Open Heart with Lu Leslan
Join musician and filmmaker Lu as she shares intimate stories about finding unexpected connections in life. From exploring identity through names to navigating between cultures, from creative breakthroughs to encounters with nature - each episode digs into moments of genuine human experience. Through vulnerable storytelling and reflection, Lu invites listeners to discover their own surprising connections in everyday life. Send your questions and stories - let's explore these connections together.
Episodes
28 episodes
From Apology to Forgiveness
S-O-R-R-Y. The most spoken word in everyday conversation — and perhaps the least understood. Episode 6 of Open Heart Season 3 takes apart the word sorry letter by letter, examines what apology actually does versus what we hope it does, and asks...
The Border
Every border we live inside — we inherited. Episode 5 of Open Heart Season 3 asks what it cost in human lives — and tells the story of one woman alone in a motel room with yellowish curtains in Tijuana in 1979 — who crossed a border she wasn't ...
Superiority vs. Dignity
Where does superiority come from — and what does it cost us? Episode 4 of Open Heart Season 3 traces the origins of superiority from a ten year old girl winning a woodwind competition to the labels we use to divide ourselves. And then shows wha...
The Why Question
Why do we want what we want? Why do we stop asking the most important question — and fill the silence with consumption, shortcuts and masks? Episode 3 of Open Heart Season 3 traces the why question from the first human who looked up at the sky ...
State of Mind
EPISODE 2 — STATE OF MIND SHOW NOTESThe mind is not a fixed address. It is transient yet powerful — a state of storming weather followed by peaceful calm. No clues for where it is heading or where it will land.This e...
Demons in Ourselves
EPISODE 1 — DEMONS IN OURSELVES SHOW NOTESWe all carry something dark. Something inherited. Something we didn't choose.This episode asks the hardest questions:Where do our demons come from — our genes or ...
Season 3 Trailer
Season 3 of Open Heart arrives June 11th. Hosted by pianist and philosopher Lu Leslan, this season moves inward — through demons, borders, forgiveness, paradox, and the words we repeat without ever questioning them. Not a self-help guide. Not a...
Break Free
What truth remains when you dare to let go of everything that was never truly yours? In this Season 2 finale, Lu explores what it means to break free—not from life or people, but from the accumulated weight of traditions, rules, conventions, an...
Metamorphosis
What if transformation isn't something you choose? In this episode, Lu explores metamorphosis as a magical, unstoppable and risky process happening in all of us—visible and invisible, in darkness and in light. She shares the butterfly's secret ...
Intention
What if intention isn't about achieving—it's about being? In this episode, Lu explores the difference between intention and goals, intention and expectation, and how living with intention requires courage to let things fall apart. She shares pe...
Chaos
What if chaos isn't the problem? What if breakdown is how the system works? In this episode, Lu explores chaos as a functional process—from her granddaughter April's first grade lesson about good and bad germs, to the second law of thermodynami...
Imperfection
EPISODE DESCRIPTION:What if perfection is the deepest illusion? What if the world is meant to be imperfect? In this episode, Lu explores imperfection at the core of human existence—from conversations across countries revealing no ...
Illusion
What if memory is just reconstruction? What if the roles you play aren't the sum of who you are? In this episode, Lu explores illusion as the mechanism that keeps us building coherence where there is none. She shares a personal story about look...
Human Bias
What is the “self”—and who is this “you” trying so hard to become a better version of? In this episode, Lu Leslan explores the curious phenomenon of human bias: how the very self that seeks improvement is the same one tangled in the problems it...
Existence
What does it mean to exist in a world of wars, poverty, and endless suffering? In this episode, Lu explores existential questions through the lens of Wu Wei—keeping perspective without force. She shares the duality of human existence (blessed w...
Duality in Practice
How many times have you felt two opposing truths at once? Wanting to stay AND wanting to go. Loving someone AND needing space. In this episode, Lu introduces the WAIT technique for holding duality without breaking. Learn how to Watch both truth...
Thought Capturing in Practice
What if you could embrace your thoughts with an open heart, without judgment? In this episode, Lu introduces a 5-step process for observing thoughts with curiosity. Learn how to sort thoughts into what serves you, challenges you, and nourishes ...
The Power of Storytelling
In this Season 1 finale, we explore the thread that's woven through every episode: The Power of Storytelling. Why do our stories matter? What happens when we name what's been invisible? And how does sharing our experiences connect us across con...
Motherhood Redefined
In this deeply personal episode of Open Heart, Lu Leslan reflects on the transformative and paradoxical journey of motherhood. Moving beyond societal expectations and biological definitions, motherhood is examined as a profound initiation that ...
Let It Be
In this thoughtful episode of Open Heart, Lu Leslan invites us to explore the transformative power of surrendering — not as passivity, but as a conscious alignment with the natural rhythms of life and our deeper selves. Journey into th...
Looking for Love
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:Why love remains one of the most misunderstood words in our languageHow biological processes influence our experience of connection and attachmentThe illusions of love: unde...
Teach Me
In this thoughtful episode of Open Heart, Lu Leslan reflects on the lifelong journey of learning and teaching. Drawing from insights in her previous episode Music Mapping, Lu explores the architecture of learning—from imitatio...
Thinking of You, Mom
In this deeply personal episode of Open Heart, Lu Leslan reflects on her mother’s quiet strength, the complex emotions of loss, and the enduring impact of a love both tender and transformative.Lu shares intimate memories—...
Music Mapping
In this deeply personal episode of Open Heart, Lu Leslan explores Music Mapping—the invisible pathways music carves in our consciousness from childhood innocence to adult mastery, and sometimes, transcendence.Lu shares ...
Cultural Bridges | Navigating Identity Across Generations and Traditions
In this episode of **Open Heart**, Lu Leslan shares her personal journey of building cultural bridges—connecting Taiwan and the United States, integrating Eastern and Western musical traditions, and navigating generational divides. She reflects...