Conversations Along The Way: Recent Episodes
Henrik Boes
This podcast features a series of conversations about what matters most, however you choose to label it. I have, since childhood, been fascinated by two fundamental, interlocking questions: what does it mean to be fully alive? Why are we here? Drawing on my years of reflection on and practice of personal growth, Christianity and Buddhism as well as my vocational experience as a journalist and visual storyteller, I want to engage my guests deeply on questions of truth and meaning and how our respective understanding of these matters has shaped our lives. Life is equal parts glorious, confounding, and terrifying and the adventures and misadventures we all have along the way are a source of endless fascination to me. I hope you join me in exploring these timeless topics. Logo © 2023, Marcus Kollmorgen.
The second iteration of "Sermon Off", the bonus content in which David and I toss out Christian and Buddhist scripture that the other has to sermonize on off the cuff. (Listen to the Sermon Off Teaser for more info.) Great fun was had by the both of us...
My friend David Roth makes his third appearance on the show, this time joining me to talk about concepts of the Afterlife found in the Swedenborgian and Buddhist traditions. We tease out similarities and differences, touching on fun little details like the Swedenborgian view of Heaven presented in the film What Dreams May Come and the tension between the rich tapestry of Buddhist cosmology and the Buddha's penchant for sidestepping questions of metaphysics.
A conversation with a new friend named Hans, who has been co-facilitating the Berlin Men's Group for four years, doing self-initiation work with men for over a decade and recently founded Zigmal, a psychosocial support service for men in Berlin. We talk about our personal stories around and understanding of masculinity and men's work, especially in light of more recent social trends and discussions around issue of gender and sex.
Because of threats Hans has received for speaking out on this issue, I am leaving off his last name here in these notes and in the recording.
Reflections on anger, based on a tennis game gone south and focusing on how my adolescent self (Hothead) has no real sense of proportionality.
This inaugural episode of Talking Amongst My Selves — a companion series to Conversations Along the Way (see the trailer for it for more information) — takes on a light little topic: death. I reflect on how returning home to Berlin to be with my aging parents and struggling to find work brings up existential fears, with all of the different parts of me (Little Guy, Hothead, Mediator and Observer) having a different take on what is going on.
I'm joined by my good friend Paula Friedland, a counselor, certified coach, corporate and public speaking trainer, as well as an actor and singer. We talk about the meaning and importance of art and artistic expression in our lives and its close relationship with personal growth and the spiritual quest. Our guiding questions for the conversation:
- At its core, what is art (the appreciation of it, the pursuit of it, the creation of it) about for you?
- When did you first know you were an artist?
- When did you first come to think of yourself as a spiritual seeker?
- What are the similarities and differences between these two goals/identities?
Introducing a companion series to Conversations Along The Way: Talking Amongst My Selves, personal reflections from Henrik on his personal and spiritual path. Meet The Little Guy, Hothead, Dr. Stentorian, the Mediator and the Observer, all aspects or characters that make up the beautiful mess that is Henrik.
A conversation with my good friends at the Boulder Valley Men's Group, about the importance of men's work. The questions we discussed were:
- What does it mean to you to be a man?
- Who were your male role models and what did you learn from them?
- How did you first encounter men’s work?
- Why did it call you?
If you are interested in learning more about men's work, here are a few suggestions for where to turn. (For those of you not in the U.S., note that the first organization listed also has chapters in other parts of the world.)
Mankind Project – one of the older men's group organizations out there. A good way to find a local group.
Spiritual Warfare Effectiveness Training – this is the program out in Pennsylvania whose weekend I attended.
Kai Abelkis is a pioneer in the sustainability movement, which he has been a part of for 25 years. He was the first full-time sustainability professional in the health-care industry in the United States and is now the Sustainability Manager at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland. He and I discuss the following questions:
- what was your relationship to the outdoors / the environment growing up?
- what formative messages did you receive about the environment when you were young?
- when did you first realize the environment was an important issue for you?
- how do you see the link between the environment and spiritual growth?
David and I have a conversations around the following four questions:
- what is your earliest memory or conception of God?
- how has it evolved over the years?
- what conception of God / the Ultimate do you find most off-putting?
- what understanding of God / the Ultimate does the world need to hear more of?
Never heard of the Enneagram? Need a quick refresher? Sink your teeth into this delectable snack-sized introduction to this beautiful tool of transformation. Learn about the nine types and how they can be grouped into body, heart and head triads. Don't worry: it'll all make sense when you hear it. Enjoy!
My conversation with professional coach and Enneagram teacher Margot Burns on how the Enneagram has changed our way of being in the world. We talk about what Enneagram type we are working with, how we know that it fits us and what we see as the fascinating parallels (and differences) between the Enneagram and Buddhism.
My conversation with my good friend Susan Buss Roth on the topic of "Both/And: The Light and the Dark of the Spiritual Path."
My conversation with my good friend and pastor of the New Church of Boulder Valley in Lafayette, Colorado, on the topic of spiritual calling.
Teasing the idea of the "sermon-off", where David and I will go toe-to-toe on spreading good tidings and words of comfort. You have to hear it to believe it.