Woven Wings Live: Recent Episodes
Gabe Crane and Rahul Deedwania
Drawing on both ancient wisdom and modern science, Woven Wings Live opens listeners’ minds to alternative ways of thinking and being, bringing them to a centered and innovative space, and encouraging them to see the big picture and their own influence upon it. Inviting listeners a layer deeper, Woven Wings Live is dedicated to the seeding of a more holistic and spiritually vibrant planetary culture.
I Ching, the ancient Chinese Book of Changes, provides us practical, if often mysterious, guidance for our everyday lives. Based in understanding of Dao, or the Way, I Ching helps us find the path of the superior individual through all life’s circumstances and situations.
On this episode of Woven Wings Live (Season 4, Episode 5), we take a break from our usual guest format to share reflections on Gabe's own life cultivation work in light of I Ching Hexagram 39 — the Hexagram of Impasse, or Obstruction. We also wish our co-host Rahul Deedwania a hearty new beginning in his journey as a first-time father!
Life always throws us challenges and it’s up to us to turn these into opportunities for growth. In this episode, you'll hear about:
-Why I Ching is so valuable if you are interested in systems like Human Design and Gene Keys
-What the specific circumstance of Obstruction, or Impasse (Hexagram 39) offers for our spiritual development
-How these abstract and esoteric concepts can be directly applied to your life, through Gabe's own example
Leave a comment and let us know what you think of the new format, the possible name change for the show, and any insights you might have related to this enriching topic. Please subscribe to our channel! Music by Dmitrii Spis (Pixabay)
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
What if everything you’ve ever believed about God, purpose, or consciousness could be placed as a node on a much bigger map? What if your longing for meaning wasn’t confusion—but a sign that you’re on the right path?
In this eye-opening episode, meditation teacher, poet, and spiritual cartographer George Boyd joins hosts Gabe Crane and Rahul Deedwania for a deep exploration into his seminal work The Great Continuum of Consciousness—a spiritual map that charts the inner worlds of the mind and soul across cultures, faiths, and practices.
Drawing from decades of teaching and mystical experience, George guides us through the many “planes” of consciousness, offering insights into how people from vastly different traditions—whether Christian, yogic, Islamic, or New Age—are often experiencing the same divine light through different windows.
You’ll hear about:
- Why different spiritual paths often lead to the same essence
- The role of attention, faith, and intuition in the inner journey
- And how to find the right path for you—and why committing to it matters
This conversation admittedly gets quite heady at times, and the real picture starts to come into focus as we inquire and go deeper into George’s expansive vision. We encourage you to use the links in the description to track the Continuum of Consciousness through the conversation.
Whether you're just beginning your spiritual inquiry or have been walking your path for years, we hope you enjoy this profoundly vast and inclusive view that honors both tradition and innovation - of what it means to seek—and experience—the Divine.
About George Boyd:George is a writer, poet, a metavisional reader, and a master teacher of meditation. He is the founder of the Mudrashram® Institute of Spiritual Studies and editor and publisher of Mudrashram® Publishing. He is the author of 19 books. He is a spiritual cartographer who has mapped the entire Great Continuum of Consciousness.
Resources:
- Great Continuum of Consciousness article
- Great Continuum of Consciousness: An Overview eBook
- George’s spiritual journey
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
In this powerful episode, we’re joined by Marshall Gillen, a narcissistic abuse recovery mentor, to highlight his remarkable journey from pain and self-destruction to faith and healing. Marshall shares his deeply personal story, including childhood trauma, struggles with addiction, and a formative relationship with a narcissist that led him to a profound reckoning with himself.
Through trials, heartbreak, a battle with self-worth, and experimentation with many spiritual systems, Marshall ultimately found redemption through his faith in Jesus Christ. He candidly discusses his path from skepticism to belief, the moment he decided to surrender to Jesus, and how his newfound faith has reshaped his understanding of identity, healing, and purpose.
Tune in to listen to this raw, honest, and compelling testimony of redemption and the power of faith to heal even the deepest wounds.
Key themes include:
- Breaking free from the cycle of toxic relationships and narcissistic abuse
- The role of faith in overcoming deep personal struggles
- Marshall’s experience of transformation and surrender to God’s plan
- Lessons on self-worth, resilience, and spiritual growth
About Marshal Gillen:Marshal Gillen, aka Preacher Paul, is a Narcissistic Abuse Recovery Mentor, keynote and motivational speaker, and the creator of an online community helping primarily men overcome relationship challenges with difficult ex-partners through a new relationship with God.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
In this enriching episode, we welcome Heath Davis Havlick, an author and certified Enneagram teacher, to explore the deep connection between faith and self-discovery. Drawing from her Christian upbringing and decades-long spiritual journey, Heath shares how the Enneagram became a transformative tool for understanding herself and strengthening her relationship with God.
We explore how to think about balancing religious tradition with personal introspection, and overcoming potential fear and resistance within faith communities toward self-exploration.
Heath discusses her upcoming book, Know Yourself to Know God, and unpacks how personality patterns can obscure our true selves and distance us from divine connection. She candidly reflects on moments of spiritual struggle, her return to faith, and the evolving nature of her relationship with God through prayer, contemplation, and love, as well as through active self discovery.
Through her heartfelt storytelling and unwavering faith, Heath offers a compelling vision of spirituality as a dynamic, evolving relationship—one that embraces curiosity, openness, and the courage to face the inner self in pursuit of divine connection.
About Heath Davis Havlick:
Heath Davis Havlick is a speaker, author and Riso-Hudson Certified Enneagram Teacher. Her first book, Becoming Your True You, was a double finalist in the National Indie Excellence Awards, and her new book, Know Yourself to Know God, comes out in March. She is the founder of Dearly Beloved Enneagram Training, offering education and mentoring. She lives in Santa Cruz, California with her husband of 33 years, Tom, and their cat, Jax.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
In today’s episode, we welcome Season 1 guest, Rabbi Adina Allen, to explore the transformative power of creativity, spirituality, and connection. Rabbi Allen, co-founder of the Jewish Studio Project and author of The Place of All Possibility, shares her groundbreaking work that merges ancient Jewish traditions with modern practices of art and self-discovery.
- How does creativity serve as a gateway to spiritual connection and a tool for navigating the chaos and challenges of modern life?
- How can we integrate ancient texts with contemporary approaches to foster personal growth, resilience, and communal connection?
- How can we reimagine spirituality as an inclusive, dynamic, and deeply personal process accessible to people of all backgrounds and beliefs?
Rabbi Allen offers a fresh perspective on how individuals can engage with tradition while embracing innovation, find meaning in a fragmented world, and use creativity as a means of healing and transformation.
Tune in to be inspired by a conversation that bridges the ancient and the modern, and provides practical insights into cultivating joy, pleasure, and authenticity in spiritual practice.
About Rabbi Adina Allen:Rabbi Adina Allen is a spiritual leader, writer, and educator who grew up in an art studio where she learned firsthand the power of creativity for connecting to self and to the Sacred. She is cofounder and creative director of Jewish Studio Project (JSP), an organization that is seeding a future in which every person is connected to their creativity as a force for healing, liberation and social transformation.
Based on the work of her mother, renowned art therapist Pat B. Allen, Adina developed the Jewish Studio Process, a methodology for unlocking creativity, which she has brought to thousands of organizational and community leaders, educators, artists, and clergy across the country.
A national media contributor, popular speaker, and workshop leader, Adina has published in scholarly as well as mainstream publications, and more of her writing can be found on her website at www.adina-allen.com. She and her family live in Berkeley, California.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Welcome to Season 4 of Woven Wings Live! In this trailer, hosts Gabe Crane and Rahul Deedwania introduce the season's thought-provoking theme: exploring the role of religion and spirituality in modern life. Against the backdrop of a "spiritual crisis" marked by isolation, loneliness, and a waning connection to traditional institutions, the season seeks to uncover how people today find meaning and connection.
- How does spiritual inquiry often occurs in secular or "spiritual-but-not-religious" contexts?
- Where do modern spiritual practices, from mindfulness to influencer-led movements fit in? Can they address deeper existential needs, or is a more profound transformation is required?
- What's the balance between individual and collective approaches to meaning-making?
- What role do ancient wisdom traditions play?
- How do we make sense of all of this?
This season promises dynamic conversations with diverse guests across the religious and spiritual spectrum who will shed light on the intersection of personal growth, community, and shared values in a rapidly changing world. The journey begins with Rabbi Adina Allen, author of The Place of All Possibility.
Join Gabe and Rahul as they delve into how ancient traditions, modern psychology, and contemporary challenges converge in the search for vibrant, connected living in 2025!
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
We’re joined today by comedian, Max Wiener, for a humorous and profound exploration of comedy as a medium for self-expression, self-discovery, and personal growth. Max shares his journey from shy adolescence to finding his voice on stage, highlighting how stand-up comedy has served as both a therapeutic outlet and a craft requiring dedication and resilience.
The conversation delves into:
- The unique challenges and joys of performing comedy, including the dynamics of live audience feedback and the art of adjusting material in the moment.
- The transformative power of embracing failure, or "bombing," as a tool for growth and improvement
- Insights into Max’s creative process, from spontaneous idea generation to refining material through reflection and experimentation.
Max also reflects on the broader philosophical dimensions of comedy, drawing parallels between his craft and practices like meditation and personal development.
Tune in to be inspired by Max’s candid stories and practical wisdom, whether you’re an aspiring performer or seeking ways to tap into your own creative potential!
About Max Wiener:Max is a 24 year old aspiring comedian currently living in New York.
Where to find Max:
- Tik Tok
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
In today's episode of Woven Wings Live, Joseph Ari'el takes us on a transformative journey of self-discovery, wholeness, and the power of intentional living. Joseph shares the profound impact of embracing his true identity, practicing deep gratitude, and creating spaces that reflect the life he aspires to live.
We delve into the intersections of story, state, and space, and explore how aligning these elements can unlock synergy and bring us closer to a more fulfilled, vibrant life. From reckoning with and re-writing parts of his own history, to practicing self-love and gratitude, Joseph’s experiences illuminate how intentional practices can heal fragmentation and foster deeper integration.
Whether you're navigating life transitions, seeking greater connection with yourself, or simply curious about the magic of alignment, this episode will leave you inspired and empowered to manifest a life of flow, love, and purpose.
Key Takeaways:
- The role of gratitude in transforming irritation into joy and alignment.
- How space influences our story and state, and how to intentionally curate your environment for growth.
- Practical tools to embrace self-love and create synergy in life.
Tune in and discover how to weave these threads of wisdom into your own life!
About Joseph Ari'el Towne:
Joseph Ariel Towne was raised in a conscious communal style from a young age, where he was introduced to ancient concepts that the modern age wasn’t fully ready for. As a result, he often felt like an outsider and sought to hide many of his intuitive gifts from the world.
His adventures led him to explore tai chi, yoga, meditation, sound healing, martial arts, traditional talk therapy, and plant-based diets before the age of ten. He did his first Firewalk with Tony Robbins at nine years old.
As a teenager, Joe struggled heavily with confidence, so he went on a three-week Outward Bound journey through the lakes, rivers and forests of Maine, attended support groups like Alateen (Alanon for teenagers) and took his mother on a Pilgrimage in India before she passed away (along the way becoming a dart champion.)
As is true for all of us, he had to go on his own journey to heal himself before he could offer support to others.
Upon relocating to Los Angeles, Joe worked intensively with energy healers, a Feng Shui Master, A Tibetan Mantra teacher, a Zen Priest and spent a majority of time in the Yoga communities in New York, Colorado and Los Angeles.
At this time, he started offering his feng shui and coaching services to the world, while acting on stage, and both on Film and TV.
This led him on a twenty-five year journey to this moment where he integrated all parts of himself and his healing modalities into Spacial Synergy.
Along the way, Joe wrote the book about how to take ancient feng shui principles and apply them to our Inner House, he has guested on Ryan Seacrest, Good Day LA, Million Dollar Listing and Dr Oz. He has also hosted several shows both on Radio (Sirius 114), The SyFy Network and online.
His passion for Sports Psychology, High Performance Training and Positive Psychology led him to launch The Performers Mindset—which developed training programs for life’s biggest moments and stages.
He is also the host of The Better Podcast with Joe Towne, exploring how we can be better in the world, our relationships and our lives.
Spacial Synergy is Joe’s way of taking ancient principles, and modern science and turning them into accessible and easy to implement tools and frameworks for our own healing work.
Joe incorporates consciousness coaching, feng shui, reiki, mantra
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
The ideas of presence and mindfulness seem to be all around us these days, including being frequent areas of focus on this very show! But what does it actually look like to integrate those practices into day to day life?
We’re joined today by community builder and presence practitioner, Doug Finkelstein, to discuss:
- What does it mean to slow down to go quickly?
- How do we overcome the inertia, and actually slow down in a way that’s meaningful and sustained?
- What are the different types of practices and tools, including plants, that can help us along the way?
Doug remarks that saying we’re too busy to slow down is like saying we’re too dirty to take a bath, because anything we do to encourage more presence in our lives - from meditation and yoga to journaling or just taking a full bodied breath - ultimately pays itself back in improved focus, increased creativity, and more productivity.
The key to making presence practices a priority lies in experimenting with the many different ways to find presence, and choosing the approach that’s most enjoyable and effortless for you. Having experienced the positive effects, you can then incorporate the practices into your life in a way that they’re not just items on your to-do list, but rather, integral pillars for making your life more vibrant and meaningful.
About Doug Finkelstein:Doug is a community builder, Human Design Manifestor, and advocate for personal growth through self-experimentation. After leaving a career in stock trading and overcoming a decade-long reliance on prescription medication, Doug embarked on an inward journey that led him to found multiple wellness-focused organizations.
His work includes creating Slow The Fuck Down (STFD), an at-home offering that helps over-committed people reduce stress and cultivate presence through guided somatic journeys. Doug also founded An Empathic Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit offering consultations to help people find the next step in their journey with plant medicine.
With over four years of experience building at-home wellness communities, Doug empowers others to live intentionally, create meaningful connections, and align with their true selves.
He has also won The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest (twice!), blending humor with his passion for personal growth.
Resources and References:Free Human Design Chart - https://www.myhumandesign.com/get-your-chart/
Slow TF Down Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/slowtfdown.space/
Slow TF Down Website - https://www.slowtfdown.space/
New Yorker Caption Contest Winners - https://www.dougie.love/caption-contest
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Tune in to our latest podcast episode featuring Gabe Crane, Founder of Woven Wings, together with Rahul Deedwania, which broadcast live in the Fishbowl Live event on the Fishbowl app. In this thought-provoking session, we explore the expansive nature of our lives beyond the confines of work. In a world where the rat race often takes center stage, this podcast invites you to lift your head and gain perspective on what truly matters.
As we continue to unravel the complexities of burnout, we’ll challenge the fears surrounding those tough, existential questions. What if asking about your life’s purpose didn’t mean risking your job or identity? Let’s start by uncovering the role work plays in your journey—from mere survival to a true expression of your core values.
But it doesn’t stop there. What’s the meaningful life you’re truly pursuing? What values drive you? And, importantly, what exists beyond the office walls? We’ll delve into the beauty of relationships, the joy of service, the quest for personal growth, and the essential elements of well-being that often get overshadowed.
What gets in the way? How do you reconnect with these truths when the demands of your job weigh heavily? We’ll explore practical mindfulness techniques, the power of appreciation, and the art of reflection. Gabe will share personal stories of transformation, highlighting that even the smallest changes—a few minutes of reflection or a simple conversation—can create ripples of impact in your life.
Did you miss our previous episode? Catch up now:
Surviving Burnout: Strategies for Workplace Stress - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1888704/episodes/15507442-surviving-burnout-strategies-for-workplace-stress
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Why do we do the things we do? Why are we often NOT able to do what we want to do? And what makes us think of productivity and success in the way that we do?
On today’s episode, productivity expert Sophie Chiche joins us to break down the Productivity Paradox – examining why it can be so hard for us to be productive, and the surprising factors that make it that way for us.
Through our illuminating, light, and soulful conversation, Sophie draws on her decades of experience to help show the way to real happiness and fulfillment, rooted in productivity with purpose. Surprisingly, we may discover that this form of productivity has little to do with the rat race, or keeping up with the Joneses. Rather, purposeful productivity springs from a place of self-love, where we consider ourselves worthy of feeling good and finding real success, and builds on top of the foundation of knowing what's deeply important to us.
About Sophie Chiche:Sophie Chiche is a life strategist, author, and therapist. She's been a serial entrepreneur since she started trading pencils in the sandbox at the age of six. For the last 30 years, Soph has been cracking the code of doing more of what matters.
She has Master's degrees in Journalism, Psychology, and Business. She wrote “The Power of Personal Accountability” while running a consulting firm and building multi-million-dollar businesses. As a coach, she brings unique abilities and life experiences to propel people into greatness.
Soph’s work has been featured on Ellen, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Forbes, The Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times, and she hosted the launch of the Living Section in the Huffington Post. She grew Life By Me, an online community, to over 900,000 readers in 2010. She’s a two-time TEDx speaker.
After speaking at the International Symposium on Restorative Justice and Peace in Colombia, she facilitated sessions in South Africa with Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.
Born in France but American by choice, Soph settled in the middle of nowhere, Arizona, where she rides her Harley with her boo, Wall. And plays a lot of pickleball.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
In this far ranging conversation from September 2022, Andy Couturier illustrates - through his own story, and those of people he’s profiled - what it could look like to be deeply aligned with values of conscious consumption, rolling up our sleeves for our basic needs, and creating abundance of space and spirit through simplicity and elimination. We also delve into writing as a powerful personal practice, and how any expressive pursuit can act as a container for us to feel and live our lives more deeply.
About Andy Couturier:
Andy Couturier is the author of Writing Open the Mind and A Different Kind of Luxury, now going into its fourth printing. He loves teaching writing, and is the founder and creative director of The Opening, a private writing school which offers courses in-person and online. Andy and his partner built a house with hand tools in the mountains. In his personal life, he enjoys doing hand work such as tree-planting, splitting firewood, home scale gardening and food production. He loves to spend mornings reading classical Chinese poetry, or twentieth-century experimental, imagist and nature poetry.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Are you or those around you grappling with the harsh realities of burnout?
Whether you're currently experiencing burnout or concerned about its impact on colleagues, family, or friends, this podcast episode offers a beacon of hope. Join us for a rejuvenating hour where we confront the challenges of burnout head-on. Through open and uplifting discussions, we’ll explore practical tools and positive mindsets that can help transform stress into a pathway to greater authenticity and well-being.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
In today’s “Weaving in Action” episode, we feature the story of Jesse Israel and The Big Quiet, a movement he started 9 years ago to bring large-scale meditation to thousands of people at world-class venues.
The Big Quiet is a community-oriented, co-creation where each participant contributes stillness and silence to a larger shared experience, and in that stillness, reconnects with what it means to be their truest self. Jesse employs meditation as a surrendering technique, in which we must have the courage to face whatever comes up within us, and by doing so, give ourselves permission to be human.
Tune in to learn how The Big Quiet was born out of Jesse’s own reckoning with anxiety, and how a moment between 10 people backstage at a music festival turned into mass meditations of thousands of people!
About Jesse Israel:Jesse is a meditation leader, keynote speaker and leadership coach known for founding the mass meditation movement The Big Quiet. Named "The Meditation Expert" by The New York Times, Jesse has led some of the largest meditations on earth — having toured arenas with Oprah Winfrey and co-hosted international broadcasts with Deepak Chopra. An Audible Originals best-selling creator and a Forbes Next 1000 recipient, Jesse has collaborated on meditation projects with grammy winning rappers, coached the world’s most influential entrepreneurs and keynoted at Fortune 500s around the globe.
Prior to his work at The Big Quiet, Jesse ran a record label and tech fund called Cantora (acquired 2016), where he signed multi-platinum bands like MGMT and invested in entertainment-focused tech startups.
Jesse Israel: https://www.jesseisrael.com/
The Big Quiet: https://www.thebigquiet.com/
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
In today’s age, it can feel like every day we hear about how our political leaders and media institutions pray on fear. It’s very likely that you’ve been on the receiving end of it, or at least known people who have, where any number of sensationalist headlines, articles, or videos can take us into our more basic fear, and anxiety ridden states.
We’re joined today by editorialist, Alec Liu, to better understand this dynamic:
- What’s driven the media to seemingly harness fear more and more?
- Is the idea of a “pure” media institution focused on informing and speaking truth impossible to achieve?
- Is it all bad, or is there something more here?
- And finally, how do we find our way in this system and insulate ourselves from our worst impulses?
Alec shares that the media is living in its own fear state as it navigates the existential transition of business models driven by technology. The pressure of survival has led the media to seek out what sticks, and fear just happens to sell.
With that said, Alec’s ultimate message is one of resounding optimism, as he highlights that this dynamic is already starting to change, as we adjust our behavior to seek what’s more nourishing to us. He further expounds how we actually live in an era with more tools and options than ever before, and how with a little bit of work, we can find ways to tune out the noise and be as empowered and well informed as ever before.
About Alec Liu
Alec started off his career in finance, and transitioned to working in editorial for both one the largest media outlets in the U.S., as well as for Vice, one of the fastest growing media upstarts. He's now head of marketing and communications for a strategic venture fund.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Fear is a familiar part of most of our lives, from being afraid of the dark or dreading public speaking, to possibly experiencing life-threatening situations where our sense of safety is challenged and even taken away. And yet often we move through life being influenced by these fears, and not knowing exactly what’s happening for us internally.
Neuroscientist and fear memory specialist, Kevin Sattler, helps us unpack:
- What is fear, and why do we often stigmatize it?
- How do fear responses develop and encode themselves as memories in our brains and bodies?
- How do we make sense of our body feeling fear in everything from life threatening situations to public speaking?
- And, finally, what can we do about modulating our fear?
Kevin shares that fear is a biological survival mechanism, in which the memory of fearful triggers, as well as our emotions and response, is encoded in our brains to help us act quickly in future situations. Fear is largely learned, which, importantly, also means that it can be unlearned, as memories are flexible and can be influenced and re-written, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
In order to overcome our inherent fears, we must differentiate between fears that serve us and those that don’t, become more aware of our experience of fear in triggering moments, and develop deliberate coping mechanisms to build internal confidence. In particular, Kevin emphasizes the importance of having a good support group, and how deep connection helps to create a sense of safety that reduces the intensity of our biological fear response.
Join us for this far reaching conversation on the neuroscience of fear!
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
How do we face our fears and pursue the challenges we wish to master? In today’s continuation of our mini-series on Facing Fear, Varun Deedwaniya, Rahul’s brother and former co-founder of BreakoutIQ, joins us to talk fear both in business and in personal life.
Rahul and Varun’s warm and comfortable dynamic provides a clear anecdote to the butterflies and nerves both experienced as they built their business and contended with the loss of their brother to a struggle with Leukemia. Drawing on their experience and relationship, we look at:
- How building trust and faith can serve as a crucial way to manage debilitating fear
- How leaning into relationships with people you love can enhance that trust, faith and courage
- The importance of communication and naming fears as an opportunity to make fears a signal and resource
- How even supportive relationships can eventually become traps where fear takes hold, and how to fight past this
Join us as we deepen our journey into facing fears and transforming them to propel our lives forward in meaningful ways.
About Varun Deedwaniya:Varun Deedwaniya is an independent consultant and entrepreneur, and the co-founder of BreakoutIQ, a team building activity provider emphasizing creative problem solving in the workplace. He is the brother of Woven Wings Live host Rahul Deedwania.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Join our new mini-series, where Gabe and Rahul open the door on the vast, ubiquitous topic of “fear”. In this introductory episode, we start to share our own relationship with fear, and tease the topics that we hope to explore in the coming episodes:
- What is fear, and how does it manifest in our minds, bodies, and emotions?
- How do we know when fear we’re feeling is legitimate vs. something to overcome?
- How does fear affect us at many different layers: The way we relate to one another, the way we lead and work, the way we make decisions as individuals and as a society?
- And finally, how do we build our capacities to cope with and coexist with fear?
Please join us in this new format, as we try to shed light on a complex topic in the hopes of finding greater vibrancy on the other side of our nascent fears.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Do you sometimes feel that life is too busy to tap into the regenerative power of your creativity? That you’re squeezed on too many sides to even know what that means or looks like? Or alternatively, when faced with an opportunity to engage your creativity, do you feel the paralyzing pressure and fear of that inner critic that tells you you’re not good enough?
We’re joined today by coach, father, and creative, Mark Augustine to jump into these questions and more. Mark reminds us that in the midst of busy, multi-faceted lives, the best thing we can do is keep it simple and recognize that we don’t need a lot of time for moments of creative flow that fill our cups. Beyond protecting small bursts of time for creative pursuits, the real secret sauce is to find the adventure in the mundane, recurring unknowns of our everyday lives.
From challenges at work, to engaging our kids in learning something they don’t initially care about, or even recording a podcast episode - like this one - without any preparation… his mantra is to be your best, and forget the rest, and by doing so, overcome the critical inner voices of fear and doubt that often get in the way of being our most vibrant selves. Mark implores us to get creative about what we can do to find fuel and fill our cups, regardless of what we’re faced with. And if you happen to find that your cup is already full, share what you have with someone else.
Tune in to this energizing, late night chat, and fill your cup with ideas on how to tap into your own sense of vibrant flow.
About Mark Augustine:
Husband, father, friend, coach, DJ, and host of The Relationship Experience (TRESHO9) podcast
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Have you ever noticed how good it can feel to let out a breath, a sigh, or even a sound or a song? So much can become unconsciously stored in our throats, just waiting to be unlocked through our voice.
In this week’s episode of Woven Wings Live, we look deeply at the healing power of voice witnessing, as brought to us by sound healer and holistic coach, Carina Renner. Through our conversation, we explore:
- The healing and therapeutic effect of vibration in our bodies
- The spiritual depths of sound in different ancient traditions
- The ways in which past experiences and traumas take us away from our authentic vocal expression
- The power of voice witnessing as a mindfulness practice
- The importance of our voices as gatekeepers that connect us with one another
More than just learning how to speak or sing, Carina’s methodology of voice witnessing takes us into the vibratory effect of sound within our bodies. Tune in for a rich conversation, punctuated by live demonstrations of this cathartic technique that you can try alongside us as you listen.
About Carina Renner:A multi-disciplinary artist, singer, musician and medicine woman, Carina Renner offers service to women and other folks as a Holistic Coach, a certified practitioner of sound healing, and a practitioner of yoga in a variety of forms. Carina is currently focused in service of our little ones in early-childhood education and mothering two wonderful children.
Referenced Episodes: Finding Your Voice (w/ Briony Greenhill)
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
*It’s no secret that alongside the joys and challenges of being a parent there are many questions that each parent faces. How do we raise our children with intentionality? How do we keep them safe, nurture their development holistically, and enable them to grow up feeling valued and understood? Through it all, what is our role and how do we maintain our own equilibrium?
Today we’re joined by wholeness coach to parents, Jenn Reilly, to explore:
- What does it mean to be whole, and to raise wholeness?
- How is parenting a spiritual pathway, and how does it require us to reparent ourselves?
- What role do our own childhoods play in the way that we are and the way that we parent?
- What physiological realities, inner shadows, and expectations do mothers deal with, in particular?
Jenn shares that parenting is catalyzing, in that conscious parenting asks that we reflect on who we are, acknowledge the childhood imprints that inform our identity, and accept all parts of ourselves through an intrinsic, unconditional love that we all have access to. By doing so, we embody compassion for ourselves and for others, and model a way of being for our children. For mothers, specifically, there is the additional goal of feeling comfortable listening to the wisdom of their bodies and having the hard conversations that help create a web of support in the early stages of parenting.
Whether or not you’re a parent, this conversation promises to be an enriching one, so please join us in learning about Raising Wholeness: Parenting as a Spiritual Pathway.*
About Jenn Reilly:Jenn is a mother, a podcast host, a leadership development facilitator, consciousness explorer, and wholeness coach to women, parents, and leaders. She helps her clients to build practices to move from their greatest capacity of love, embodiment, and presence through shadow work, filling out stages of development, helping build healthy relationships with the masculine and feminine.
Links to Jenn’s work:
- 1:1 Motherhood Mentorship: https://www.raisingwholeness.org/coaching/mystic-mama-program
- Upcoming Programs: https://www.raisingwholeness.org/wholeness-coaching
- FREE eBook on Feminine Wholeness: https://www.raisingwholeness.org/guide-feminine-wholeness
- Join my newsletter: https://www.raisingwholeness.org/resources
- Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5XFTNZwQjf93F4u83VDkM5?si=fc212c2bd38b4871
- website: https://www.raisingwholeness.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennereilly/
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
What is the joy we experience when in resonance with someone we trust and love? How does this express itself in our neurobiology, and through our neuronal networks that are wired for fun and play?
In this fascinating episode, neurobiology expert and educator Sarah Peyton takes us on a transformative journey into the healing power of play and the resonance it creates in our brains and nervous systems.
Building off our past episodes exploring resonance (Gabe Crane), the inner critic (Rosi Greenberg), and even the power of laughter and positivity (Simeon Birnbaum), our conversation with Sarah weaves together invaluable approaches to the unconscious holding of developmental trauma in our bodies and neurology.
Exploring questions such as "What is resonance, and how does play lead us to a more resonant state of being?" and "How can we take steps to bring more resonance and play into our own lives?", Sarah delves into the profound impact of our PLAY system on both individual and collective healing.
This trauma gets perpetuated in untold ways as we hold onto contracts — sacred contracts even — that keep us from opening up and lightening our load. Yet through the power of these healing practices, reflective friendships, and our willingness to grow, we can learn the soulful ways to break the chains of suffering.
This special episode serves as a prelude to Sarah's upcoming Resonance Summit, a free online event featuring leading experts in the field of neurobiology. Don't miss out on the opportunity to deepen your understanding and practice of resonance and play. Check out the links to the event in the show description!
Join the Free 2024 Resonance Summit: Explore the Healing Power of Play: https://sarahpeyton.com/2024-resonance-summit/
About Sarah Peyton:Sarah teaches and lectures internationally and is the author of four books on relational neuroscience and self-compassion: Your Resonant Self: Guided Meditations and Exercises to Engage Your Brain’s Capacity for Healing, the companion Your Resonant Self Workbook: From Self-sabotage to Self-care, and Affirmations for Turbulent Times: Resonant Words to Soothe Body and Mind, and The Antiracist Heart: A Self-Compassion and Activism Handbook, co-authored alongside Roxy Manning, PhD.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
How many of you can relate to that internal voice that tells you that you're not doing something right, you’re not good enough, or that you’re an imposter? There are many voices and names for this broad phenomenon - negative self talk, saboteurs, or inner critics, to name a few.
We’re joined today by an expert in relating to our inner critics, Rosi Greenberg to explore:
- What is an inner critic, where does it come from, and when does it show up in our lives?
- How do you become familiar with your inner critic?
- How do you actually find wisdom in what the critic wants for you, and start to relate to the critic in a different way?
- And finally, what does this new relationship do for you as you move through life?
Rosi talks about how our inner critic develops early in our lives as a response to moments where we are deliberately or inadvertently made to feel that we can’t be ourselves. In order to make our outer world make sense, our inner critic tells us that there might be something wrong with us.
Rosi goes on to share 4 practices that help us redefine the relationship with your inner critic: 1) Noticing and naming the critic, 2) Understanding its origin and intent, 3) Finding its wisdom, and 4) Rewriting the rules of our relationship with our critics.
By giving the inner critic air time, being in dialogue with it, and even sharing what it says externally with others, we find a way to incorporate the critic’s voice without letting it define us. In this episode, we unexpectedly enter into dialogue with our own inner critics on air, and through that exchange we glimpse into the experience of the powerful shift in which the critic transforms into our ally.
Links:www.everyonehasasam.com Code: WINGS for $5 off Rosi’s book
www.lovethatmess.com/shop
About Rosi Greenberg:Rosi Greenberg, an Artist of Leadership Development has spent 15 years fostering a more connected, humane, and creative organizational landscape. Six years ago, Rosi founded Drawn to Lead, through which she offers bespoke workshops and retreats that have empowered thousands of leaders to unleash their narratives and find their inner power. Her book, "Everyone Has a Sam: Meeting the Inner Critic and Re-Writing the Rules," tackles imposter syndrome through Rosi’s own vulnerable personal story, life-changing strategies, and tender, inspiring illustrations. Rosi specializes in supporting people to connect more deeply to themselves and others.
Rosi holds a Master's in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School with a certificate in Management, Leadership and Decision Sciences, and a BA in Anthropology from Brown University. She has been an Artist in Residence at Foundation House and the extremely selective Artist Residency Thailand. She weaves together her expertise in Adaptive Leadership, Public Narrative, Internal Family Systems, Immunity to Change, Shadow Work and the creative arts to offer individual and group healing with a systemic lens. Her clients include Mobilize Recovery, The Mission Continues, SAFE Project, Intrepid Philanthropy, MIT Sloan Business School, Harvard Medical School, and more. In addition to her transformational workshops and retreat facilitation, Rosi helps teams vision, see connections, and document gatherings through her stunning visual scribing.
Rosi champions empathy as the paramount leadership skill for today's world. Her work bridges artistry and leadership, and nurtures profound professional connections. Originally from Philadelph
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
The notion of having a purpose is so prevalent today that it borders on being construed as trite. And yet many of us seek purpose nonetheless, whether for ourselves, our families, or the organizations that we’re part of, whether we know how to define purpose or not.
We are joined today by global leadership authority, anthropologist, and conflict resolution expert, Aldo Civico to discuss:
- What’s important about seeking out a purpose?
- What does making that purpose massive and transformative enable?
- How do we actually go about authoring this purpose?
- And finally, how do we overcome limiting beliefs, emotional trauma, and resistance along the way?
Aldo shares that thinking big through a massive purpose gives us a measure of the gap that we need to close, and enables us to stretch and grow while simultaneously helping us dive more deeply into ourselves. We find this purpose not by continuously asking the question of what our purpose is, but instead by being in dynamic dialogue with our experiences and observing what touches us. Alongside this ever-evolving sense of purpose, we must also cultivate a set of practices and support systems that help free us from anxiety, blockage, and phobia, else that purpose stays a fantasy as opposed to the foundation of our most vibrant lives.
About Aldo Civico:With thirty years of experience, Aldo has worked globally, training and mentoring in personal and corporate leadership Fortune 500 executives, members of Family Offices, government leaders, athletes, and celebrities. Aldo has worked with business leaders in New York, Mexico City, London, El Cairo, Dubai, and Hong Kong. Abigail Disney has called Aldo “the leaders’ whisperer.”
He has served as the director of the Center for International Conflict Resolution at Columbia University, where he continues to be an associated researcher and faculty. He has been involved in peacebuilding projects worldwide and has facilitated peace talks among the government and armed groups in Colombia. He also lectured at major universities, including Harvard University, New York University, Princeton University, Oxford University, the London School of Economics, and more recently, the Florida International University.
Aldo received his Ph.D. from Columbia University in social-cultural anthropology in 2008. He is an associate fellow of the Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Complexity, and Conflict at Columbia University. In addition, Aldo holds a Master’s degree in political science from the University of Bologna in Italy. Aldo has been included in the top 10 of Global Gurus’ ranking as a global leadership authority (#6).
www.aldocivico.com
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
We sometimes sense emotions or thoughts that have been buried into our consciousness, and might be hurting us from inside. We lean on tools like journaling and talk therapy to help bring those out. But how often do we recognize what our bodies and nervous systems might be storing? Even if we do notice, how do we safely and naturally find release for better well being?
Today we’re joined by Richard Omura, one of the foremost Western experts in the practice of Katsugen to explore:
- What is Katsugen, and its underlying philosophy and benefits?
- How does Katsugen help us open up to our innate nature, find release, and experience improved health?
- How does resistance manifest through conditioned tendencies to “effort” through a practice, or societal norms around how to act?
Richard shares that Katsugen is a practice built on letting go, and instead trusting our body to express what it needs in a safe setting, stimulating self-awareness as well as healing for our autonomic nervous system. Allowing these unrestrained movements opens us to a higher degree of health, creativity, and even insight.
In recording this episode, we ran into an inordinate number of technical issues that may affect the quality and flow of what you hear. But in an unexpected way, those same circumstances set us up well for Richard to guide us through a few minutes of Katsugen at the end of the episode, by further emphasizing the importance of letting go and releasing even when it might feel difficult.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
In the “always on” culture of today, fun can often be viewed as a sign of not being serious enough, an indulgence that takes away from our productive lives. Or worse yet, even if we value fun, it can elude us as we either just forget to have fun, or we just feel that we can’t escape the tide of day to day life.
Today we’re joined by Organizational Psychologist and Fun expert, Dr. Mike Rucker, to uncover:
- What roles do fun and joy play in living a healthy, purposeful, and sustainable life?
- What are the forces that have led to productivity bias, being “always on”, and leading fun-starved lives?
- What can we do to inject more fun into our life, both for pleasure and, paradoxically, to increase our productivity?
- And finally, what is the difference between fun and happiness, and how do we sort out “healthy” fun from its escapist, unhealthy counterpart?
Mike shares that it all starts by remembering that having fun matters, and to examine how we’ve habituated our time, attention, and energy towards activities that may or may not be bringing us joy. Once we understand that, there are a myriad of ways in which we can experiment with fun and inject it into our lives, from simple pleasures to big joyful events, all contributing to a more generative, sustainable, and vibrant life.
About Michael Rucker:Dr. Mike Rucker is an organizational psychologist, behavioral scientist, former entrepreneur, charter member of the International Positive Psychology Association, and an accredited member of the American College of Sports Medicine.
He has been academically published in publications like the International Journal of Workplace Health Management. His ideas about fun and health have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Fast Company, Psychology Today, Forbes, Vox, Thrive Global, Mindful, mindbodygreen, and more.
He currently serves as a senior leader at Active Wellness and is the author of the best-selling book The Fun Habit, which is out now.
Other references:Happier Hour
Hedonic Flexibility Principle
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
We’re joined by Ren Xue practitioner, Nina Jutras, to listen to her story of resilience, personal responsibility, and growth in the face of adversity.
Nina shares how she grew up with a chronic illness that came to define her identity, even as she did everything she could to cope with it and lead a normal life. In a seeming paradox, as much as she tried to escape her illness, she also didn’t want to let it go as she didn’t know who she was without it.
- What changed, and created the footing for her to lead her now healthy life?
- How did her community and spiritual practice put her on a path towards a more holistic life?
- What role did finding personal responsibility play in her journey?
- And finally, how do we find our own balance between personal responsibility and an overextended sense of control?
Nina muses that we often have to reach our own version of a breaking point to spark change in ourselves, as suffering can be a reason to inspire fundamental change. From there, we can cultivate our sense of personal responsibility, shake the narrative that the universe is out to get us, and instead recognize that we can learn and grow from everything that crosses our way.
About Nina Jutras:An avid scuba diver, Nina was pursuing studies and a career in marine biology, before her health challenges changed her course. She currently lives in Panama and works as a Content Manager for Ren Xue of the Americas.
In the past, would have described herself as someone who has always had many questions and felt very lost and confused. She has experienced a lot of suffering and pain in this life, and these challenges were exactly what she needed in order to find the answers she was looking for.
Learning about human life with Ren Xue completely changed her view and relationship to self, to human beings, to the world and the universe. She has experienced real changes and continue to, as works hard on herself using this knowledge and these tools. She is constantly learning to take responsibility for her life in order to grow in the most beneficial way possible, and sees the need for the world to have better access to this knowledge, this wisdom, and these tools that can completely change any life in the most fundamental way.
About Ren Xue of the Americas: https://renxueamericas.org/
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Join Gabe Crane and Rahul Deedwania to hear what they're looking forward to for Season 3 of Woven Wings Live!
We revisit what's most alive for us with the show, and recommit to you - dear listener - our aim to spark reflection and growth through conversations on spiritual traditions and practices, psychology, social science, activism, community building, adversity and triumph, creativity, and planetary healing.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Join Rahul and Gabe as they look back on 2023 and Season 2 of Woven Wings Live!
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
In today’s episode, we’re joined by John Harper to learn about the Diamond Approach, a modern-day spiritual path oriented around deep self-exploration and discovery.
- What is the Diamond Approach, and what makes it unique?
- How does it help us connect with our consciousness?
- What role does curiosity play in our self discovery path?
- And how does connecting with our truest selves unlock our inner radiance?
This wide-ranging conversation bounces between abstract and heady, to simple and practical, and leaves us with a powerful message that whatever we might be seeking - love, acceptance, belonging, inner peace - is not dependent on any external outcome, but rather - on our ability to find it within ourselves.
To do so, we must delve into the full experience of being with unrelenting curiosity, coexist with the natural agitation that arises, and allow the fog to dissipate so that we can express ourselves freely and vibrantly in the world
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
About John Harper:John Harper is an apprentice of life, a work in progress. He has been interested in the nature of reality and consciousness since he was nineteen, when he experienced a moment of essence and awakening.
His curiosity led him to the Diamond Approach in 1989. He's been a Diamond Approach teacher since 2010
About the Diamond Approach:The Diamond Approach is a modern-day spiritual path. It brings forth a unique understanding of ancient spiritual wisdom and modern psychology to help students uncover their true potential. The Diamond Approach invites us to discover our inner love of truth solely for its own sake—you simply need a sincere desire to know what is true about yourself.
The teachings, practices, and community are a path for self-exploration that support greater self-awareness and a more fulfilling life. Individuals develop a deeper understanding of themselves and true nature.
Learn more:- https://www.diamondapproach.org/
- https://diamondapproach-sacramento-folsom.com/
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
In our last episode, we discussed the art of decision making from a very practical, analytical lens. Today, we have the unique opportunity to explore in detail what it feels like to make a tough decision when your mind, body, and heart are not all singing the same tune.
We’re joined by Conscious Leadership and executive coach, Justin Mulvaney to break down a recent decision making experience that pit his gut instinct against his intellect:
- What is the principle of integrity, from a conscious leadership standpoint?
- How do we know when we’re in integrity?
- What role do sensations and signals in your body play in that deep sense of knowing?
- What do we do when that integrity directs us in a way that makes no sense to us, and is counter to our stated values and internal stories?
- How do we navigate that tension, and come out feeling whole?
Together, we process Justin’s recent experience, and in doing so, uncover many of our own deeply held judgments about the rights and wrongs of decision making. We’re reminded that decision making is often messy, complex, and full of real tradeoffs, and that when we consider our integrity - a state of wholeness, congruence, and deep inner alignment - we grant ourselves the opportunity to engage with that messiness in a much more holistic, at times mysterious, and vibrant way.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
About Justin Mulvaney:
Justin is a conscious leadership and executive coach. He coaches founders and founding teams to reduce interpersonal drama, take radical responsibility, and identify, understand, and shift the patterns that hold them back.
Justin's training and coaching philosophy is heavily based on the work of the Conscious Leadership group. He helps founders and leaders in technology and corporate environments use the principles of conscious leadership to identify and shift the beliefs and patterns that hold them back and build more conscious, connected, and effective cultures.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
How often do you get stuck while making a decision, even past the point of receiving any new information? We make many big and small decisions everyday, and yet few of us have a method to our madness.
We’re joined today by Decision Coach, Nell McShane Wulfhart, to dig into the ins and outs of this all important process:
- Why do people need to get better at decision making?
- How much of it is intuitive vs. something that needs deep analysis and reflection?
- What do we do with regret, or the feeling that we’ve made the wrong choice?
- How do you approach decisions that feel irreversible?
- What happens when you have competing values complicating a decision?
Nell’s view is that the vast majority of times, you’re better off making a decision quickly, and getting back the time and mental space that you’re losing on evaluating a decision. We must recognize that no path is free from regret, that we often end up doing what we wanted to in the first place, and perhaps most importantly - that we have the power to make almost any decision a success - either in outcome, or as an opportunity to learn.
Join us in learning from Nell as she shares a host of questions to consider, framings to adopt, and a core mindset of inner-trust to embody when making decisions on the path to vibrant living.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
About Nell McShane Wulfhart:Nell McShane Wulfhart is from Philadelphia, and she's an author, freelance writer and, for the last 10 years, a professional decision-maker. She offers only one thing: a single session in which she'll help you make a big (or small) decision. She gives straightforward, no-nonsense advice that helps you get unstuck and moving forward. She's helped everyone from poets to hedge fund managers, Olympic athletes to politicians, moms to college students. She's helped people decide where to move, what job to take, which career switch to make, whether to get married or divorced, whether to have kids, and pretty much anything else you can imagine.
Learn more at her website and join her newsletter at decideandmovefoward.com; also her podcast, The Decision Coach, will be debuting on Audible in January.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Money is a key player in our day-to-day lives, and yet we rarely stop to consider the many ways in which we relate to it. A measure of success, the basis of feeling secure, or the precursor to a sense of freedom… or even happiness. The narratives around money are as extensive as they are deeply ingrained.
To unpack all of this, we’re joined today by Mike Trugman, veteran accountant, as well as fellow podcast host and coach. We explore:
- How do we project our stories onto money, and where do our relationships with money come from?
- How can money be an inroads to self discovery, as well as a tool for expressing our values?
- And how do our money narratives play into the way we view and connect with others?
Mike walks us through some simple exercises to start unpacking these important narratives we hold around money. We’re reminded that we have the agency to hold our sense of self worth, success, freedom, or any other value… with, or without, money. On one end of the spectrum, money can be a mask hiding us from what’s happening for us under the hood, and on the other, it can be a powerful medium to come into deeper alignment with how we want to show up in the world.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
About Michael Trugman:Mike Trugman is a seeker, thinker, and feeler who cares deeply about seeing and being seen. He wears many hats and identities, including leadership coach and host of the Mike's Search For Meaning Podcast. Mike has also spent over 10 years in public tax accounting, including 6 years at Grant Thornton, a Top-10 firm. He primarily works in the Financial Services industry on hedge funds and private equity clients. Several clients manage over $1 Billion in assets, giving Mike a unique lens on money and finances.
Studying at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in 2019, Mike has a holistic, whole-person approach to healing and well-being that is rooted in a fundamental understanding of the mind-body-spirit connection.
He is fascinated by human behavior, and has studied various inner work modalities that deepen an understanding of embodiment, our individual and collective multi-dimensionality, and an understanding of how we both influence and are influenced by systems.
Mike lives in the greater New York City area with his wife and son. In his free time, he loves cooking, reading, walking in nature, watching and playing sports, and writing.
References:The Soul of Money
The Psychology of Money
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
It is often acknowledged how stories can help us understand each other's experiences more deeply by sharing information in a way that creates emotional connection. But there isn’t as much emphasis placed on the role of our own internal stories in the way that we experience the world.
Today we’re joined by writer, author, and negotiation and communication expert, Beth Fisher-Yoshida to discuss:
- What role does narrative play in the world we end up enacting?
- How does it influence our sense of identity, as well as the way that we relate to others?
- How can we discover, truly own, and even change our internal stories?
- What role does ownership play in our empowerment?
- And finally, how does rewriting our story affect the larger system that we’re a part of?
What follows is a rich discussion on how the world we enact is a function of the stories that we tell ourselves, whether implicitly or explicitly, and that - most importantly - we have the ability to craft, alter, and refresh our stories so they empower us to be the people we want to be at any given time. Beth herself shares her orientation towards finding optimism, operating from a place of abundance, and channeling a spirit of generosity as she walks through life. We punctuate the conversation with the importance of recognizing that a system is made up of a bunch of individual stories coming together, and so the place to start changing a system is to first change our own stories.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
About Beth Fisher-Yoshida, Ph.D., CCS:Beth is a global expert and educator in negotiation and communication. She’s the program director of Columbia University’s Master of Science in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, a negotiation consultant for the United Nations, and the CEO of the consulting agency Fisher Yoshida International.
Her new book, New Story, New Power: A Woman’s Guide to Negotiation, helps women of all ages make successful negotiations a reality. Learn more at bethfisheryoshida.com.
Related episodes: Creating Your Own Reality (w/ Nivedita Ganapathi)
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
In a time where narratives in news often focus on divisions in our societies, there are still those that pursue the seemingly trite understanding that we have more in common than we often appreciate.
We’re joined today by Shariq Abdul Ghani, executive director of a Houston based interfaith community building organization, to discuss:
- What value comes out of bringing together people from different faiths, and what challenges arise?
- What special values do faith practitioners bring to the table that make them particularly capable of advocating for change?
- How do you do it? What does it actually look like in practice for community leaders from different faiths to come together, and how does it reverberate throughout the community?
- Why focus on the hyper local? What does it unlock?
- What steps can we take to be a part of the solution?
Shariq shares that we must believe in the power of moving from diverse, but disconnected, pockets to true plurality. He emphasizes that it all starts with trust, which is built not through a disconnected arm-chair discussion, but through real connection and contact. And to that end, he implores all of us to spend time with our neighbors, break bread and recognize both our common challenges and beautiful differences, all in service of humanizing the people that we share not just space, but our lives with.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
About Shariq Abdul Ghani:Shariq is the Executive Director of the Minaret Foundation, an organization focused on bringing faith communities together through multi-faith and civic engagement. Apart from dialogue, dodgeball, and BBQ’s, Minaret Foundation works with faith communities to change the world through advocacy in food insecurity, child welfare, and religious freedom.
Shariq was appointed as the Chairman of the City of Houston's Food Insecurity Board, and serves as a Director in his local Municipal Utility District, being the first Muslim elected to a position in Fort Bend County. He completed his graduate studies in Homeland Security from The Bush School at Texas A&M. He is currently pursuing his Master's in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution with a focus on peacebuilding from Columbia University.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wovenwingslive
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Today we're rereleasing an episode that originally aired just over a year ago on May 17th of 2022, where we spoke with Sampada Wakhlu, co-host of the 2022 Global Bhagavad Gita Convention, to discuss engaging sacred texts in the modern world. Sampada’s approachable nature and rich background with this iconic text of south Asian culture serves as a jumping off point to consider the benefits sacred texts and traditions can bring to our lives in the modern world. Along the way, we look at some of the specific guidance and advice available in the Bhagavad Gita, as well as examine the range of feelings and responses that can be evoked when we begin looking at religious and traditional sources.
About the Global Gita Organization: http://www.globalgita.org/
About the Bhoomananda Organization: https://www.bhoomananda.org/swami-bhoomananda-tirtha/
About Sampada Wakhlu:The itinerant nature of her childhood shaped Sampada Wakhlu’s passion for exploring diverse cultures as an adult. She channels this curiosity for discovery between her two worlds — India and the United States — in a fluid way to allow for harmony and connection.
Fueled by the urgency of the pandemic, Sampada began her search for a path towards greater emotional tranquility, one that would resonate with today's generation. Reflection, research, and collaboration with spiritual teachers in the space ultimately led Sampada to study the vedic scripture of the Bhagavad Gita. A deepening sense of commitment led her to serve as a host of the Global Bhagavad Gita Convention in Feb 2022, focused on the theme of Mental Harmony.
When not working at Handshake to democratize opportunity for early talent, Sampada spends her time on her side projects: Mélange, a cultural coaching offering for non-native english speakers and an upcoming recipe digest that recreates ancestral Kashmiri recipes for the modern kitchen.
Sampada lives in California with her husband (and numerous plants).
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Credits: Intro music by David Deedwania
Today we approach the complex subject of male sexuality, and attempt to be a part of crafting a healthy narrative around a topic that is at-times controversial, dark, and even demonized.
We sit with sociologist and men’s work practitioner, Elliot Katz, and discuss:
- What is the “man box of masculinity”, and how is it problematic for both individuals and society at large?
- How do shame, secrecy, blame, and vilification hinder a healthy conversation around male sexuality?
- What does a healthy relationship with sexuality even look like for boys and men?
- What are tools - like bystander training, consent training, and shame resilience - that can help enable that healthy relationship?
- And finally, what can be unlocked if we can truly heal in this arena?
Elliot emphasizes the importance of self examination, body awareness, emotional literacy, and community support to propel men towards the best versions of themselves: authentic, responsible, self-aware, and embodying a deep congruence between their inner and outer selves… all of which contribute to an empowering story around male identity that cultivates healthy connection, vitality, and vibrancy.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
About Elliot Katz:With a background in sociology, men’s work and fusion partner dance, Elliot brings awareness and attunement to dynamics of power, consent and erotic desire that play out on and off the dance floor. He brings passion, vision and permission to create containers of safety, exploration and transformation. Elliot is the co-founder of the Pulse Partner Dance Collective in Sebastopol CA and founder of Showing Up Trustworthy, soon launching programming to help cis-hetero men deepen into embodied congruence, attuned allyship and erotic nobility.
Related episodes: Centering Men: The Importance of Men’s Work in Societal Healing
QUICK REQUEST: Contribute to a Maui Wildfires Relief Fund here
In this continuation of our resonance series, we expand the conversation from focusing on finding resonance within ourselves, to recognizing its broader impact:
- How is resonance in our state part of not just benefiting ourselves, but also facilitating broader change in the world?
- How do we relate with immense social and environmental challenges, and retain a sense of musicality?
- What looks different about showing up to a challenging situation in a light, resonant state vs. a heavy, guilt-ridden state?
- What can that resonance bring to those conversations that could be vital?
What unfolds is an important reminder of core Woven Wings ideas: that we are all innately capable of accessing a state of resonance - no matter the circumstances, and due to our interconnectedness, we are capable of channeling that resonance as agents of positivity, love, and compassion in the world.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Referenced:- Sitting in the Fireby Arnold Mindell
Today’s conversation is the 2nd in our series on Resonance, with a focus on how to apply the theory of resonance to a common impulse shared by many adults - the impulse to control - our thoughts, our external circumstances, our lives.
- What does that impulse to control look like?
- What types of circumstances bring that impulse to life, and where is it beneficial vs not?
- How does an overextended inclination to control take us away from our best lived experience?
- And how does shifting our inner state towards resonance enable us to find a better, more effective balance?
Demonstrating this shift live on air, I delve into my own self-imposed weight of responsibility and consequent impulse to control, and Gabe deftly guides me to an inner state of being that we invite you all to explore: one of resonance, empowerment, and vibrancy.
1st episode in the series: Playing with Resonance: Getting a Feel for an Emerging Methodology (Spotify | Apple)
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
We’ve all heard the common cliche, “that resonates,” but what does this truly mean? Usual host Gabe Crane serves as the guest for this episode to explore the depths of this seemingly innocuous question.
In addition to being a musical concept, Resonance is an emerging methodology that lies at the core of Gabe’s work at Woven Wings. Drawing on the influences of his teachers’ systems, Ren Xue and Process Work, Resonance is an inner guidance system that points us towards profundity and vibrancy. It’s something we can feel and know when we’re around it, and can open up a path to greater well-being (both individually and systemically), as well as insight and connectedness.
Resonance gives us access to health and creative agency. Beyond that, it connects us - to one another, to ourselves, and to life. Through the resonant state of being, we remember what truly matters, and appreciate the relationships through which life is offering us movement and somewhere to grow. As a holistic, total approach, you can use Resonance to address any given experience or moment and help life to improve.
This week’s episode was a lot of fun to record, and brought us to our edges as producers, creatives, and hosts. The result, as you’ll hear, is something genuinely emergent – a powerful idea being birthed into the world, and developed in real time.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Follow ups: If you’d like to reach Gabe directly to explore application to your work or personal life, you can email him at gabriel@wovenwings.net.
Gabe and Rahul are joined by Gabe’s wife Lakshmi and Rahul’s wife, Keerti, as they all share a virtual living room conversation on some familiar Woven Wings themes that pertain to each of our lives.
With Gabe, Lakshmi, and their son Satori visiting Lakshmi’s parents and extended family in India for the first time in 4 years, we dig into their experience, and examine the role of tradition, family, and community in our own, modern lives. We ask ourselves:
- How do we integrate traditional influences, rituals, and wisdom in our contemporary lives?
- What role does the act itself of a ritual play in our experience of it, vs. the level of intention or belief that we bring to that ritual?
- What can we gain if we open ourselves up, and don’t immediately reject the aspects of tradition that are in tension with our modern sensibilities?
- What role does family and community play in this whole equation?
- And finally, how do we think about the example that we want to carry forward to future generations?
Join us and listen in to this free-flowing conversation around these questions and more, and come away with some food for thought of your own.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Two days out from Father’s Day, we explore the concept of centering men, a topic perhaps controversial - or maybe even unwelcome - in a time when men are often considered the root of many problems.
“Kawika” Mattos, proud father and grandfather, and facilitator of mens’ groups as well as parenting classes for both men and women, helps shine a line on:
- What’s unique about the male experience, and what role does male healing play in societal healing?
- How does society’s traditional definition of a “real man” negatively impact the way in which boys develop emotional sensitivity and expression?
- How do we evolve from that definition, and incorporate values of self-awareness, sensitivity, and vulnerability?
- And how can we as a society support dialogue and community around such a topic with a spirit of unity?
Kawika emphasizes that every conversation has a place, that we can strive to create space for each person’s healing in a way that’s unique to them, and that we are strongest when we shop up with a willingness to learn, practice, and grow together.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
About David “Kawika” Mattos:For more than 28 years, Kawika worked in the non-profit sector with agencies that serve families and children, including working with at-risk teens and fostering over 20 children - mostly teenagers who were deemed high risk in their communities. He also worked with the Boys & Girls Clubs, and then shifted to work with men, fathers and parents through Maui Family Support Services, Inc.
He is the Program Supervisor of the Kane Connections program, which facilitates menʻs groups and parenting classes for both men and women. Kawika also works part-time at a residential addiction treatment center called Aloha House where he teaches a weekly life concepts and skills class, and also a Hawaiian culture class.
He is currently the Maui County representative on the Hawai`i State – Commission on Fatherhood and is involved with other collaborations of early childhood development and men’s voices against family, domestic and sexual violence and abuse.
He brings his skills, fathering and relationship experiences to help men and parents, especially fathers, to gain insight and receive support on their fathering journey. Self-development and always learning something new had been Kawika’s quest. Married for 36 years, David “Kawika” Mattos is the father of 5 adult children and 8 grandchildren who are the center of their family’s life.
If you’ve ever reflected on how well your actions align with your goals, you’ve likely encountered the idea of motivation. How does motivation work, and where does it come from? How can I identify my true motivations? How can I be more motivated?
In today’s conversation with Barry Sommer, a licensed Educational Psychologist, Marriage and Family Therapist, and faculty member at Columbia University, we explore these questions. We also talk about how to reconcile this idea of seeking motivation, with the idea of living a life of flow and ease, and how the key is tying your motivation to what really matters to you.
Barry shows us how autonomy, mastery, and a sense of purpose are crucial in building motivation for a goal, and it is this last point of connecting to a sense of purpose, and a deeper one at that
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net About Barry Sommer:
Barry Sommer is a licensed Educational Psychologist, certified school psychologist, and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a private practice in Visalia, California. He serves as the Director of Lindsay Leads for the Lindsay Unified School District, in Central California. Teaching, training, consultation and facilitation for schools, non-profits, and health organizations are special interests. His primary goal is to support personal, family, community, and organizational development and health.
Barry is a graduate from Cornell University and Queens College of the City of New York, with degrees in Human Development, Psychology, and Education. Barry serves as faculty for Columbia University, teaching graduate courses in conflict management and psychology, and is the co-author of You Can Choose Your Own Life, a decision-making curriculum for middle grade students (Consulting Psychologist Press, 1994; B. Kerr and B. Sommer, 2021), and Beyond Reform: Systemic Shifts to Personalized Learning (Marzano Research, 2017).
Barry’s recent book, You Can Choose Your Own Life: https://www.amazon.com/You-Can-Choose-Your-Life/dp/0891060588
References:
- The Surrender Experiment: My Journey Into Life’s Perfection - Punished by Rewards - Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us - SMART goals
How many of us go around our local environments - whether they’re urban, suburban, or otherwise, and have no idea what’s around us
Today we’re joined by Ralph Steven, herbalist and ethnobotanist to discuss:
- Why does connecting with our surroundings matter?
- What does it mean to “have a relationship with and connect with plants”, and how do we do it?
- What role do plants play in healing, and what is “plant spirit medicine”?
- And how does all of this tied to our own spiritual growth and development?
Ralph shares how when we stay curious and connect with what’s around us, we not only learn to protect our world, but we also nourish ourselves, cultivate our compassion, and become better people.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
About Ralph Steven:Ralph Steven is an herbalist and ethnobotanist dedicated to bringing people back into right relationship with the natural world. His work is predominantly with the endless botanicals of Florida. Ralph offers wellness consultations for people and land alike, calling upon the tropical plants and modalities he has studied for the last decade.
There are many varied perspectives on what constitutes a healthy life and how to get there. What few disagree on, though, is how important health is in the context of living a vibrant life.
Today we sit with Jackie Blunt to discuss the concept of “holistic health”:
- What does “holistic health” even mean, and how does it compare and contrast with our typical way of thinking about health?
- What role does our inner wisdom, our heart, and positive energy play in health?
- What does it look like to “uplift” health on a contiguous basis?
- And finally, how can we integrate an understanding of holistic health into the way that we approach our own health?
Join us for a rich discussion centered around the idea that health is not just about treating problems, or even preventing problems, but rather about growing into well being - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We’re reminded that we should listen to our hearts, stay curious, experiment, and find our own version of a holistic health practice that enables us to shine.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
About Jackie Blunt:Jackie Blunt has been a doctor in New Zealand and the Pacific region, wellbeing team lead in the educational sector, Ren Xue teacher and coach, and currently works as practice development coordinator for Ren Xue International, developing Yuan Ming practice.
Jackie grew up riding a pony to school and puddle jumping while she wondered how the world might find peace with all the wars that were always going on somewhere. That seemed to be a good training ground for independent thinking and a lifelong exploration of how people and the world heal. While taking a break from studying medicine and traveling through Asia, she became very ill while meditating on a monastery in Thailand, and was fortunate to survive a coma and to come back with new insights from a near death experience.
More links:Aotearoa Retreat Centre Project
Ren Xue
Today we sit with the passionate and innovative Arturo Ezquerro to hone in on the critical role of learning in our lives:- Why is learning so essential to not just thrive, but also survive?
- What is the concept of the “social learning organism”, and how has he brought that to life in his work?
- How do our relationships influence our learning environment?
- What’s the role of self knowledge in learning?
- And finally, what can we do to bring joyful learning into our day to day lives?
What follows is a rich reminder that all situations and relations offer an opportunity to learn, that we can intentionally design our learning environment, and that learning is ultimately at the heart of vibrant living.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
About Arturo Ezquerro:Arturo is a devoted family man that has committed his work around education innovation. Soon after he obtained a bachelors degree in chemical engineering, realized his calling was in education.
After working as a certified Waldorf Grade teacher and IB diploma science teacher in private schools, he noticed that there is a great need to reclaim our education sovereignty.
Since 2017 he teamed up with two passionate educators and together they embarked on the expedition to explore the complex waters of education and community building through Semillero: Social Learning Organism. His passion for the natural sciences has also driven him to develop a program of science learning wilderness camps focused on awakening the innate "scientist" within each one through Goethean Observation practices.
Today we’re re-releasing an episode that originally aired just over a year ago on March 22nd of 2022, where we spoke with Simeon Darwick Birnbaum, laughter yoga instructor and founder of Joyful Living.
We explore how we can lean into a lighter way of being by utilizing a spiritually and biologically potent practice that’s readily available to all of us: our own laughter. We see how regardless of our circumstances, we can intentionally and actively access our inner, childlike curiosity and joy, while using the contagious power of laughter to inspire playfulness, expand our minds, and perhaps most importantly, open our hearts.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
About Simeon Darwick Birnbaum:Simeon creates joy, vitality and connection through embodied practices. He sees laughing for a living as a birthright and as his responsibility to bring forth to the world especially during these times. "Joy isn't merely incidental to our spiritual quest, it is vital" (The Rebbe)
Website: https://jyfliving.com/ Podcast 1: The Joyfully Attuned Podcast Podcast 2: Joyful Living NOW - Interview with Dr. Madan Kataria, Founder of Laughter YogaOfferings: Wednesday Men’s Laughter Yoga
REFERENCES: - Online Laughter Calendar: https://mailchi.mp/0103727b387d/olcd - Online Laughter Trainings: https://celestegreenelaughs.com/ - Play: A Different Perspective, Paul C Holinger (Psychology Today)- The effects of a simulated laughter programme on mood, cortisol levels, and health-related quality of life among haemodialysis patients
The idea that we “create our own reality” may feel trite and cliche in today’s age, where self help adages run unrestrained through our feeds. And yet what lies beneath this particular concept is a foundational set of powerful spiritual principles grounded in ancient wisdom.
We sit with Nivedita Ganapathi - spiritual seeker, motivational speaker, and transformational coach - to explore:
- What is the spiritual basis for “creating our own reality”?
- Is the idea ultimately just about creating agency in our lives, or is there something deeper?
- How can we intellectually and emotionally accept this premise? How do we sort through our skepticism?
- What, if anything, is dangerous about this idea?
- What does it feel like as an experience to put this idea into motion?
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
About Nivedita Ganapathi:Nivedita Ganapathi is a spiritual seeker, motivational speaker, and transformational coach. She is a co-founder of MyPositivityMatters - a personal growth platform to guide people on a journey of self discovery by breaking through barriers and helping them reach their goals in relationship, career, health, and purpose. She gave up a lucrative law practice to follow her calling to become a motivational speaker and personal coach. Nivedita draws upon her experience in a wide range of healing modalities, sacred mysteries, and spiritual philosophies to empower people by expanding their awareness.
Nivedita has conducted mindfulness practices at major universities like Stanford and the University of California Santa Cruz and facilitated conscious leadership programs at corporations like Oracle, Linked In, and many other organizations.
Talking about and reflecting on death can feel morbid, scary, dreadful even. Today we sit with Matt Segall, Professor of Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness to explore the concept of death from the lens of philosophy, and do our best to bring the conversation to a practical place:
- Why is talking about death powerful? What does it unlock for us?
- What does it mean to “cross the threshold” of death while we live, and to “die before dying”?
- How does contemplating the death of our ego-centric sense of self enable us to better connect with others?
- How do we even go about participating in this contemplation? How do we tackle our fear? How do we challenge or suspend our assumptions about the nature of life and death?
- What does it give us access to that they wouldn’t otherwise?
What we find nestled within a contemplation of our death - both literal and figurative - is a powerful connection to living more vibrant, connected, and meaningful lives.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
About Matthew David Segall:Matthew is a transdisciplinary researcher and teacher applying process philosophy across the natural and social sciences, including the study of consciousness. He is Assistant Professor in the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness Program at California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, CA. He is the author of Physics of the World-Soul: Whitehead’s Adventure in Cosmology (SacraSage, 2021) and Crossing the Threshold: Etheric Imagination in the Post-Kantian Process Philosophy of Schelling and Whitehead (Revelore/Integral Imprint, 2023)
Follow Matthew’s Work:Website: https://Footnotes2Plato.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThouArtThat
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/footnotes2plato/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@footnotes2plato
Roman Hanis shares an eclectic spiritual philosophy built on the concepts of essential humanity and a shared human heart, which mirror core tenets of the Woven Wings philosophy: the idea that we’re all connected at a very deep level, and that coming together in harmony and support for both each other and the world that we inhabit is essential to the planetary healing that we so innately crave.
What is essential humanity? What do we all share in common?
How do we accept our identities, but also not feel bound by them?
What is the shared human heart? How do we access it? How can we know that it exists?
How do these ideas contribute to planetary healing?
Furthermore, in an age where many people are piecing together their spiritual philosophy - a topic we continue to explore more frequently on this show - Roman talks about how there is no manual or shortcut for your own pursuit of truth, and how you must do the work to open your consciousness and access your innate wisdom. He defines that truth not as a philosophical concept, but as a state of being characterized by essential human qualities: vulnerability, receptivity, resilience, and openness, to name a few..
Join us in this inspiring conversation with someone who walks the walk, and leave energized to connect with your own deep sense of humanity!
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter
About Roman Hanis:Roman Hanis has been working closely with the indigenous Peruvian cultures in the Amazonian rainforest and Andean mountains since 2001. During this time he has devoted his life to learning the ancient healing ways of these cultures while seeking possibilities for creating ecological sources of sustenance for local populations and working to preserve the rainforest and its spiritual heritage that includes a skillful application of sacred medicinal plants.
About the Paititi Institute:
“Paititi”, in Quechua, is an enlightened realm manifested through the awakening of our shared human heart. Through the awakened spirit of the individual comes the greatest potential for the transformation of the planet. The Paititi Institute for the Preservation of the Environment and Indigenous Culture is committed to embodying this paradigm shift and demonstrating what is possible through ordinary human efforts, in service to Mother Nature and the infinite human potential.
Through all of our programs, we dedicate our efforts to supporting a society of deep, nurturing and true values. We serve as an intercultural bridge, supporting individuals and communities to live activated, responsible and joyful lives in harmony with both inner and outer landscapes. As humans, we are inexorably linked to the earth and each other. As part of this magnificent symbiotic organism, we are dedicated to co-creating the enlightened world we all have in our hearts.
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Bill Richards - renowned psychologist, theologian, and pioneer in the research of psychedelic-assisted therapy - is in the unique position of being able to speak to mystical experiences with both spiritual and scientific authority.
In addition to delving into his research journey around psychedelics, he shares how grounding in our interpersonal relationships, engaging in curious exploration of our consciousness, and letting go of our egos can lead to a liberating sense of surrender, overcoming fear, and living a life of enduring presence.
- What is sacred knowledge?
- How is all of our life and humanity interrelated?
- What is the history of psychedelics in our society, and why are they inextricably linked to the sacred?
- How do we marry these ideas with a modern, research driven sensibility
- What does all of this mean for us individually, and for society, as we pursue a global awakening?
Join us in exploring these questions, and more, with one of the giants in the field!
About Bill Richards:William A. Richards (Bill), author of Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experiences, is Director of Therapy at Sunstone Therapies currently focused on psilocybin-assisted therapy in palliative care. He also is a psychologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, where he and his colleagues have been pursuing research with psilocybin since 1999, and teaches mental health professionals to work safely and effectively with psychedelics at the California Institute of Integral Studies.
His graduate degrees encompass the psychology of religion, theology, comparative religion and clinical psychology. His involvement with psychedelic research originated at the University of Göttingen in 1963. From 1967 to 1977, he pursued research with LSD, DPT, MDA and psilocybin at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center.
Join our newsletter: https://www.wovenwings.net/newsletter Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Join Gabe Crane and Rahul Deedwania in the virtual studio to hear from them on what season 2 of Woven Wings Live is all about!
We breakdown what we mean by "Wisdom and Tools for Vibrant Living", and recommit to you - dear listener - our aim to spark reflection and growth through conversations on spiritual traditions and practices, psychology, social science, activism, community building, adversity and triumph, creativity, and planetary healing.
We believe we’re all woven together in the spiritual fabric of life. What we do matters. Together, let’s seed a transformation in global culture.
What exactly is trauma, and how can we talk about trauma in a healthy way?
How does one become aware of where trauma is present in their own lives, in their families, and in their communities?
How does unpacking the trauma in our lives open us up to possibility, and what can we do to create structures and environments to help us live our best lives?
In this wide ranging conversation about this complex topic, Dr. Agrawal paints a picture of optimism, and how, through practice, we can unlock both our agency and creativity in pursuit of a hopeful future.
About Dr. Neha Agrawal:Dr. Agrawal is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Los Angeles area. Dr. Agrawal works from an integrative and multicultural framework to address current and intergenerational social and cultural factors that impact recovery, wellbeing, and resilience. She is interested in the intersection of complex traumatic stress and severe mental illness. Dr. Agrawal believes in collaboration among various disciplines and draws inspiration from artistic, musical, and spiritual traditions to contribute to a web of wisdom to support one another in collective healing.
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
What does it really mean to be “in process,” or “with our process?” Why is process important? And what are the tools and structures that make being in process fruitful and supportive to our lives? On today’s episode, Process Work facilitator, coach, and consultant Elsa Henderson illuminates the core tenets of this psychological discipline. What emerges is a rich inquiry into the acts of observation and following what we discover to find something meaningful and life-giving.
About Process WorkProcess Work is an interdisciplinary form of awareness practice. Developed by psychologist Arnold Mindell, the modality has applications to individual therapy, group facilitation work, and large group inquiry, as seen in the practices of Deep Democracy and Open Forums. Process Work has an international community and following with centers in numerous countries. The Process Work Institute in Portland, OR offers trainings, certifications, and masters-level degrees.
For more information about Process Work, click here.
About Elsa HendersonBased in Portland, Oregon, and Bristol, England, Elsa Henderson works internationally. She is on faculty at the Metavision Institute, a facilitator at Converge for Impact, and Becauz. She holds a BA in Anthropology and an MA in Process-Oriented Psychology, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Organizational Studies, with a focus on the nature of mind, complexity, and sense-making.
In her work, Elsa moves between the roles of facilitator, coach, and consultant. In each role, her focus is on supporting individuals to cultivate their awareness, reconnect with their inner knowing, and develop their capacity to engage with complexity (life in all its fullness) at the individual and group level. Her work includes 1:1 coaching, team facilitation, leadership development, and teaching. She believes that people are inherently dynamic and hold a broad spectrum of potential. She brings an attitude of curiosity, respect, and care to all her work. When she’s not working, she enjoys running in the forest, reading books on systems thinking, cognitive science, and myth, and exploring new and familiar places. Each of these experiences informs her work.
For more information about Elsa, click here.
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Where do the phenomena of personal growth and spiritual life coaching come from? What’s underneath the hood of social media stardom and the quest for personal fulfillment and satisfaction? Dr. Molly Worthen, professor at the University of North Carolina, joins us to discuss the history of religion in America, including the decline of religious institutions and the rise, for better and worse, of hyper-individualism in the spiritual marketplace. Drawing on Dr. Worthen’s expertise, this episode looks expansively and critically at what we may really be seeking through avenues such as coaching, as well as the nature of true freedom. For anyone interested in working with a spiritual life coach or developing their spiritual life in general, this episode is a must listen!
About Dr. Molly Worthen:Molly Worthen’s research focuses on North American religious and intellectual history. Her most recent book examines American evangelical intellectual life since 1945. Worthen teaches courses in global Christianity, North American religious and intellectual culture, and the history of politics and ideology. In 2017 she received the Manekin Family Award for Teaching Excellence in Honors Carolina. She writes regularly about religion, politics and higher education for the New York Times and has also contributed to Politico, the New Yorker, Slate, the American Prospect, Foreign Policy, and other publications. She has also created courses for Audible and the Teaching Company on the history of charismatic leadership as well as the history of global Christianity since the Reformation. Worthen is currently working on a book about the history of charisma in America since 1600.
Some of Dr. Worthen’s Notable Publications include:
-Apostles of Reason: The Crisis of Authority in American Evangelicalism (Oxford University Press, 2013)
-The Man On Whom Nothing Was Lost: The Grand Strategy of Charles Hill (Houghton Mifflin, 2006)
-“The Chalcedon Problem: Rousas John Rushdoony and the Origins of Christian Reconstructionism” Church History 77 No. 2 (June 2008)
- NY Times article: 400 Years Ago, They Would Be Witches. Today, They Can Be Your Coach
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
The first half of today’s episode covers the story of the exuberant and passionate Steven Wynbrandt, and how we went from backyard garden to finding purpose, passion, and profitability as the King of Compost (as deemed by the L.A. Times).
In the 2nd half, we go deeper with Steven into a core tenet of the Woven Wings message: that engaging in a conscious process to do good - both individually and collectively - is how change happens, and even though it might be uncomfortable, inconvenient, or sometimes unclear, what we do, and what we put out in the world, matters.
Steven’s energy and vitality inspires us and creates an imperative and call to action to nourish ourselves and the world.
About Steven Wynbrandt:Steven Wynbrandt is the founder of Wynbrandt Farms, a micro-farm that has become a one-of-a-kind gem of urban agriculture in Los Angeles, CA. Celebrated locally by many of L.A.’s most esteemed garden professionals and connoisseurs as “the highest expectation of health, vitality and intensity,” Wynbrandt Farms is known for the remarkable results of its compost, signature growing techniques, the quality and the quantity of its vegetable production, and the wildly passionate “King Of Compost” (L.A. Times) behind it all - Steven!
Steven consults nationally and internationally, teaching best composting practices to and creating custom soil fertility programs for farms, communities and organizations of all kinds. His agricultural career includes growing specialty produce for chefs and restaurants, creating a hyper-local farm direct CSA, and teaching in-class lecture and hands on workshops for academic institutions and organizations including UCLA, the UCCE Dept. of Ag. and Natural Resources, Santa Monica College, L.A. Unified School District, Demeter USA, The National Heirloom Expo, The L.A. Green Festival, Hazon, L.A. Community Garden Council, and a plethora or public and private community organizations.
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
For those that don’t automatically continue with a spiritual community that they’re born into, the notion of joining one may feel all together daunting, especially in this day and age.
Kaitna Shankar, a Buddhist Practitioner who became an active member of a Buddhist community at 21 years old, shares what led her to feel ready to seek and commit to a spiritual community.
- How did she choose her practice?
- What are the benefits she experiences as a practitioner?
- How does she navigate fluctuations in her practice as a mobile, young urban professional?
- And how is her spiritual practice embedded in her experiences of day-to-day life?
About Kaitna Shankar:8 years ago, Kaitna was drawn to Nichiren Buddhism in the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) at a time in her life when she was looking for meaning, purpose, and an outlet of self-development. After experimenting with chanting, applying Buddhist scriptures to her modern life, and embracing a spiritual community, Kaitna decided to join the practice as a member. She has since taken on numerous, volunteer-based leadership roles within the SGI, helping support other young women in their daily lives through applying Buddhist practice and scripture, and planning Buddhist meetings for the neighborhood community to participate in.
Outside of her Buddhist practice, Kaitna lives in San Francisco with her husband and works at Samsara, where she leads a team of talented Product Marketers focused on building and marketing products to help Samsara’s customers operate safely and protect their frontline workers. Kaitna is also a leader of the AAPI at Samsara Employee Resource Group, where she helps create a network, celebrate the contributions and influence of the AAPI community, and raise awareness of important topics. In her personal life, Kaitna enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants and leading an active lifestyle, including pursuing a fitness instructor certification and training.
About Soka Gakkai International-USA (SGI-USA)The Soka Gakkai International-USA (SGI-USA) is part of a global community-based network of more than 11 million people in 192 countries and territories that practice the humanistic philosophy of Nichiren Buddhism centered on respect for the dignity of life. Members of the SGI are committed to dialogue and nonviolence based on the conviction that individual happiness and the realization of peace are inextricably linked.
The basic daily Buddhist practice, carried out in members' own homes, is chanting the phrase “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” and reciting portions of the Lotus Sutra as a means to embrace and bring forth our Buddha nature, our limitless reserves of wisdom, courage and compassion and apply them to our daily lives.
In the U.S., SGI represents one of the most diverse Buddhist communities with more than 2,500 monthly neighborhood discussion meetings and some 100 Buddhist centers throughout the country. Members and guests gather monthly for small-scale neighborhood discussion meetings where they study Buddhist principles and share experiences of applying Buddhism to the challenges of life. As religion journalist Clark Strand notes: “At an SGI-USA discussion meeting, every voice is heard. Such meetings are egalitarian in spirit, democratic in practice and decidedly life-affirming in their vision of how Buddhist practice might contribute to the happiness of the individual and, in so doing, provide the foundation for a happy society.”
Based on core Buddhist principles such as respect for the dignity of human life and the interconnectedness of self and the environment, the SGI engages in various peace activities, including human rights education, the movement to abolish nuclear weapons and efforts to promote sustainable development.
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
A message that you may hear a lot these days is that our world is more volatile, uncertain, complex, and than ever before.
What happens to us internally in the face of a changing environment?
How do we build our capacity to co-exist with change?
How does leaning into our strengths enable us to better handle change?
And how can we, collectively, work together to ensure that change leads us to a brighter future?
About Susan Levin:Susan Levin is a global facilitator, coach, trainer, mediator, and organization development practitioner with more than 30 years of experience. She has worked with thousands of employees in a variety of organizations in over 40 countries, including the US Agency for International Development, the United Nations, the Democracy, Human Rights and Governance (DRG) Center, the Middle East Regional Platform, the Central Asia Mission, and the Latin America and Caribbean Learning and Rapid Response (LACLEARN).
She focuses on maximizing individual and organizational strengths to get great results. She uses an appreciative approach to help her clients leverage their best practices to achieve their future vision. Whether abroad or in the US, she’s mindful that her work is culturally relevant.
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
In today's far ranging conversation, Andy Couturier illustrates - through his own story, and those of people he’s profiled - what it could look like to be deeply aligned with values of conscious consumption, rolling up our sleeves for our basic needs, and creating abundance of space and spirit through simplicity and elimination. We also delve into writing as a powerful personal practice, and how any expressive pursuit can act as a container for us to feel and live our lives more deeply.
About Andy Couturier:
Andy Couturier is the author of Writing Open the Mind and A Different Kind of Luxury, now going into its fourth printing. He loves teaching writing, and is the founder and creative director of The Opening, a private writing school which offers courses in-person and online. Andy and his partner built a house with hand tools in the mountains. In his personal life, he enjoys doing hand work such as tree-planting, splitting firewood, home scale gardening and food production. He loves to spend mornings reading classical Chinese poetry, or twentieth-century experimental, imagist and nature poetry.
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Unlikely guest, Zsuzsánna Balogh, joins us to share a life in service to being a positive and additive force in people’s lives regardless of both her own individual circumstances, and the context of her interaction with someone. In meeting her for the first time just last week, it wasn’t an active conversation or anything of the sort that created a connection, but rather, the hidden transmission of Zsuzsánna’s positive energy that left a lasting impression and brought her to our show.
Join us today in experiencing an example of someone who lives their mission from a place of internal peace in every moment, and leave reminded of the power of doing so yourself.
About Zsuzsánna Balogh:Zsuzsánna is a Hungarian from Transylvania, who left the Communist company to move to Nepal, and then eventually to Maui, where she felt a spiritual connection to the place. Mandalas - sacred geometry - and symbols came to her life 11 years ago, and since then she has been experiencing them working on herself and helping others as well, including holding workshops in New York City and New Jersey for 7 years. She has used these tools for a better understanding of self, tapping into creativity and co-creation, healing, sharing, discovery of purpose, and freeing up the soul and opening up enjoyment and creation of a better reality.
In her own words: “I am a cherubim, who is on her/his mission on this planet Earth, like everybody else enjoying and co-creating that reality. For some people I am a silk-painter, mandala queen, for some people I am their caregiver or their cleaning lady… how they experienced me but this is not who I am, this is what I choose to do in the present moment. We are all teachers and healers at the same time, and we heal and learn only when we are ready to open ourselves to it."
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Our 2nd episode in the “Weaving in Action” series focuses on the story of Yash Ashava and the Worldchangers Organization, an effort that he and a friend conceptualized back when they were children and brought to reality as young adults.
Their story is one of multi-front, collective action built on 2 foundational pillars acknowledging the relational nature between ourselves and the world: 1) Inner Work for Global Change, and 2) Global Work for Inner Change.
This has led them to develop a 40 acre, community eco-village; host a family-friendly festival focused on spiritual learning, transformational workshops, music, and creativity; and to create an academy for learning both ancient traditions and modern psychology.
Tune in to learn what motivated their effort, how they maintain their inspiration, what the foundation of their philosophy is, and how they brought it all together. We close with a surprise artistic demo from our guest as well!
About WorldchangersWorldchangers Organization 501(c)3 for Inner World Peace is an interdisciplinary nonprofit, international movement, and interspiritual school. We are dedicated to the vision of a new planetary paradigm, where people live in harmony with the cosmos, nature, each other, and themselves. We recognize community service as a vehicle for consciousness expansion and personal maturation, which also leads to collective transformation on a larger scale. Therefore, our Two Pillars are Inner Work for Global Change and Global Work for Inner Change, and our Eight Limbs are Creativity, Healing, Education, Sustainability, Spirituality, Leadership, Diversity, and Reciprocity.
About Heartfire Festival - Re:Emergence:Next Steps for People & Planet
September 15-18, 2022 at Sanctorum Ecovillage, CO
4 days on 40 acres with Indigenous Wisdom, Live Music, Permaculture Education, Psychosomatic Practices & so much more
Please enjoy watching the full length video or the shorter promo cut and to include / share it if you feel inspired:
- Full Length: https://youtu.be/jPqRuTkCNNo
- Promo Cut: https://youtu.be/-Mm7Jrdgawc
Learn more about the Ecovillage About Yash Ashava (aka Yasha):Yasha is an emcee, polymath, and founder of Worldchangers Organization 501(c)3 and of its many initiatives — such as Sanctorum Ecovillage, HeartFire Festival and more. Having completed his Bachelor’s in World Wisdom Traditions at Naropa University and his Master’s in Jungian Psychology and Archetypal Studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute, Yasha is now completing his PhD in Psychology, in the research and dissertation writing stage. As a Zakir with the Inayati-Maimuni Order, a student of the Initiatic College, a Karma Yogi and a certified instructor with Rocky Mountain Tai Chi Chuan, Yasha also guides meditations and practices, interprets dreams, and facilitates retreats and rites of passage. Born to an immigrant family of Jewish dissidents from the Soviet intelligentsia, Yasha has been continuously traveling around the world since early childhood while sharing a wide range of multilingual creative work — from large music concerts to public murals on multiple continents. He lives happily with his beloved wife and community in Colorado, where he continues unlearning daily for the benefit of all. Lately, this means digging trenches for solar power, building yurts, growing gardens, and producing The Colorado Sustainable Living Conference.
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
What is the Enneagram?
What are its unique benefits?
Who is it for?
How does one’s Enneagram type develop?
What does knowing my, or someone else’s, type enable?
What should someone skeptical of typology systems take away from this conversation?
How does someone interested in this path get started?
Yamini Deen shares that the types in the Enneagram are not binding, but rather are meant to be windows to a place of choice. And how some playful curiosity, experimentation, and willingness to explore ourselves and others through that lens of choice can help create more compassion and peace in the world.
About Yamini Deen:Yamini Deen is a Jungian Analyst trainee at the International School of Analytical Psychology, working in private practice in Zurich and online. She has worked with the Enneagram system in diverse contexts in India and Europe, including corporate training, therapy, supporting couples, and social work. As a therapist, Yamini uses the Enneagram as a map to offer highly individualised therapy tailored to each person's unique potential. Her approach integrates Jungian talk therapy with eastern wisdom traditions tapping into the profound intelligence of the body, dreams and the unconscious to find inner guidance. As a woman of colour, Yamini is highly attuned to the effects of systemic and social factors on her clients' lives.
Yamini is also the co-director of the award-winning feature documentary Delhi Dreams. You can learn more about her work at www.yaminideen.com.
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Conflict is a force we encounter regularly: in our own lives, in our communities, across society, and across the world.
- How does the experience of conflict play out?
- What drives conflict?
- How do people typically respond to conflict?
- What are ways for us to build our capacity to handle conflict over time?
- And how can conflict actually lead to growth and vitality in life?
Jenny Besch - Experienced mediator, trainer, and lecturer - shares how to change our relationship with conflict by taking a step back and channeling a mindset built on curiosity, listening, and acknowledgement, and how that enables us to access a sense of creativity in the conflict resolution process… All, while making sure we stay true to ourselves. Listen on for how we can all grow through conflict.
About Jenny Besch:Jenny is a State Certified Mediation trainer, with special expertise in Family Court mediation and Restorative Justice. She is a Former Director of the Westchester and Rockland Mediation Centers of CLUSTER, has served on the Governor’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Board, and was instrumental in New York’s RAISE THE AGE campaign.
She was foundational in establishing mediation programs throughout Westchester County’s public middle and high schools. Jenny began teaching at Columbia in 2009, joining the faculty as an adjunct in the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution program. She also teaches Adaptive Negotiation and Conflict Resolution at Teachers College as well as Advanced Mediation for Bioethics.
Before entering the world of Alternative Dispute Resolution, Jenny had a 25 year career in the theater and movie business.
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Books mentioned on the call:Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
What does it look like to weave together your talents, your heritage, and your sense of connectedness to benefit our interrelated world?
We dive into the powerful story of Xochitl Bernadette Moreno and Ashel Seasunz Eldridge, who at the start of the pandemic, came together over their passions for service, spirituality, and community by forming the organization, Essential Food and Medicine.
Through the lens of both their organization and their rich individual histories, we explore:
- What role did their spiritual heritage play in informing their work?
- How did they form an authentic set of guiding principles?
- How did their approach lead to a community movement around their efforts?
- How can someone with an intent to serve get started?
Tune in and get inspired!
–
About E-FAM: https://www.essentialfam.org/about-us
Re-indigenizing our community's relationship to land, food and medicine working with the houseless, reservations, and incarcerated. IG: @essentialfam
About Xochitl Bernadette Moreno (Co-founder and Co-director of EFAM)
Xochitl has a background in healing arts from around the world, bridging herbalism, curanderismo, massage, and more, with activism. She is a long time media maker and activist cutting her chops in the anti-globalization movement and many years of on the ground community organizing from Oakland, CA to Deep in the Amazon.
About AshEL SeaSunZ Eldridge (Co-founder and Co-director of EFAM)
AshEL is Chicago born, living in Oakland by way of NY, with West African/Blackfoot ancestry. He works intentionally with various shamanic practices including Peruvian plant medicines since 2005. His work in ceremonial leadership includes Dagrara divinatory and ancestral healing, Japanese spiritual purification, (www.sukyomahikari.org), and Galactic Language Activation/soul cleansing via Tian Gong. He is also the founder of Soulestial Church, a community of healers, medicine carriers, musicians, artists and activists that offers gatherings, workshops, and retreats honoring ancestral medicines and teachings to support the healing and purification of mind, body and spirit. You can learn more about him at: http://www.ashelseasunz.com/
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Other References:- Movies: Voices of the Wisdom Keepers | The Women of the White Buffalo
- People: Vandana Shiva (Indian scholar, environmental activist, food sovereignty advocate, ecofeminist and anti-globalisation author)
- Learning: The Yoga Sutras
In a world of ever-increasing complexity and polarity, have you ever wondered: what is one thing that could change and take us into a place of harmony? Rabbi Pesach Stadlin shares how we must celebrate that we as a people are needy and that as part of our interdependence, we need to take, whether it’s time, attention, resources, or anything else. What matters, then, is bringing a spirit of consciousness, consent, and grace when we take, as opposed to mistaking selfishly, forcefully, and without grace.
We explore: what is the art of taking? What are personal practices around improving the way in which we take? How does conscious taking contribute to sustainable bliss for ourselves and humanity at large? What are the unique challenges about this practice, and how do we overcome them?
Pesach remarks that contrary to what popular sentiment might suggest, we’re closer to unlocking a harmonious way of being than we might think. Join us in learning about the art of taking, and how you can apply it in your own lives
About Rabbi Pesach Stadlin:Pesach is a founding member and Rabbi of Eden Village Summer camps. He is a big fan of creator and creation and his favorite spiritual postures are closeness and balance. He has lived up in the Redwood trees, on sailboats, and led 17 international trips with the American Jewish World Service. He has lived on a quiet homestead in a forest deep in the hills of Jerusalem, and now lives on a sailboat in Greece. In the winter months he can often be found by his wood stove fire pondering a thought and jotting it down.
He is the author of Sustainable Bliss, Kuntres Baal Tashchit, and just finished the manuscript for his upcoming book, Light in Vessels, a practical and spiritual guide book to the Jewish holidays and beyond. He received smichah/ordination from Yeshivat Simchat Shlomo in Jerusalem and (unofficially) from his campers.
Sustainable Bliss: https://www.amazon.com/Sustainable-Bliss-Paradigm-Pesach-Stadlin/dp/1329757505
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
In today’s episode, we explore the concept of a mind-body-heart connection through the lens of Qi Gong, an ancient Chinese practice to cultivate and balance Qi, or “life energy.” We learn from the personal experience of Qi gong and Ren Xue practitioner, Norberto Rodrigues, and explore a wide range of questions: What is Qi? How do we think about the idea of the mind, body, and heart being connected? What is the practice of Qi Gong? What are the challenges that people experience with Qi Gong? How can we bring these principles into our lives?
About Norberto Rodrigues:Since childhood, Norberto has been fascinated by meditation, martial arts, consciousness work, wisdom, healing and learning how to improve his life and help others. This led him to practice Chinese martial arts (Hung Gar, Wing Chun, Tang Lang), Tai Chi, Qigong, Yoga, meditation and Muay Thai, while also studying ancient wisdom, energy and healing texts. A search for truth, combined with a passion for science, inspired him to do a Master’s in Physical Activity and Health, with research in Biochemistry and Physiology.
Following years of searching for a solution to a severe spinal energy in his lower back - and having already tried medical and holistic therapies - Norberto came across Yuan Tze and Ren Xue in 2010. He not only found a path to healing his body, but also uplifting his life at all levels, including the possibility of realization and wisdom. He turned this into his dream: to help people to improve their lives at all levels and to realize their own Pure Hearts and True Self.
Reach Norberto: https://purehearttrueself.com/
Already Free Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4m-qlgsj2k
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Credits: Intro music by David Deedwania
If you’ve ever reflected on how well your actions align with your goals, you’ve likely encountered the idea of motivation. How does motivation work, and where does it come from? How can I identify my true motivations? How can I be more motivated?
In today’s conversation with Barry Sommer, a licensed Educational Psychologist, Marriage and Family Therapist, and faculty member at Columbia University, we explore these questions. We also talk about how to reconcile this idea of seeking motivation, with the idea of living a life of flow and ease, and how the key is tying your motivation to what really matters to you.
Barry shows us how autonomy, mastery, and a sense of purpose are crucial in building motivation for a goal, and it is this last point of connecting to a sense of purpose, and a deeper one at that
About Barry Sommer:
Barry Sommer is a licensed Educational Psychologist, certified school psychologist, and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a private practice in Visalia, California. He serves as the Director of Lindsay Leads for the Lindsay Unified School District, in Central California. Teaching, training, consultation and facilitation for schools, non-profits, and health organizations are special interests. His primary goal is to support personal, family, community, and organizational development and health.
Barry is a graduate from Cornell University and Queens College of the City of New York, with degrees in Human Development, Psychology, and Education. Barry serves as faculty for Columbia University, teaching graduate courses in conflict management and psychology, and is the co-author of You Can Choose Your Own Life, a decision-making curriculum for middle grade students (Consulting Psychologist Press, 1994; B. Kerr and B. Sommer, 2021), and Beyond Reform: Systemic Shifts to Personalized Learning (Marzano Research, 2017).
Barry’s recent book, You Can Choose Your Own Life: https://www.amazon.com/You-Can-Choose-Your-Life/dp/0891060588
References:
- The Surrender Experiment: My Journey Into Life’s Perfection - Punished by Rewards - Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us - SMART goals
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Credits: Intro music by David Deedwania
Today’s episode welcomes to the studio Sampada Wakhlu, co-host of the 2022 Global Bhagavad Gita Convention, to discuss engaging sacred texts in the modern world. Sampada’s approachable nature and rich background with this iconic text of south Asian culture serves as a jumping off point to consider the benefits sacred texts and traditions can bring to our lives in the modern world. Along the way, we look at some of the specific guidance and advice available in the Bhagavad Gita, as well as examine the range of feelings and responses that can be evoked when we begin looking at religious and traditional sources.
About the Global Gita Organization: http://www.globalgita.org/
About the Bhoomananda Organization: https://www.bhoomananda.org/swami-bhoomananda-tirtha/
About Sampada Wakhlu:The itinerant nature of her childhood shaped Sampada Wakhlu’s passion for exploring diverse cultures as an adult. She channels this curiosity for discovery between her two worlds — India and the United States — in a fluid way to allow for harmony and connection.
Fueled by the urgency of the pandemic, Sampada began her search for a path towards greater emotional tranquility, one that would resonate with today's generation. Reflection, research, and collaboration with spiritual teachers in the space ultimately led Sampada to study the vedic scripture of the Bhagavad Gita. A deepening sense of commitment led her to serve as a host of the Global Bhagavad Gita Convention in Feb 2022, focused on the theme of Mental Harmony.
When not working at Handshake to democratize opportunity for early talent, Sampada spends her time on her side projects: Mélange, a cultural coaching offering for non-native english speakers and an upcoming recipe digest that recreates ancestral Kashmiri recipes for the modern kitchen.
Sampada lives in California with her husband (and numerous plants).
Reach us at: live@wovenwings.net
Credits: Intro music by David Deedwania
Gabe and Rahul pause on their usual interview-based flow, and instead take time to reflect on their time creating Woven Wings Live so far. We start by talking about the importance of the reflection process itself - tapping into our experiences, taking stock of the more and less desirable aspects of those experiences, being thoughtful about what comes next, and renewing energy towards our sense of purpose - and then dive into a live reflection of the purpose, process, and experience behind creating this very podcast. We hope to inspire you, the listener, to pause and reflect on whatever is present for you in your life today.
References:Why You Should Make Time for Self-Reflection (Even If You Hate Doing It) (HBR)
Reflection: What is it and why is it useful? (Institute for Academic Development)Reach us at live@wovenwings.net
Credits
- Intro music by David Deedwania
Today's guest, Rabbi Adina Allen, is the co-founder of Jewish Studio Project (JSP), a non-profit that cultivates creativity as a Jewish practice for spiritual connection and social transformation. As the daughter of world-renowned pioneer in art therapy Pat Allen, Rabbi Allen has synthesized art-making and Jewish spiritual practice in groundbreaking ways, resulting in numerous prestigious awards and the rapid growth of JSP. In today's episode, Rabbi Allen explains why creativity is vital to healthy spiritual engagement.
About the Jewish Studio Project:Jewish Studio Project recently launched an exciting new initiative, Emerging Anew, that centers the intersection of creativity and spirituality. You can get involved through registering for one of their "Have You Made Art About It Yet" or "Creative Commentary" online art-making programs, or through connecting with the organization at jewishstudioproject.org.
Adina lives with her husband and JSP co-founder Jeff Kasowitz and their two boys in Berkeley, CA.
CreditsIntro music by David Deedwania
Contact us at live@wovenwings.net
Dr. Brian Wheeler, author of “Paradox and the Cosmology of Alan Watts,” introduces us to the powerful potential energy held in the tension between opposite poles. Whether in the dynamics between ourselves and others or our environment, in the competing interests we experience inside ourselves, or the catch-22’s that life seems to forever offer up, paradox is all around us and in many ways fundamental to our experience of the world. Dr. Wheeler offers us 7 unique types of engagement with paradox that enhance our capacities in a complex world. Powerful and profound, paradoxes also invite us deeper, into illumination, awe, and peace.
About Brian Wheeler:As part of the East-West Psychology PhD program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), Brian recently defended his dissertation on “Paradox and the Cosmology of Alan Watts.” Two chapters of that work were published in the Journal of Humanistic Psychology. He holds an MA in Philosophy and Religion from CIIS as well, with a concentration in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness. Brian’s professional background is in writing and editing, as his publishing career stems back 15 years, with a focus mostly in the realm of action sports. Currently, Brian is the Resident Scholar at the Alan Watts Organization, and shares Watts’ passion for exploring and writing about the human condition, psychology, mysticism, religion, and the mysteries of life, consciousness, and existence.
CreditsIntro music by David Deedwania
In today’s episode, we speak with Simeon Darwick Birnbaum, laughter yoga instructor and founder of Joyful Living. We explore how we can lean into a lighter way of being by utilizing a spiritually and biologically potent practice that’s readily available to all of us: our own laughter. We see how regardless of our circumstances, we can intentionally and actively access our inner, childlike curiosity and joy, while using the contagious power of laughter to inspire playfulness, expand our minds, and perhaps most importantly, open our hearts.
About Simeon Darwick Birnbaum:Simeon creates joy, vitality and connection through embodied practices. He sees laughing for a living as a birthright and as his responsibility to bring forth to the world especially during these times. "Joy isn't merely incidental to our spiritual quest, it is vital" (The Rebbe)
Website: https://jyfliving.com/ Podcast 1: The Joyfully Attuned Podcast Podcast 2: Joyful Living NOW - Interview with Dr. Madan Kataria, Founder of Laughter YogaOfferings: Wednesday Men’s Laughter Yoga
REFERENCES: - Online Laughter Calendar: https://mailchi.mp/0103727b387d/olcd - Online Laughter Trainings: https://celestegreenelaughs.com/ - Play: A Different Perspective, Paul C Holinger (Psychology Today)- The effects of a simulated laughter programme on mood, cortisol levels, and health-related quality of life among haemodialysis patients
On today’s episode of Woven Wings Live, we look at resilience through the lens of a deeply personal, life changing story. Aisha Malik and her mother Kayo share the story of Aisha’s nearly fatal car accident nearly 9 years ago, and the impact it has had on her life through today. Now married and a mother of three boys, Aisha takes us on her journey of healing and finding resilience through family and community, prayer and holistic medicine, and the need to keep going in life, even when faced with the most challenging of circumstances. Her story and words serve as inspiration for how we can orient ourselves in our lives, with or without those circumstances being present.
About Aisha Malik:Aisha is a mother to 3 beautiful and rambunctious young boys and lives in Maui with her kids and partner of nearly 9 years. She is a dedicated mother, a small business owner, essential oil enthusiast, and health and wellness advocate. She is passionate about cooking and creating all natural health and beauty products, which she sells locally at farmers markets for her business Makai-n-I Essentials.
References:https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience
On today’s episode, singer/songwriter and vocal improvisationalist Briony Greenhill joins us to discuss the precious, vulnerable, alchemical process of finding your voice. Briony uses song as the vehicle to access the inner, soulful truth we were all born with and naturally felt and played with as children. Join us in experiencing how you can move past fear and insecurity to begin uncovering your own purposeful voice today
About Briony Greenhill:
Bio: https://www.brionygreenhill.com/music-bio App: Your Song- for voice, improvisation and vocal musicianship Debut studio album: Crossing The Ocean releases Feb 25th! Intro to vocal improvisation: Learn about vocal Improvisation with Briony Greenhill News coverage: ‘People go a funny colour and keel over’: Briony Greenhill on leading the world’s most intense singing lessons
Introduction to Woven Wings Live by Luciano Dah Messenjah
Our latest episode explores the challenges, and potential solutions, we face when we seek to Get Over the Hump and into action toward the pursuit of our dreams. Kevin Chanthasipharan, co-founder of Immi, joins us to discuss his own journey through fear and inhibition and into entrepreneurism.
Episode Breakdown
0:00 Welcome!
1:41 Where is your personal hump?
17:16 Kevin Chanthasiriphan joins us
21:42 Intention, inertia, momentum
26:20 How do you develop momentum?
33:38 Momentum, fear, and belief
37:10 Intention and purpose
42:04 Resilience when the hump moves
47:52 The secret sauce
52:30 Becoming a momentum machine
1:01:16 Closing
About our guest: Kevin Chanthasiriphan
Kevin started his career in investment banking at Deutsche Bank, before shifting into product management across 3 tech companies: Kabam (mobile gaming), Amino (healthcare tech), and Facebook. He co-founded Immi in 2019, reinventing instant ramen with a healthy and nutritious twist.
Immi takes in $3.8M to cook up plant-based instant ramen
In our first full episode, we explore the concepts of Leveling Up and Opening to Miracles. Along with our guests Cheyenne Ward and Alexandra Theard, our conversation turns the worn trope of New Year’s Resolutions on its head, focusing instead on a kind of open-ended inquiry that makes space for the Miracle in our lives.
Starting with our ambivalence toward New Year’s Resolutions, and own hopes for 2022 along with a dash of Disney’s Moana, Cheyenne joins us and shares about his journey in abstaining from alcohol, the evolution of his marriage, and his commitment to open-hearted inquiry.
Alexandra joins us later in the conversation to describe her work with A Course in Miracles and offer a reframe for our desire to make improvements in our lives. Enjoy the conversations from this first episode, and may 2022 be a year of your dreams becoming manifest!
ReferencesA Course in Miracles
Join Gabe Crane and Rahul Deedwania in the virtual studio to hear from them on what Woven Wings Live is all about!
Woven Wings Live is a spiritual talk show, a place to remember what truly matters, and - in aspiration - a seed for the spiritual revolution and more connected, service-oriented planetary culture that we need.