dropping the great burden | Associate Zen Master, Valerie Forstman
A new podcast episode is out! (Apple, Snipd, Spotify, RSS)
On the third episode of my new podcast, "Less Than One," I sat down with Valerie Frostman, former professional flutist, and now associate Zen Master and guiding teacher at Mountain Cloud Zen Center.
Her story starts in a place many of us know too well—grinding away at a high level, chasing perfection, until something inside her pushed back. For her, it the eventual realization she was losing her love for the very thing she'd given her life to.
What happened next is where it gets wild.
A friend suggested she try sitting at a Zen center. First night, 25 minutes of silence, and despite her distracted mind going chatter (what mediators call "monkey mind"), she felt like she'd come home. That was 30 years ago.
Why you should listen
For the high performers: Valerie directly addresses the fear that meditation will make you soft or kill your edge. Spoiler: it won't. She explains how laying down what she calls "the great burden" actually freed up her mental bandwidth. You don't lose your drive—you just stop wasting energy on all the unnecessary mental overhead.
For the curious: We break down what Zen actually is (beyond the greeting cards and perfume bottles), what koans are, and how to start a (serious) practice.
For anyone who's lost someone: At the end, I asked Valerie about dealing with loss. I lost my dad over a decade ago and still miss him . Her response...that those we've lost are "right here" in ways we might not expect.
A few moments that stuck with me:
When she realized "unconditional love isn't something you give or receive-it's what you are"
Her teacher saying a human personality is just "a lump of karma" (we're all still our messy selves, just held together less tightly)
Time collapsing into a single point where the only moment that exists is now
If you're even slightly curious about meditation, or if you're already practicing but want to go deeper, this one's worth your time.
You can find Valerie's teaching at mountaincloud.org if you want to sit with her online or visit Mountain Cloud Zen Center in Santa Fe.
Let me know what you think.
Be well,
hey Kevin, this isn't related to your post but I didn't know how to get in touch. I wanted to convey concerns re: Nord VPN. They have configured their product to silently launch and run a module at computer boot up despite the fact that I have disabled auto-start both at the Windows config level and the app settings level. I find that extremely sketchy and sus. I've cancelled my subscription and have removed it from my computer. I know you to be a standup and high integrity guy from your chat with Tim on the Random Show. I wanted to draw this to your attention. You can typically verify this by accessing the Windows task manager where you'll see the Nord VPN component running. I think you still recommend this product and you accept sponsorships from them. Perhaps you'll reconsider.
Anyways, big fan of your work and looking forward to additional posts!
That’s a beautiful episode & article, thanks a lot :)
Have u ever looked into panpsychism?