I'm Oprah Winfrey. Welcome to Super Soul Conversations, the podcast. I believe that one of

the most valuable gifts you can give yourself is time, taking time to be more fully present.

Your journey to become more inspired and connected to the deeper world around us starts right

now.

In Mark Nippo was diagnosed with cancer in 1987, he expected a difficult and painful road,

but one thing he did not anticipate was the transformative spiritual journey that followed

his cancer.

It was this book, the Book of Awakening, that introduced me to Mark, a collection of daily

inspirations. I liked it so much. I chose it as one of my favorite things back in 2010.

His recent work, a spiritual memoir called, 7,000 Ways to Listen, and his latest poetry

collection, reduced to joy, proves that Mark shows no signs of slowing down. His calling

was evident from the time he was a boy. While Mark's parents were Jewish, they were not

especially devout, but Mark says he's always felt drawn to the spiritual. He began writing

poems to have what he calls a conversation with the universe, seeking a deeper connection

to something bigger than himself.

As he grew up, his passion for poetry grew too. He pursued writing in college and grad

school, earning his doctorate and publishing his first collection of poems in the late

80s.

It was in the summer of 1987 when Mark first noticed a lump on the back of his head. After

months of appointments and tests after tests, doctors confirmed it was cancer, a rare form

of lymphoma growing in and around his skull.

As he began his battle, Mark found himself on a deep spiritual journey, one that would

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