ABOUT THE PODCAST
The Way Out Is In podcast series was created to make the teachings and practices of world-renowned Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh applicable to our everyday lives in order to help us transform our suffering and find greater stability and peace.
It has now had nearly 4 million downloads, sits at number two in the Buddhism section of Apple podcasts, and has a five star rating from the 2.5k reviews on Spotify.
Recordings normally take place around the kitchen table of Thich Nhat Hanh’s cosy Sitting Still Hut, situated within the Plum Village monastery in the South West of France.
Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything; anger, anxiety, or possessions – we cannot be free
Thich Nhat Hanh
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Brother Pháp Hữu
Brother Pháp Hữu is a senior Teacher in Thich Nhat Hanh’s international community and the Abbot of the monks’ community in Plum Village, the practice center founded by Thich Nhat Hanh in southwest France. Born in Vietnam, he emigrated to Canada as a child. He began training with Thich Nhat Hanh at the age of thirteen when he first entered the monastery to become a monk.
He accompanied Thich Nhat Hanh on his international teaching tours and was his attendant for more than fifteen years.
Today, Brother Phap Huu is deeply committed to building community and continuing Thich Nhat Hanh’s legacy. His youthful energy and fresh approach make the teachings of mindfulness and meditation more accessible to people from all walks of life, including those in leadership, families, and young adults.
Brother Phap Huu's ability to connect with diverse audiences continues to helpe spread the Plum Village tradition to a broader global community, and is a beloved co-host of the Plum Village podcast, The Way Out is In.
Jo Confino
Jo Confino is an executive coach, spiritual mentor, journalist and sustainability expert.
He works at the intersection of personal transformation and systems evolution; working with several organizations including Leaders’ Quest and Global Optimism.
Besides his coaching practice, which focuses on leaders in the fields of climate and sustainability, Jo chairs and facilitates events and conferences and runs smaller retreats and workshops.
Jo, who lives a few minutes walk from Plum Village and is a member of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Order of Interbeing, was an executive editor at the Guardian for 23 years and executive editor, Impact & Innovation, at the HuffPost in New York.
Ocean Vuong
Ocean Vuong is a Vietnamese American poet, essayist, and novelist. He is the recipient of the 2014 Ruth Lilly/Sargent Rosenberg Fellowship from the Poetry Foundation, 2016 Whiting Award, and the 2017 T. S. Eliot Prize. His debut novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, was published in 2019.
Ocean says, "Fiction is strongest when it launches a moral question — when it goes out and seeks to answer the questions that we couldn't ask in life because the costs would be too much."
He lives in Northampton, Massachusetts. His new book, titled The Emperor of Gladness, has just been released.
COST & DONATIONS
100% of all profit from the event will go to the Plum Village Construction fund.
In addition to the ticket price, please consider making an additional donation if you can. Any amount helps.
This campaign will help with required upgrades to the buildings in Plum Village France, so that they can continue to welcome retreatants and provide for the wellbeing of monastics plus institute green building practices in their work - ensuring that Plum Village remains a place of refuge and renewal for generations to come.
If you are a UK tax payer you can gift aid this on check out.
Refunds
We are currently unable to offer refunds.
CALM IN THE STORM
Phap Huu and Jo's second book Calm in the Storm- Zen Ways to Cultivate Stability in an Anxious World is released in August. You can order a copy to pick up at the event with a 30% discount.
In an age marked by climate anxiety, social fragmentation, and unrelenting pressure to perform, Calm in the Storm is a much-needed anchor.
This deeply compassionate guide invites readers to cultivate inner stability in a world that often feels on the brink.
Rather than offering quick fixes or bypassing pain, Zen teacher Brother Phap Huu, leadership coach and spiritual mentor Jo Confino draw on timeless teachings to help readers meet the chaos of modern life with grounded presence and resilience.
Through intimate stories, mindfulness practices, and heartfelt reflections, the authors gently guide us back to ourselves—back to a place where we can breathe, feel, and respond with clarity rather than react with fear.
Whether facing personal overwhelm or collective grief, Calm in the Storm offers a path toward rooted compassion and meaningful engagement.
Because you are alive, everything is possible.
Thich Nhat Hanh
