polarization.

A rich, practical conversation about awareness, love, compassion, wisdom—and finding ordinary magic in everyday life.