The Quiet Age: How to Find Calm When Life Won’t Slow Down | Cory Allen

Cory Allen (0:00)

We just think about in that moment, like, all right, what am I doing? Am I being honest with myself and the world?

Are my intentions good? Am I doing things to try and do my best for whoever it is that I'm around? Is my integrity there? Am I living by my values even though I don't feel good right now? And just asking yourself those three questions can ground you back in the truth of who you really are.

SPEAKER_2 (0:32)

Welcome to The One You Feed. Throughout time, great thinkers have recognized the importance of the thoughts we have. Quotes like garbage in, garbage out, or you are what you think ring true. And yet, for many of us, our thoughts don't strengthen or empower us. We tend toward negativity, self-pity, jealousy, or fear.

We see what we don't have instead of what we do. We think things that hold us back and dampen our spirit. But it's not just about thinking. Our actions matter. It takes conscious, consistent, and creative effort to make a life worth living.

This podcast is about how other people keep themselves moving in the right direction. How they feed their good wolf.

Eric Zimmer (1:21)

There are two very different people who say the exact same sentence. That's just the way it is.

One of them has arrived at a deep acceptance. The other has given up. From the outside and often from the inside, these sound identical. I asked Cory Allen how you tell them apart, and his answer is one of the reasons I wanted you to hear this conversation.

Cory is a meditation teacher, and this is his fourth time on the show, and his new book is excellent. It's called The Quiet Age. It's a collection of short pieces you can read in a sitting, which is exactly how I've been reading it. A few minutes, then I sit down and I meditate. I'm Eric Zimmer, and this is The One You Feed.

SPEAKER_4 (2:05)

College football is back, so Hilton called on me, the superstition concierge, to make your fan rituals a reality. Need a room to match your lucky number? We got you. Want to make sure our team doesn't wash your lucky jersey? Oh, that smells lucky.

Hilton's unmatched hospitality can keep up with any superstition. Even a marching band wake up call at 555 in 55 seconds. Hit it! When you need a team that will do whatever it takes on game day, it matters where you stay. Hilton, for this day.

SPEAKER_5 (2:36)

Ultra Running Shoes are all about space. The space to go further, to feel better, to do something you never thought possible. And this space starts with Ultra Fit. Unlike traditional running shoes, Ultra Fit gives toes more room to move naturally, so every step is strong, balanced, and comfortable. Whatever you're lacing up for, stay out there with Ultra. Shop now at ultrarunning.com.

That's A-L-T-R-A running.com.

Eric Zimmer (3:05)

Cory, it's great to have you on again.

Cory Allen (3:07)

Man, I'm so glad to be back. Thank you for having me.

Eric Zimmer (3:10)

Of course, of course. I think this is time number four, perhaps. So pretty good track record. And we're here to talk about slash celebrate your new book, which is called The Quiet Age, Finding a Calm Life in a Chaotic World. And it is a beautiful book. I want to start there. I told you that before we got started. Just as a thing to hold in your hands and look at, it is beautifully simple. It's kind of a work of art in itself. And then there's all sorts of amazing material inside of it. But congratulations, it's really wonderful.

Cory Allen (3:42)

Thank you so much, man. And yeah, that was one of the things about the book that to me was really important was because I feel that the material is crucial, but I wanted to extend it to where whenever a reader actually holds the physical object, that it feels almost like they're holding an exhale, that they're holding calm, embodied in their hands.

Because it's really one of the main core aspects of the book, is looking at the intensity and the overwhelm and just how much that our awareness and our minds is eaten away by digital life. And I feel like a part of recovering from that and tuning back into our actual human experience is giving something people can hold and feel that reminds them of why that's so important.

Eric Zimmer (4:34)

Yeah. When I'm reading spiritual books, books for my own growth, my own life, I read it as a book. Now, when I'm reading for work, I'm generally using a Kindle because I can highlight. I often sometimes I'll read fiction on a Kindle. But if it's like a spiritual book for me, I want the book.