Conversations with Chamomile

I sit down with Beacon, NY artist Matt Harle to talk about his conversion to Judaism. We talk about how he wrestles with God, how Judaism relates to his art, and his fascination with Jewish death practices. 

I sit down with Philosophy PHD dropout Jon Badiali (IsDoBe.com) to talk about his journey into Christianity. He goes through nihilism, stops by Heidegger, and binges on Spinozan Pantheism but finds it all a deeply unsatisfying answer to the problem of suffering. Ultimately, he finds his rock in Christ. We talk a bit about Eastern Orthodoxy and Fr. Seraphim Rose, a conversation I find delightful. Enjoy!

Mike Elias is a crypto entrepreneur and spiritual seeker (mikeelias.com). He discusses with me his spiritual journey through Radical Honesty, many different kinds of meditation, and many dark times and happy coincidences to ultimately find his rest in Christ Jesus. 

Youtube creator John Barnes and talk about his journey from nihilism to becoming a Roman Catholic. 

Josh Whiton is CEO of Make Soil, https://www.makesoil.org a company dedicated to healing the environment through helping people make compost in their communities. He is a frequent speaker about the intersection of business, environmentalism, and spiritual growth.     Keep in touch with Josh's activities and writings at http://joshwhiton.com/

Today I have a poignant conversation with Joel and Dany from San Francisco Suicide Prevention, a crisis hotline based in San Francisco. I started volunteering there a few months ago, and I noticed that people in my life found it interesting. So, I figured I'd do an episode on it!   We talk about why we joined, how de-stigmatizing suicidal feelings helps people access resources, and lots of details about life at the hotline. Enjoy! 

Diana Brown is an improv teacher at Leela SF. She was also my first improv teacher and one that I keep coming back to. There is something magical about watching Diana perform, and I want some of that magic for myself. We talk about how improv is a microcosm of life, the importance of staying out of your head and connected to your environment, and Diana's history with performing and teaching improv.  You can find Diana onstage performing with the Armando company, Bingewatch, and Past Our Primetime Players. Find her online at: http://www.leela-sf.com/diana-brown     Prelude No. 2 by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/preludes/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

Derek is a pastor at Trinity Church Winston Salem.  http://www.trinitychurchws.com/ We went to college together and we've been discussing and debating on the topics of God, faith, and religion ever since. In this podcast, we also touch on some politically charged topics and talk about the proper role of the church in political life. Finally, we talk about the state of the church community and his ministry trying to help families figure out how to raise their kids in middle of an atomized culture. 

UNEDITED VERSION Click this version if you want a lot more humorous banter.  In this episode, I sit down with an old friend, Matt English, at his home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. We talk about his experience raising a child with nonverbal autism and how video games have shaped our lives.    Mentioned in this podcast is the work of Jean Varnier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OInnXGvC2q0     Prelude No. 2 by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/preludes/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

In this episode, I sit down with an old friend, Matt English, at his home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. We talk about his experience raising a child with nonverbal autism and how video games have shaped our lives.    Mentioned in this podcast is the work of Jean Varnier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OInnXGvC2q0   Prelude No. 2 by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/preludes/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

Ned Buskirk is the founder of You Are Going to Die (http://www.yg2d.com/), an open mic and non-profit dedicated to exploring the topics of death and loss. I met Ned when I went to You Are Going to Die shows and I felt there was something special in the air. We talk about the meaning and origin of the show and a lot about death. 

Guy Sengstock is the inventor of circling and founder of The Circling Institute (http://www.circlinginstitute.com/) where I am a student. Circling is a method of having mindful conversations where participants are encouraged to follow aliveness and go in search of what is true. The result is conversations that are often surprising, emotional, and downright magic.   In this podcast we talk about the power of conversation, and particularly the power of listening. We talk about the Intellectual Dark Web, how we make ourselves and lose ourselves in relationship, and how conversation allows us to discover new knowledge. 

I knew this guy from Mountain View like 5 years ago. He leaves, and the next thing I know I'm seeing pictures of him on facebook dressed in army fatigues, carrying around weapons, and riding on armored vehicles. Barry was one of the few people ever to leave Silicon Valley for the US Army. It's such a contrarian life choice, I had to pick his brain about it.    We talk about discipline, dominance hierarchies, and lots and lots of anecdotes from his time in the service.    Warning: lots of strong language. 

In today's episode, I talk with Presbyterian minister Derek Radney about whether or not smart people can be religious, faith, and FOMO.    Here are some resources mentioned in the episode: Tim Keller's "Questioning Christianity" lectures: https://www.redeemer.com/r/qc_audio_2015   "A Secular Age" by Charles Taylor: http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674026766&content=reviews   And the following three books by Francis Schaeffer: "He Is There and He Is Not Silent" "Escape from Reason" "The God Who Is There"  

Today's podcast is with Director of One Salon SF, Helen Tsim. We talk about overcoming social anxiety, vulnerability and its limits, building community and deep connections.     

My guest Charlie Deist runs the libertarian group blog Let a Thousand Nations Bloom. He's interested in seasteading and an adult convert to Roman Catholicism. We talk about seasteading as personal praxis, the experience of learning to sail, the philosophy of Rene Girard, and the conflict between grace and responsibility. Charlie is currently the producer of the libertarian radio program "The Bob Zadek Show"   Resources for today's show: - A Thousand Nations blog - The Philosophy of Rene Girard at the Internet Encyclopedia - Getting Over It, a game by Bennet Foddy    

Scott Jackisch is the founder of the Oakland Futurists. You can find him online at http://oaklandfuturist.com/. We talk about the PERMA model of happiness, Ephemerisle, community and subculture.    Here are some resources mentioned in today's show:   "Flourish" by Martin Seligman  "Geeks, Mops, and Sociopaths in Subcultural Evolution" by David Chapman "Against Edenism" by Peter Thiel "Meditations on Moloch" by Scott Alexander

I sit down with worldly philosopher Michael Gibson, founder of the 1517 fund. We talk about living the philosophical life, Nozick's vision of utopia, polycentrism, zen, and education.    Here's a list of resources mentioned in today's podcast: Blog Posts - David Chapman on Robert Kegan's 5 stages of adult moral development - Scott Alexander's Archipelago   Books - Anarchy, State, and Utopia by Robert Nozick - Philosophical Explanations by Robert Nozick - A Theory of Justice, John Rawls - The Lever of Riches, Joel Mokyr   

In this episode I discuss existential crisis with guest Dane Johnson. Check out Dane's website at http://ramblewithaplan.com/