A New and Ancient Story: The Podcast

Description: Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. shares stories of his childhood, his family, the origins of his environmental activism, and the spiritual beliefs that keep him sane. The campaign website is https://www.kennedy24.com/.

Swaady Martin is the daughter of a militant Black Panther who fled to Africa. She grew up in the Ivory Coast and ended up pursuing an elite education and corporate career, yet remains at heart and in spirit a revolutionary. We covered many topics: her background, colonialism, the Covid narrative and attitudes about it in West and South Africa, and the spiritual crisis of the develo

Playwright, satirist, and political commentator CJ Hopkins, creator of the website Consent Factory, joins me for a conversation on totalitarianism, safety, and the ideology of control. We go a little beyond his political writings on these topics to talk about the inner life of a dissident. Another major topic is the phenomenon of the cult, as a lens through which to understand our

Nathan Riley is a medical doctor trained in OB/GYN and palliative care. In this episode, birth and death, we talk about the role of medicine in society, what is has been and could be, its beauty and limitations, working in the system and outside the system. Be sure to listen to the last 15 minutes especially, where Nathan shares a story that brought tears to my eyes and is still wo

People call Daniel Raphael a "wizard," for reasons that may become apparent in this interview. He weaves an inspiring life story with his work with the body, subtle energies, and spiritual teachings. We touch on topics of perception and reality, self-forgiveness, and the limitations of the modern view of the real. More about Daniel, please visit: www.danielraphael.org

Anna Breytenbach is one of the world's best known interspecies communicators, subject of the film The Animal Communicator ( https://youtu.be/gvwHHMEDdT0). In this conversation we touch on a couple of her stories before zooming out larger themes such as: the living planet and humanity's role on it, the relationship between humans and the rest of life, and how to access the kind of a

Here I speak with a woman who, in her younger days, put 110% of her time and life energy into a cause, in this case, Palestinian rights (Devorah is Jewish). Her story will resonate with many current and former activists, as it has resonated with me. Today she is a regenerative urban homesteader. Does that mean she has given up on changing the world? Or is there a deep level of acti

British bass guitarist Yolanda Charles carries some powerful stories about trust, luck, mentorship, motherhood, and music. She shares some of them in our far-reaching conversation on these and other topics. Why does luck sometimes happen in life? Are some people born lucky? Do we make our own luck? What choices and conditions invite it in? This conversation gave me insight into the

Galina Angaraova is an indigenous rights activists and the Executive Director of the nonprofit Cultural Survival. Her stories from her native indigenous village in Siberia illuminate vividly and poignantly the topics we visit, such as gift culture in indigenous societies, the tragedy of "development," the power of ceremony, healing trauma, and the nature of true wealth. What she de

Welcome to this moving conversation with prison activist and filmmaker Fritzi Horstman, in which we discuss her powerful short film Step Inside the Circle. Please watch it first. We talk about prisons, trauma, healing, and the bankruptcy of the punishment paradigm. The underlying theme of the conversation is compassion, which, as Fritzi's work makes obvious, is the animating princi