Episode cover
What Solitude Gives Us After Catastrophe with Pico Iyer
March 11, 2025 · 58 min

What happens when we step into silence? Author Pico Iyer joins Amy Julia Becker to discuss his book Aflame: Learning from Silence. He reflects on his time spent in monasteries and how he grounds the ethereal idea of silence in the very earthy realities of everyday life—filled with deadlines, relationships, and the unexpected, like the wildfire that consumed his home in southern California. Pico and Amy Julia examine:

the profound lessons that arise from moments of crisishow practices of silence transform lives and relationshipsthe importance of community and servicethe essence of a good life

_

Women's Conference 2025 | Greenwich, CTMeet Amy Julia in person!

_

Free Resource/PDF Download:5 Ways to Experience God's Love and Practice Peace

_

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Aflame: Learning from Silence by Pico IyerIyer's 1990 Time essay: "California: In The Blazing Eye of the Inferno"

_

CONNECT with Pico Iyer on his website (www.picoiyerjourneys.com).

_

WATCH this conversation on YouTube by clicking here. READ the full transcript and access detailed show notes by clicking here or visiting amyjuliabecker.com/podcast.

_

ABOUT:

Pico Iyer is the author of fifteen books, translated into twenty-three languages, and has been a constant contributor for more than thirty years to Time, The New York Times, Harper’s Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, and more than 250 other periodicals worldwide. His four recent talks for TED have received more than eleven million views. 

___

Let’s stay in touch. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive weekly reflections that challenge assumptions about the good life, proclaim the inherent belovedness of every human being, and envision a world of belonging where everyone matters.

We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text!

Connect with me:

Instagram Facebook YouTube Website

Thanks for listening!