Paths of Practice with Frank Olivier

Paths of Practice with Frank Olivier

Author: Vincent Moore April 19, 2026 Duration: 58:55

Frank Olivier is a three-time world juggling champion with a comedy act that’s been seen on the Tonight Show, HBO's Just for Laughs, and America’s Got Talent. He’s entertained two presidents, British royalty, and for Fortune 500 companies as well as performing comedy live onstage with Bill Murray, Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Jim Belushi and Dana Carvey.
He's toured as a national headlining comedian, and he's clean enough that Disney trusted him for a live televised special. These shows, companies and people bring Frank in not only because of how funny he is, but even more so for the sense of play and fun he instills in an audience in any venue. And if he's available he'll come astonish and delight your group as well.
He has been practicing meditation since age 11, and at 25 learned mindfulness practice from Thich Nhat Hanh. For the past 7 years, he’s been focused on the topic of happiness, blending his spiritual journey with over 40 years of spreading laughter and delight as a professional comedian juggler.
For more information about Frank and the resources mentioned in the episode, please visit the following links:
https://www.funnyfrank.com/
https://happinessminute.com/
https://www.trickstohappiness.com/
https://mendosuficamp.org/


We discussed:

*Transcendental Meditation, walking practice, and juggling on a unicycle to earn money for meditation instruction

*Loss, grief, wailing, laughter, and techniques to find the light in the cracks that shines through

*Gratitude practices, Happiness Minute, and developing Tricks to Happiness as way to invite others to welcome more joy into their life

*Sufism, Samuel Lewis (Sufi Sam), Thich Nhat Hanh, and smiling practice

*And the importance of consciously letting in greater happiness and to express our gratitude


Vincent Moore hosts Paths of Practice: Conversations on Journeys into Buddhism, a space where personal stories take center stage. Each episode is built around a simple, profound question: what does it actually look like to live with Buddhist teachings? You’ll hear from people whose lives have been shaped by this path, from long-time monastics and dedicated lay practitioners to those who have just felt a curious pull toward mindfulness and compassion. The conversations avoid dry theory, focusing instead on the messy, human, and often surprising realities of integrating practice into daily life-through family, work, doubt, and discovery. This podcast operates on the belief that there are as many ways to walk this road as there are people walking it, gently exploring that diversity one honest conversation at a time. It’s less about providing answers and more about sharing the map-making process itself, offering companionship and insight for anyone interested in the varied terrain of spiritual life.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Paths of Practice: Conversations on Journeys into Buddhism
Podcast Episodes
Paths of Practice with Stephen Mugen Snyder, Roshi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:46
Stephen Mugen Snyder, Roshi began practicing daily meditation in 1976. Since then, he has studied Buddhism extensively—investigating and engaging in Zen, Tibetan, Theravada, and Western non-dual traditions. He was author…
Paths of Practice with Damiano Seiryū Finizio [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:41
Damiano Finizio was born in Italy in 1992. He began practicing traditional Japanese martial arts in 2012, where he met the Buddhist monk Seiun, who transformed his curiosity for Eastern disciplines and philosophies into…
Paths of Practice with Venerable Robina Courtin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:33
Ordained since the late 1970s, Ven. Robina has worked full time since then for Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). Over the years she has served a…
Paths of Practice with Sinclair Shinryu Thomson, PhD [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:35
Sinclair Shinryu Thomson is the abbot of the Village Zendo in New York City. He received Denkai, or full priest ordination, from Enkyo O’Hara Roshi in August 2007, dharma transmission in December 2009, and Inka in Januar…
Paths of Practice with Naomi Matlow [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:01
Naomi Matlow is a writer and educator specializing in integrating mindfulness and meditation into the lives of those that struggle with busy minds. She recently published her Mindfulness Studies Masters thesis from Lesle…
Paths of Practice with Phoenix Song [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:42
*Disclaimer: this episode features brief mention of self-harm.Phoenix Song is a queer, nonbinary Korean American adoptee teacher, performer, writer, and healer featured in SF Magazine’s Best of the Bay for yoga music. Ph…
Paths of Practice with Vickie Chang, PhD [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:33
The daughter of Chinese immigrants born and raised in the SF Bay Area, Dr. Vickie Chang first encountered the dharma through the doorway of mindfulness meditation in 2008. She graduated from the Spirit Rock Dedicated Pra…
Paths of Practice with Venerable Clear Grace Dayananda [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:02
Venerable Clear Grace Dayananda is a Buddhist Monk who received novice ordination in 2018 as Sister True Moon of Clear Grace in the Plum Village Vietnamese Zen tradition headed by the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh. In 2020,…
Paths of Practice with Ram Appalaraju [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:34
Ram Appalaraju has served on the boards of nonprofit organizations for over eight years after retiring from the high-tech industry where he worked for 35 years. Ram has been studying Buddhism under Gil Fronsdal and is cu…
Paths of Practice with Yogi Lama Gursam Rinpoche [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:21
Yogi Acharya Lama Gursam Rinpoche was born in India and received a monastic education from the age of six. He went on to study at the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies in Varanasi where he received his bachelor…