The Way Out Is In

This podcast pairs Brother Phap Huu, who served as Thich Nhat Hanh's personal attendant for 17 years and now leads Plum Village's Upper Hamlet, with Jo Confino, a leadership coach and former journalist. It's an unusual combination that works beautifully. Brother Phap Huu brings the lived monastic experience; Jo brings the questions that a thoughtful layperson would actually ask. With 104 episodes and a stunning 4.9-star rating from over 1,300 listeners, this is one of the highest-rated Buddhism podcasts on Apple. Episodes run about 90 minutes, which is long, but the conversational pace makes them feel natural rather than bloated. They sit together at Plum Village in France and talk through themes like fear, anger, love, and what it means to truly be present. The name comes from Thich Nhat Hanh's calligraphy, pointing to the idea that the way out of difficulty is to look within. The production quality is excellent, co-produced by the Plum Village App and Global Optimism. You can hear birds in the background sometimes, the monastery grounds bleeding into the recording. Brother Phap Huu shares stories from 25 years of monastic life with remarkable openness, including the vulnerable moments and the doubts. This is specifically rooted in Thich Nhat Hanh's Zen tradition, so if you're drawn to that lineage, it's essential listening. But even if you're not, the warmth and groundedness of these conversations makes them appealing to anyone interested in how contemplative life intersects with the modern world.