Episode Details

What if the peace we're searching for isn't somewhere out in the world... What if it's already here?

In this deeply contemplative episode of The Story of Us, Jeff Ellison sits down with mindfulness teacher, psychotherapist, martial artist, entrepreneur, and author Colin Chenery for a conversation that spans more than four decades of seeking wisdom across cultures, disciplines, and traditions.

From studying martial arts and Eastern philosophy to working as a psychotherapist, addiction counselor, business leader, and meditation teacher, Colin has spent a lifetime asking some of humanity's oldest questions:

Why do we suffer?

How do we heal?

And what does it truly mean to live well?

Rather than offering easy answers, Colin gently invites us toward something simpler—and perhaps much more profound.

Presence.

Acceptance.

And the realization that wisdom is not something we acquire.

It is something we gradually uncover.

Together, Jeff and Colin explore mindfulness, Zen, psychotherapy, addiction recovery, consciousness and the surprising truth that our greatest teacher may ultimately be our own direct experience of life.

In This Episode

• Colin's remarkable journey through martial arts, psychotherapy, and mindfulness
• What Eastern philosophy and Western psychology can learn from one another
• Why suffering is often created by our relationship to experience rather than the experience itself
• Addiction, recovery, and the search for wholeness
• The role of meditation in everyday life
• The Japanese concept of ikigai and living with purpose
• Why wisdom accumulates quietly rather than arriving all at once
• Finding peace in the present moment instead of chasing it somewhere else
• Living a life of service, compassion, and mindful awareness

Memorable Quotes

"You don't need to become enlightened. Just relax and open up to what's already there."

"Peace be with you. May you be full of love, full of life, and be of benefit in love and life to others."

About Colin Chenery

Colin Chenery is a psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher, martial artist, author, and educator whose work integrates decades of experience in psychology, addiction recovery, contemplative practice, and Eastern philosophy. Through his writing, teaching, and guided meditations, he helps people cultivate greater awareness, resilience, and compassion while discovering the wisdom already present within themselves.

Connect with Colin Chenery

🌐 Website: https://sixcirclesmindfulness.com

Explore Colin's books, guided meditations, mindfulness resources, and courses, including his contemplative meditation recordings and practices.

Connect with The Story of Us

🌐 Website: https://thestoryofusproject.com/start-here

If this conversation brought you a moment of stillness or helped you see your own life through a new lens, please leave a rating and review. Sharing the show helps us continue exploring the stories that connect us all—from cosmic dawn to the depths of being.

Because perhaps wisdom isn't waiting for us at the top of some distant mountain.

Perhaps it has been quietly walking beside us all along...

Waiting for us to slow down long enough to notice.