Opening Life Podcast: Recent Episodes
Nexus
The Opening Life Podcast is a conversation between jazz musician J Kyle Gregory, spoken word poet Brittany Williams, and special guests from around the world, exploring what the best stories, poems, songs and sights of today and yesterday say to our lives. In Season 1 we check out Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, Maya Angelou’s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Disney’s movie Soul, and more. You’re invited to listen for the connections to your own unfolding story.
Episode 4 of Opening Life Podcast is a conversation about a movie about a book. It’s also about the book’s author, Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, Isabel Wilkerson. The film, by director Ava DuVernay is called Origins. It’s a sensitive and powerful telling of Isabel’s journey writing the book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. The translucent soundtrack is by Kris Bowers, whose music-writing credits include the film Green Book, and the second season of Bridgerton. As is our custom in our podcast, we feature the music prominently. This conversation between our guest Michael Jordan (a great soul but not a basketball player!) Brittany, and Kyle could serve as an excellent preparation for seeing the film, or as a conversation catalyst for those who have already seen the film or read the book. Both Origins and Caste are not to be missed. They are windows into one of humankind’s most enduring and life-diminishing practices.
You can find other life-opening articles on our website at nexusonline.org
Opening Life Season 3, Episode 3
The Meaning in Metal
Dear friends, we hope this conversation between Kyle, Brittany and musician Tim Yearsley opens new avenues of understanding for you. In Nexus we believe every human story expands and deepens our sense of reality. The music you’ll hear says what is has to say with enormous conviction and feeling, and we think that’s a good thing!
As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts about our conversation, and what it stirred inside of you.
JKG
The Beyond Grace website is at:
https://www.beyond-grace.co.uk/
Beyond Grace is:
Andy Walmsley - vocals/bass
Tim Yearsley - guitar/vocals
Chris Morley - guitar
Ed Gorrod - drums
The Burning Season (words and music by Beyond Grace)
On YouTube:
https://youtu.be/-4QvLXFIDWU?si=Th8ip-i8B4YMCzO6
Lyrics:
Welcome to the new dark ages!
Where cowards live like kings, while children rot in cages
Condemned to suffer for the crime of being born
And politicians preach, that only they can save us
From their mistakes and all the consequences of their failures
Wielding words like weapons in an endless culture war
Every accusation a confession of their true intentions
Banning books and burning pages
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing
Something to be feared, and something to be hated
This is how the new dark age begins
And when the lights go out, we shall not see them lit again
A new age of darkness has now descended on us
Like a swarm of locusts, bringing famine and disease
A vicious cycle we seem doomed to repeat
Banning books and burning pages
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing
Something to be feared, and something to be hated
This is how the new dark age begins
And in our darkest hour, we'll turn against each other
We'd rather set the world on fire, than ever face the truth
So beware the death of reason
Herald of the burning season
Banning books and burning pages
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing
Something to be feared, and something to be hated
This is how the new dark age begins
Here Comes the Flood (words and music by Peter Gabriel)
On YouTube:
https://youtu.be/W7D4kinS_p8?si=gGUG_D0sa4aZvsWj
Lyrics:
When the night shows
The signals grow on radios
All the strange things
They come and go as early warnings
Stranded starfish have no place to hide
Still waiting for the swollen Easter tide
There's no point in direction
We cannot even choose a side
I took the old track
The hollow shoulder across the waters
On the tall cliffs
They were getting older, sons and daughters
The jaded underworld was riding high
Waves of steel hurled metal at the sky
And as the nail sunk in the cloud
The rain was warm and soaked the crowd
Lord, here comes the flood
We'll say goodbye to flesh and blood
If again the seas are silent, in any still alive
It'll be those who gave their island to survive
Drink up, dreamers, you’re running dry
When the flood calls
You have no home, you have no walls
In the thunder crash
You’re a thousand miles within a flash
Don't be afraid to cry at what you see
The actors gone, there’s only you and me
And if we break before the dawn
They'll use up what we used to be
Lord, here comes the flood
We'll say goodbye to flesh and blood
If again the seas are silent, in any still alive
It'll be those who gave their island to survive
Drink up dreamers, you’re running dry
Lord, here comes the flood
We'll say goodbye to flesh and blood
If again the seas are silent, in any still alive
It'll be those who gave their island to survive
Drink up dreamers, you’re running dry
Drink up dreamers, you’re running dry
Another helpful resource for understanding the meaning of metal, mentioned by Tim in our conversation:
Metal: A Headbangers Journey
On YouTube:
https://youtu.be/chIeyxbVf_4?si=b8HzFX5XO_5MDswJ
Peace!
Season 3, Episode 2 - Pathmaking
In today’s conversation, Brittany, Kyle, and Nexus co-conspirators Craig and Mary Charnley explore what really happens in life as we search for our path forward, inspired by Spanish poet Antonio Machado’s paradigm-shifting poem, Caminante, No Hay Cammino (Pathmaker, There Is No Path).
The Spanish poem in it’s entirety (followed by an english translation):
Caminante, son tus huellas
el camino y nada más;
Caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar.
Al andar se hace el camino,
y al volver la vista atrás
se ve la senda que nunca
se ha de volver a pisar.
Caminante, no hay camino
sino estelas en la mar.
Traveler, your footprints
are the only road, nothing else.
Traveler, there is no road;
you make your own path as you walk.
As you walk, you make your own road,
and when you look back
you see the path
you will never travel again.
Traveler, there is no road;
only a ship's wake on the sea.
Antonio Machado
Legendary Spanish singer Joan Manuel Serrat created his own song from Machado’s poem, and through it shaped the perspective of entire generation of Spanish listeners.
We open and close the episode with Serrat’s song, beginning with the original 1969 recording and closing with a live concert version recorded 50 years later in collaboration with Joaquin Sabina, joined by an enthusiastic crowd celebrating the poem and life with their singing.
Serrat’s 1969 version is here:
https://youtu.be/8tHLw8FHlCE?si=HfYD2oMT81k8qlKl
A video of the 2019 performance is here:
https://youtu.be/7dT5ojKvcZk?si=_mc0f_5xuybq0cIy
You can find other life opening articles, on our website at:
https://nexusonline.org
Peace!
Welcome to Season 3, Episode 1 of Opening Life Podcast!
In today’s conversation, poet/playwright/comedian extraordinaire Phil Ginsburg joins Brittany and Kyle for a fun and (we hope, for you) profound exploration of Phil’s poem “Body Language.”
What do the various parts of our bodies have to say to one another and to us about how to be in the world? That’s our big question.
Phil’s latest collection In Pursuit of the Almost is available here:
https://www.endeavorliterary.com/ginsburg
The music in today’s episode is from the album “Sometimes I Wonder: the Music of Hoagy Carmichael, is available here:
https://caligolarecords.bandcamp.com/album/sometimes-i-wonder-the-music-of-hoagy-carmichael
You can find other life opening articles on our website at:
https://nexusonline.org/
Peace!
Your friends at Nexus
PS. If you would like our help in starting your own Nexus group with your friends, where you live, please contact us at:
nexusartsonline@gmail.com
Poetry Bob joins Kyle and Brittany to explore David Whyte's foundational poem, A Seeming Stillness. Once again we open the question of how we want to be in this world, with ourselves, and with everyone and everything else. Why do we seem so determined to deny our own vulnerability? We don't have all the answers, but we hope you are helped by our questions.
A Seeming Stillness - by David Whyte
We love the movement in a seeming stillness,
the breath in the body of the loved one sleeping,
the highest leaves in the silent wood,
a great migration in the sky above: the waters of the earth,
the blood in the body, the first, soft, stir in the silence beneath a strident voice,
the internal hands of our mind,
always searching for touch, thoughts seeking other thoughts,
seeking other minds, the great arrival of form
through all our hidden themes.
And this breath, in this body, able just for a moment to give and to take,
to ask and be told, to find and be found,
to bless and be blessed, to hold and be held.
We are all a sun-lit moment come from a long darkness,
what moves us always comes from what is hidden,
what seems to be said so suddenly has lived in the body for a long, long time.
Our life like a breath, then, a give and a take, a bridge, a central movement,
between singing a separate self and learning to be selfless.
Breathe then, as if breathing for the first time,
as if remembering with what difficulty you came into the world,
what strength it took to make that first impossible in-breath,
into a cry to be heard by the world.
Your essence has always been that first vulnerability of being found,
of being heard and of being seen, and from the beginning
the one who has always needed,
and been given, so much invisible help.
This is how you were when you first came into the world,
this is how you were when you took your first breath in that world,
this is how you are now,
all unawares, in your new body and your new life,
this is the raw vulnerability of your every day,
and this is how you will want to be, and be remembered,
when you leave the world.
Kyle, Brittany and aspiring screen writer, Donte Slocum, explore connections between their life stories and the film Field of Dreams, 1989's nostalgic ode to life and baseball, starring Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta, and James Earl Jones. Along the way we explore the soul of sports and the meaning of dreams, unfulfilled and fulfilled, in our winding journeys. Composer James Horner's sweeping film score accompanies us into new horizons.
Brittany and Kyle have drummer Greg Errico, from the legendary band, Sly and the Family Stone, join the podcast. Together they open two classic tunes, listening for what they said to the people that first heard them in the in the late Sixties, and what they say to our lives and world today. Join us for a marvelous musical journey, through the power of melody, lyrics and groove, into the heart of our common experiences as human beings.
In this third and final episode opening Parker Palmer's foundational book, Kyle, Laurel and Brittany explore excerpts that speak to the present chapter of their stories. We continue reaching for the wisdom and encouragement we all need to simply be who we are in this exasperating and beautiful world that we live in.
Kyle and Brittany continue their conversation with Laurel, exploring our need to give space to others and ourselves. Parker Palmer's insights free us to be real and heal.
In this conversation Kyle and Brittany's friend, Laurel, joins the conversation to explore the connections between soul and role, as described by very wise and generous author, Parker Palmer. What does our inner dividedness really cost us? How can we recover the wholeness for which we were all made?
We get the Season 1 gang back together as Kyle, Brittany, Courtney and Robert explore what Ted Lasso Season 2 says to our lives. It seems none of the shows heroes is exempt from crisis and crumbling, which is why we love this story. Nevertheless, among the relational wreckage, seeds of belief in themselves and one another get planted. And we also get to groove along with Ted and friends to some great dance tunes of years past!
Join Brittany, Kyle and Master sitarist, and Toronto resident Chris Hale as they continue their conversation unpacking Mary Oliver’s poem, To Begin With, the Sweet Grass. What does Nature say that we deeply need to hear, amidst the clutter and the chaos of our daily lives?
Chris Hale’s music is available at:
https://christopherhalesitar.bandcamp.com/
Master sitarist, and Toronto resident Chris Hale, who grew up in the shadow of the Himalayas, joins Brittany and Kyle for a conversation about (re)connecting with nature. Mary Oliver’s poem, To Begin With, the Sweet Grass is the bridge into this shared experience. What does Nature say that we deeply need to hear, amidst the clutter and the chaos of our daily lives?
Chris Hale’s music is available at:
https://christopherhalesitar.bandcamp.com/
Welcome back to season 2, friends! Join Brittany and Kyle as they share life updates and changes over the last several months. Inspired by Pearl Cleage's book 'Seen it All Done the Rest', our hosts unpack the process, challenges and beauty of finding home and becoming rooted in the places they thought the least likely.
Hey Friends! From everyone at Nexus, we're so glad to have you all on this journey of exploring life through art with us. Season 2 will be back on June 5th. In the meantime, we'd love to connect with you! Find us on Instagram @openinglifepodcast and check out more of our work at Nexusonline.org. See ya soon!
We're wrapping up season one by reuniting Brittany and Kyle with their very first podcast guest, Robert Theissen, to unpack and discuss the poem 'Love After Love' by Poet and Nobel Laureate, Derek Walcott. Join our friends for a conversation about the journey to self-love and acceptance, what it has looked like to embrace one's whole self at every stage of the journey.
If you've enjoyed this podcast, follow us on IG @openinglifepodcast and join us in mid-March for season 2.
Brittany and Kyle are joined by two dear friends, Courtney and Robert Burroughs, to discuss their thoughts and feelings on Ted Lasso season one. Listen in on this fun conversation between friends about how this show speaks to their lives in profound, unique and unifying ways. You can watch seasons one and two of Ted Lasso on Apple TV. And if you're enjoying this podcast let us know! Chat with us on Instagram @openinglifepodcast.
San Francisco hip hop artist Fego Navarro graces us with his presence and music in today's conversation, which explores big life questions through the lens of his creative process. We groove to and reflect on two songs from his recently released album Escapism which came out earlier this year. Join us as we discuss life, hip hop, and Fego's thoughts on the Nexus pillars of story, journey, beauty, space, and listening. If you’re enjoying this podcast, please leave us a comment on our IG page @nexusopeninglife.
This week Kyle and Brittany are joined by a dear friend and Nexus article contributor, Rinus, to unpack his top 50 picks of the best films of the decade (2011-2020). This discussion opens up a deeper connection that movies have to the human narrative, their power to connect us in times when we feel most isolated, and how to honor the gift of the storyteller by taking the time to truly be connected. Join the conversation by following us on Instagram and sharing your thoughts. And if you're enjoying this podcast, share it with your friends. You can find all of Rinus's top picks under the film section of our website nexusonline.org. Join us in opening life together!
In part 2 of Maya Speaks, our hosts continue the conversation unpacking 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' by Maya Angelou. Join this candid discussion on untangling faith from religion, Maya's genius in using detailed yet simple metaphors to communicate complex feelings, and the power of words to uplift us in the darkest of moments. If you're enjoying this podcast, please subscribe on your preferred streaming platform, follow us on Instagram @openinglifepodcast and check out our website at Nexusonline.org for more life-opening articles.
Join Brittany and Kyle as they discuss and unpack 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' - the beautiful and brilliant work of the illustrious Maya Angelou. Journey with our hosts in a conversation about Maya's power and ability to bring beauty and love to the most broken and painful parts of life through storytelling and the strength of her inner world shared in this amazing book. If you're enjoying this podcast please like and follow us on Instagram, Spotify and rate us on Apple Podcast. Also, share it with your friends and join us on this journey to connect with others as we open life through the arts.
On this week's episode Brittany and Kyle invite you to take a vacation from your problems and join them as they listen to and discuss the legendary album Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. Take a moment to sit, relax and unwind as our hosts discuss what Jazz music has meant to them and the possibilities the free flow of Jazz music opens up to the mind and soul.
If you're enjoying this podcast, please follow us on Spotify, Instagram, Facebook, and take a moment to rate us on Apple Podcast and Anchor. Also, share it with your friends and invite others to join us in life opening conversations.
In this week's episode, Kyle and Brittany are joined by Rebekah to discuss our thoughts on Disney's Soul. This beautiful tribute to life and jazz is the perfect inspiration for a conversation on the meaning of life, why we're here, and what gives us our "spark". Join us as we recap and review the movie and discuss how it has helped us to open up deeper insights on our interpretation and experience of life.
If you're enjoying this podcast, please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and leave us a comment! We'd love to connect with you.
So, join the conversation and the community as we open up life together.
In Episode 2, Where Did That Come From, we share some of our own work with one another and get each others’ reactions. We hope this episode helps you to get to know us better as Opening Life Podcast co-hosts. There’s music, poetry and personal stories with sadness and hope side-by-side. We also reflect on the ways every human being is an artist. Please listen with us for what this all says to your life - a bit long at 56 minutes, but hang in there!
In Episode 1, we open our lives to the poem 'Now I Become Myself', by May Sarton. Using this poem as our key, we're joined by our friend Robert to discuss the journey of becoming who we really are, how the perception of who we are evolves over time, and how our relationship to time itself has changed as we ripen with age. If you've ever wondered how this mysterious process of becoming your true self really happens, we reveal all the secrets previously hidden from the universe - Well, at least we try to!