Podcast appearances and mentions of devon taylor

On this episode, my guest is Lewis Winks, a researcher, writer and campaigner who specialises in nature connection, cultural and behavioural change, and has a background working in the environmental and outdoor education sector. He joins us on behalf of the Right to Roam campaign as well as the Stars Are For Everyone campaign, the latter which he helped spearhed to defend wild camping rights on Dartmoor.Since 2021, Right to Roam has been organising peaceful trespasses into some of the vast areas of countryside from which the public are currently excluded. They follow the tried and tested access code which governs Scotland's right of responsible access, respecting privacy, crops and nature – all while seeking to leave a positive trace and practising deep care for the natural world: a concept they call Wild Service. Their vision is of a future countryside in which people not only enjoy the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of nature but serve as its guardians too.Show Notes* Right to Roam's origins (Guy Shrubsole & Nick Hayes)* The Stars Are For Everyone (Dartmoor National Park)* The right to wild camp in England* The commons and the enclosures* Taking back trespass* The shadow places of fortress conservation* Wild service* Levellers and landlordism* Deifying dispossession* The community right to buy* International solidarityHomework* Right to Roam UK - Website - Instagram - Twitter - BlueSky* Wild Service (Book)* The Book of Trespass* Who Owns England?* Val Plumwood* Survival International* S3 #2 | Decolonizing Conservation in Africa & Beyond | Fiore Longo (Survival International)* S5 #5 | Fortress Conservation in the Congo w/ Martin Lena & Linda Poppe (Survival International)* International Land CoalitionTranscriptChris: [00:00:00] Welcome, Lewis, to the End of Tourism Podcast.Lewis: Good to be here. Hello, Chris.Chris: Yeah. I'd like to thank you for your willingness to join me today on behalf of your comrades and colleagues at Right to Roam, as well as those of The Stars Are For Everyone. And I'd like to begin by asking you where you're tuning in from today and what the world looks like there for you.Lewis: Well, I'm currently in South Devon, where I live in the southwest of England. And I live in a town called Totnes, which is just on the edge of Dartmoor National Park. But the town that I live in has grown up around a river - the River Dart. And so that's a short walk from where I live.And, yeah, obviously, the river's shaped this place, from its headwaters up on Dartmoor, all the way down to the kind of rugged coast. So, I feel very lucky that, not far from where I live, there's a whole range of [00:01:00] landscapes, but not without their challenges.Chris: Yeah, certainly. I remember, not just a few years ago, I was there in Totnes, visiting for the first time, and I had the great honour of getting to explore Dartmoor as well, in a place not too far from where some of my old ones are from, in Devon, in Exeter.Lewis: It's a great place. I mean, Dartmoor is, on global standards, a very tiny national park, really, but I think for people like myself that live near it, to have this kind of expansive space to be able to walk for days sometimes in this sort of landscape, seemingly without boundaries, without walls, without fences, is amazing, in what feels like quite a contained landscape, a kind of patchwork of fields and enclosures. And so, a lot of people are drawn to Dartmoor because of its openness. But that also is an issue, I think. A lot of us here that live in this area are very much working on ecological [00:02:00] issues and challenges, and lots of those are found up in the national park.Chris: Well, would we all be so lucky to have such spaces to walk and roam. On that point, I'd like to ask you if you'd be willing to offer our listeners a little bit about what your organisation, The Right to Roam (in the UK), does there and your role in the organisation.Lewis: Sure, yeah. Well, the Right to Roam campaign, I mean, we've been established only for a few years in our current format, really. We were born out of the pandemic. We were formed principally by two of the co-founders of the campaign, Guy Shrubsole and Nick Hayes, who had both written books at the time and sat together around a kitchen table in 2020.Nick had written a book called The Book of Trespass, which kind of brought into public conversation this kind [00:03:00] of idea that there are places we are not supposed to be and not allowed to go, and challenging the kind of “why,” asking that question of, “Why is this? What's the historical context for our exclusion from landscapes? And through a series of adventures and walks into landscapes, he challenged that in his book. And it's an amazing primer, really, I think, for something that a lot of us take as a given, which is that we live in the corridors, really, between these vast estates here in England and in Wales, and we're excluded from much of the land. And so, it was quite a game-changing book, really, to sort of start to question that kind of assumption, that if you step off those narrow corridors, you are trespassing.And then in the meantime, Guy had written a book called Who Owns England?, asking questions of, “ Who does the land belong to? Who owns the title deeds? And really, most of us don't know. I mean, the government doesn't even really know who owns lots of land. And so, Guy embarks on this project, which he's been working on now [00:04:00] for the last decade or so, to try to find out and try to get more transparency, and really to bring about more democracy in how land is managed and how decisions are made, and really who has a stake in the land in England.And so these were kind of natural collaborators, really. And they sat around this table, and they formed this campaign called Right to Roam, which was really just to ask a simple question, which is, “Why do we not have a right of access to land in England?” And to call for new legislation for greater rights of access so that people can feel they have a greater stake in the landscapes around us.So we're a small team. We're a very much a grassroots campaign. We're not backed by big funders. We don't have any office space. We're just distributed across England, Wales and Scotland. And then, there are just six of us in the kind of core team. But we also have a network of almost [00:05:00] 20 local groups of people who are doing just amazing active work on the ground within communities to push for access reform.And we're funded by about 650 of those supporters who just give a small amount every month. So we're really just beholden to the people that are pushing for these kinds of changes. And we think we're getting somewhere. The conversation is shifting, socially and politically. We've still got somewhere to go, but we're hoping to bring about that change in law before too long.Chris: Hmm. Thank you, Lewis. And what drew you personally to the organisation?Lewis: Well, I live, as I said, down in Devon, and one of the things that happened back in 2022, was that one of the larger landowners in Dartmore National Park decided that he was gonna challenge this historic right that we have here, which is very unusual in England - the right to sleep out under the [00:06:00] stars, the right to wild camp, out in this kind of amazing landscape of Dartmoor.So, this landowner, Alexander Darwall, took the national park to court, and I was one of a few people who got together in the early days of that court case and said, “Right, we need to campaign on this. We need to stand up for these historic customary rights that have existed here and that have given so many people, these beautiful life-shaping experiences over generations.” And he was trying to snub them out. And so we thought, “let's campaign on this.”We set up a campaign called “The Stars Are for Everyone,” to protect those rights, but also to kind of say, “ Well, isn't it just mad that these rights only exist in this tiny corner of England? Shouldn't they exist also elsewhere?”Our intention right from the beginning of that campaign was to transform a court case that was about defending a set of rights into something which was really about taking a giant leap forward and putting in place something much [00:07:00] better for people in the future. And over the course of three years, that campaign was really dynamic, creative, and brought together loads of people.We actually lost the right to wild camp in early 2023. The landowner was successful in overturning that right in the High Court. And just one week after that court decision, we got together with three and a half thousand people up on quite a remote part of Dartmoor, probably one of the biggest land rights protests that we've seen since the 1930s in England. And, the voices of those people were really just... I mean, the ripples went out far and wide. I mean, we were sort of met with international support and interest. And, politically, overnight, it changed the conversation on access in England.And, really to fast forward to the present day after two more court cases, including it being escalated to the Supreme [00:08:00] Court, unanimously in the Supreme Court, the judges agreed that the case should never have been brought. And actually, then, we were able to reassert those rights as they had already existed.And so, not only have we got those rights back, we are now in a much better position, we think, to call for those rights elsewhere. And so my campaigning with the Right to Roam campaign really was kind of came out of this campaign for wild camping, to sleep under the stars.Chris: Mm-hmm. Wow. Wow, I remember, I think that was probably the thing that really drew me, for the first time, to the organisation and the work that you and your team are doing there in England, was through the social media awareness that the storyteller Martin Shaw was bringing to that campaign. Really amazing. And so, I wish nothing but blessings upon your feet and your work. It's incredibly important, and perhaps, a kind of [00:09:00] pioneering way of bringing this kind of organising and this kind of awareness to other places in the world where such access is also needed.But before we dig deeply into that work, I'd like to perhaps offer a little bit of context for our listeners in terms of the history of access in the UK to what is often referred to as “the commons.” And so, I'm wondering if you would be willing to offer a bit of historical background about what we mean when we talk about “the commons” in the English language and the history of the enclosures of the commons, that, for English people, is a kind of history that is all too well known, but for the rest of the world might be obscure.Lewis: Hmm. Well, sure. I mean, the commons, I think it's fair to say that a lot of people in England, really, this is not part of our lexicon, and our understanding [00:10:00] of the land.And, I think that demonstrates really just how effective the loss of commons has been here, is that there's not a broad understanding of what they were or what they are. But the commons really are... I mean, we're talking about a form of governance, a form of collective stewardship and governance for a place that transcends ownership. Commons are about how we relate to a place, and the rights that go with that place. And so, if we look at kind of property rights today, often those property rights exclude anybody who doesn't have their name on the title deed of the property.But yet, that's not always been the case. And certainly, we can still see today in England, and elsewhere globally, systems that acknowledge rights of others, and not just humans, but also kind of more-than-human rights. So in England, if you've gone back to the 1500s, [00:11:00] half of England or thereabouts, (it's difficult to be precise with this) would've had some form of common property understanding, or a kind of tapestry of rights that went with it. And that might have been rights to take firewood and fuel from land to dig peat, to graze animals, to put your pigs out to pannage for acorns. And these rites would've been particular to the landscapes that they were in. So, commoning rights were not the same everywhere. They were responsive to the wider kind of contexts, and today that figure is more like 3% of England. So, a diminishment of the commons in England has been part of our history here, and also part of the history which has affected almost the entire globe as well through colonial activities. But in England, really, this kind of experiment in sort of uprooting and unearthing cultures [00:12:00] that are deeply tied to the land was almost entirely effective at removing people's stake in land and in shoring up the rights of property owners.So, our commons, as they did exist, were fundamental to communities, were fundamental to how people sought to make a living, but also there were other things within that because commoning was about being on land that you didn't own. So with that came other things, which perhaps were taken for granted, which today we might call “recreation,” “being idle under a tree, watching the sunset”, and having those kinds of experiences. Now, we've kind of partitioned them off and put them into national parks and kind of put them in our holiday time, and things we might do when we're on vacation as tourists. But actually, for commoners, presumably, people were spending their time with the pigs out to pannage, thinking about other things, in conversation, meeting their neighbours under trees, doing things which were convivial.And so, [00:13:00] the erasure of the commons in England, and the enclosure acts, which sort of set about to diminish the commons and put them more firmly into private ownership, was also about a loss of community and people's stake in landscapes and also their ability to kind of relate to one another.But I should say as well that this obviously was very intentional. This was about looking at landscape through a kind of lens, a particular form of extraction, to take money from the land. It was also about control. It was about taking people, who, through that particular lens of industrialisation, seemed to be kind of labourers, their worth was kind of in the factories, it was not out on the land. And through mechanisation, as well, obviously, this was accelerated.In the early days of the enclosures, there were anti-enclosure acts in England that sought to try to prevent some of the steamrolling over of what felt like a kind of a deep-rooted culture. But by the [00:14:00] 1600s, those anti-enclosure acts were pretty much repealed, and with them, any kind of opportunity to get back those commons was lost.Loads and loads of rebellions took place to try to prevent that. And it's really interesting to look back in English history at the richness of rebellion and how it was kind of linked to how people relate to land. Looking at this today, it's sort of fairly plain to see that there's a disconnection between people and place. And I think that that kind of keenness to reconnect is a really vital ingredient for how we can kind of push back against some of the more damaging systems that we see around us.But people were rioting against the loss of rights to be able to put pigs out amongst woods that were being enclosed for the private laws, hunting rights. And there were many, many rebellions which took place by poachers, by people that were kind of deemed to be [00:15:00] poachers, who were kind of subject to some of the most harsh laws against them. And actually, a lot of the way in which criminality is portrayed now in England comes directly from the fact that they were trying to clamp down on how property was being challenged by people that have been dispossessed from something that was seen as a common good.Chris: Wow. There's so much there in the way that traditional peoples in England previously would've stewarded the lands that they lived on, even though they didn't own them, per se, and how the enclosure of those lands also led to this degree of, I would say anyways, historically, tourism wherein, the longing to gather as a community or as a group of people, in a place in order to, as you said, even just sit idle under a tree, to learn about the place that one lives in, or other places. That tourism largely took up that mantle [00:16:00] as an industry, as a way of commodifying that human longing toward being together in a place, largely outside of strict work hours. But even during them as well. And of course, the history of tourism is such that, through the enclosures, there was a schism, as you said, that brought people into the towns and cities to work as workers, essentially, rather than stewards of land.And then their “leisure time” was also separated in order to find ways in which that longing could be fulfilled, but through the industrial means of bringing people in mass to the beach or to forests, to other lands.And we'll get to that in a moment, that notion of the kind of colonial and neo-colonial enclosures that today show up as national parks or reserves. But you did mention this rich [00:17:00] history of trespass in England. And on The Right to Roam website, it says that, “it's fair to say that none of the limited access rights established in recent generations has been won without the willingness of ordinary people to cross the lines of property.”And so, it seems to me that the work that Right to Roam is doing is picking up those anti-enclosure movements of previous centuries and bringing them into the contemporary milieu. And so, I'm curious how you imagine or how you think notions of trespass might be understood and utilised as forms of resistance to the enclosures or privatisation of common lands.Lewis: Well, trespass in England is part of civil law, so if you trespass, it's not criminal. It's not a criminal act. So the police can't be called, as long as you're not causing damage. So, in fact, it's just between you and the landowner.And I think one of the first things that we try [00:18:00] to do as a campaign when we're speaking to whether it's new groups, or people that are kind of joining us, is to say, well, actually in custom and in history, we have this right. We have this right to be on land, and that it's only really through a kind of spell that we've been put under this kind of narrative that we've been told that we don't have a right to land. That we don't go there. And so, one of the main forms of action that we take as a campaign is to trespass, is to cross those lines which feel like they're kind of physical lines when you look at a map or where you see a barbed wire fence. But actually, as soon as you cross them, they become quite arbitrary, but also political.And we try to politicise it as much as we can, because if we take it for a given that we're excluded, then we will just remain excluded. So, it's both empowering and also quite an undertaking really to trespass and to do that together is one of the most empowering things you can do as a group or as a community, to go to the places that we're told we don't [00:19:00] have a right to be, but yet when you go there, it suddenly doesn't really make sense that you are excluded.And actually, quite often, as a campaign, we're able to go to places and to learn more about them and to learn more about our landscapes just outside of the towns and cities that we live in, to feel more connected to them. And, in a lot of cases actually do work for the betterment of places as well.I mean, often we're kind of reporting illegal rubbish dumps or seeing where damaging, invasive ecological species have taken hold and or reporting pollution in rivers. And I think it is part of the work of our campaign to help people feel that they can be a part of these places.And as you've mentioned, this idea that tourism is this kind of leisure time activity that we do that feels quite extractive, actually. There's something that we can do, which is about giving back as well, and giving back to our communities. And, [00:20:00] so yeah, it's about crossing lines, and it's about kind of challenging the politics that play there, but it's also just simply about reclaiming something that has historically been a cement that's held communities together.And what we find, I think, is that across the political spectrum, in various sectors and quarters, people just see that as common sense. I mean, it's interesting being part of a campaign that is at once radical as well as being, actually, just people get it, and they want to support it. And that has really helped us, I think, make headway and make progress, because we think we make quite a good argument for why we need better access to land and why we need laws to support that. And we are receiving a good amount of support from many quarters.Chris: Thank you for illustrating that. I remember as a child in Toronto going into the valleys there and the [00:21:00] creeks, and there's, thankfully, a large system of public lands, but of course, there was some areas where you would see signs, and it says “no trespassing,” and you would see this quite a bit, more so as you left the city. And there was this kind of subtle, imposed, instilled sense in me as a child that, like, “okay, obviously I can't go here. But secondly, if I do, then I am not just a guest or a visitor, I'm a trespasser, I'm a criminal. Right?And so to return to this question of the way that governments in the last centuries have taken common lands from people and kind of converted them into what we imagined to be better, pristine environments by virtue of there being no humans.I'd like to broach this question with you because in our correspondence, you referred to, “the hidden damage done to landscapes, the displacement of damage [00:22:00] elsewhere in the name of conservation, creating pristine landscapes and how this plays out as a way to restrict land access as a rationale for exclusion, while we turn a blind eye to damage and exploitation.”You write, “we can see this on a smaller scale with regard to estate and large farms or intensive agriculture in the UK, as well as on a global scale through supply chains and trace both back to a colonial mindset.”And so, previously on the podcast, I've spoken with authors and activists in regard to conservation as a kind of neocolonization of land, both in Africa and in Asia, and we also see it in Scotland.And so, I'm curious how this shows up in the UK and in the Right to Roam's work. This notion that no humans means that somehow the ecologies of place are better off and that there seems to be hiding in these considerations, in these concepts, a kind of misanthropy, a kind of hatred [00:23:00] toward humans.Lewis: Yeah, I mean, conservation I think has been doing amazing work, has also been doing some quite troubling work, I think, over the years. There's no simple kind of response to this. Conservation by its very nature is about working in relationship with place, with people, and with the more-than-human world.And I think like any relationships, those can be difficult and also fulfilling and beneficial and sometimes both. I think conservation as a movement, if you take a historical lens on this and obviously know, looking at it through a cultural perspective, taking in place, people, and history, and thinking about it as well, not just as a kind of a single place-based concern, but also kind of more broadly on a global scale, how conservation has evolved.And it's both evolved out of a kind of a controlling mindset, but also out of a kind of almost a palliative desire to sort of ease [00:24:00] the suffering of the natural world. And I think that that, when we look at it like that, there's a kind of a deep trauma which conservation has been born from, which is that we've done such huge amounts of damage to other places, to other peoples, to our own homes, and our own landscapes here in England that our kind of desire to kind of remedy that is kind of caught up in a kind of traumatic relationship with place. And I think we've learned a lot and obviously come a long way from a kind of fortress conservation mindset, but I think that the kind of misanthropy, which has been present in conservation, still comes through sometimes.I mean, we work as a campaign with so many amazing people working on the forefront of conservation, who are working very hard to try to transform and challenge the sector that they are working within. [00:25:00] But it's kind of understandable that this history of exploitation and damage is kind of wrapped up with a desire to press the emergency button and say, “actually, we need to kind of take drastic measures here.” And for some people, that's led them down the path of wanting a very exclusionary take on how we manage these places and these landscapes.And I think that the other thing is that, what I was talking about in the correspondence that I sent to you, really, particularly inspired by the work of Val Plumwood, the amazing philosopher who took this kind of incredible view of conservation, linked it to what she called “shadow places.” The idea that actually, for every time that we create one of these kinds of islands of pristine habitat, whether it's through exclusion or whether it's through management, planning and whatever else, actually, there's a whole world of things that we displace, and we neglect to see.And we see that with our national [00:26:00] parks here in England. I think it's interesting that Dartmoor, my nearest national park, is actually, historically, it is a very managed and very industrial landscape, yet it's kind of like held up and revered as a place of ecological tranquillity.I mean, it's actually in quite a damaged state. But we see it more broadly, as well. We can see it through our supply chains in England and through food security, or what we might call food security, by basically exploiting other places, the minerals we use, the resources that we use.So many of them come from landscapes that don't have the same protections that we're sort of overlaying onto landscapes here in England. So I think that it is a complex question. I think the fact that we are dealing with the kind of fallout of empire and the colonialization of other places and our exploitation of them leads us back to this sort of issue of actually “ how do we repair our relationship with land, with people? [00:27:00] How do we come to this through a lens of collaboration between people and place that's not about, ‘this is for nature, this is for people'?”And I think, one of the most concerning things I've seen happening in recent years, is this sort of resurgence of a neocapitalist economy in the countryside that's sort of operating under the guise of wanting to protect, but actually is about excluding communities and excluding people. And some of the most amazing work that's happening in England and Wales on Rewilding is about including people and ensuring that there is a joined-up approach between people, place, and ecology.Chris: Thank you, Louis. Your professional background prior to working with Right to Roam was in outdoor and environmental education. And so I imagine that such work kind of flows fairly easily into raising awareness for public access to the commons. But it also seems to me that the [00:28:00] contemporary and commonplace relationships between people in the commons run through the government in the form of laws and regulations. And you write, “there are things you can do on public lands, and there are things you will get fined or arrested for.”And so, a system based on allowances and punishment, a system of rights. But rights do not necessarily breed responsibility. And it can be argued that rights can undermine responsibility both on personal and collective levels. A central question that arises in the debate as to whether to repeal these prohibitions on access is that a people growing up in a culture of enclosure and hypermobility, such as most urban people do these days, tend to have no personal or peripheral example of what worthy stewardship looks like.And so I'm curious, how does the Right to Roam team and perhaps other authors and activists you've come across contend with this notion? There's a mention [00:29:00] on your website of the ability of people to offer “wild service,” and I'm curious what this means in the context of rights and responsibilities.Lewis: Well, I don't think that rights necessarily undermine responsibilities. I think badly designed rights can, but I think that, in a meaningful way, rights can give people a stake. They can really say to people, actually, “ this is something which belongs to you, and that's worth defending.”If people are only experiencing the countryside through prohibition, then clearly that's gonna lead to a form of feelings of unwelcome. And I think that that kind of relationship with the countryside is damaging, and particularly, I think it damages the ideas of trust and our sense that we can actually learn to care for these places. And that's deep set [00:30:00] within the culture, I think, that we're part of. And one of the things, as you've highlighted, this challenge, which is also an opportunity, is for education. And not only do we have these very exclusionary laws, which prohibit us from accessing so much land. I mean, we're talking about we only have access to 8% of England, and about 3% of our rivers. These places also only exist in particular parts of England and Wales. So there are vast parts of the country where the countryside might as well just be wallpaper.And so, for so many people, access is a kind of an academic exercise. It's this idea that you might be able to access it, or if you have a car, you can drive to a place. So I think there's a lot of work to be done to give people the experiences that really build up that kind of culture of care, which I think... or “stewardship” is the word that you used.Getting those laws in place, getting the right to roam legislation that we're after, is the first step on the ladder. [00:31:00] And then the next step is maybe something like, “how do we put in place those systems of infrastructure and support, which we need to actually see more people in the countryside?” And some of those things might be about, “how do we get more school kids out?” I mean, even here near Dartmoor, the only place in England where you can sleep out under the stars, most of the kids in this area won't have had that experience and probably will never have that experience. So how do we remedy things like that? How do we support schools to do more of that? How do we get more of our education systems, both formal and informal education systems, to embrace a culture of access?In England, we can look north of the border to Scotland to see where such a system's been in place since 2003, where the Scottish Land Reform Act was put in place, which gave people a default right of access to land and water in the country, which [with] sensible exceptions for things like privacy, wildlife, land with crops growing on it [00:32:00] and public safety, backed up by a code of responsibility. But that in itself is only just over 20 years old, as an act. So, culturally it's still quite young, but it's been a real success.And then, we can look elsewhere. We can maybe look elsewhere in Europe, to Norway and to Sweden, for examples where, culturally, this is sort of something which is more deeply accepted. And there are many other examples, obviously from across Europe and globally, where there are different sets of rights that give people different sets of access and mobility within landscapes.So I think all we're trying to do really here in England is point to a way of being, which is about the structures of how we do that, but it's also about our kind of mindset and how we relate to places.And we can see that it's entirely possible and preferable to the system that we have here today. So I think [00:33:00] that yes, rights in themselves are not the answer, but they are the kind of the bedrock on which we could build a whole world of possibility.Chris: Hmm. Hmm. Yeah. Thank you, Lewis. I guess the question that I was trying to drive towards is this notion that's come up quite a bit in the podcast, which is that tourism doesn't necessarily begin once you get off a plane or a boat or a train. That tourism is a kind of lifestyle that seems to exist in the bedrock of the modern condition. And so how do we bring people into the possibility of something like “wild service” or stewardship when the vast kind of understanding of how we proceed towards quote “nature” or other communities is touristic in nature.And so I'm curious, in the organising that you've done, when people have the opportunity to dig deeper into the histories of their lands, and the access to lands, and the [00:34:00] enclosure that access and the enclosure of the common lands in the UK, and when they start to see perhaps what's possible by virtue of other people showing up, interested in the same research, in the possibility, the real possibility of things being otherwise, once people gathered together toward these possibilities, I'm curious what shows up for you among people who perhaps come from this more touristic sensibility.Lewis: Yeah. Well, a couple of years ago, the campaign wrote a book, a collection of essays called “Wild Service,” which is sort of acts as a bit of a compass towards this kind of new narrative of beyond extractive tourism, beyond recreation even, towards something which we sort of playfully called “re-creation” sometimes, this sort of sense that, actually, there's another way of doing this stuff. There's another way of [00:35:00] being in new places and of experiencing nature places near to and beyond our home. And Wild Service really is about... the kind of the subtitle of the book is “Why Nature Needs You.” So it's really kind of flipping this thing we were talking about earlier, which is that kind of a lot of conservation tends to focus in on, “ we desperately need nature, so we need to protect nature, and the way we do that is by excluding people.” And that's not all of conservation, but that is a kind of prevailing mindset which has existed and is entrenched now.So, wild service is trying to chart a different way, which is that we need to find this kind of peace, really. We are feeling that we can be active agents of benefit for the world around us. And there are some great examples. I mean, Paul Powlesland's an amazing barrister activist, who lives in northeast London and is [00:36:00] guardian of the River Roding up there who kind of lives on the river in his boat, and is out on the river every day, normally waist-deep in the river, acting in service to clean that river up.And it is in a mess. This river's been a historic dumping ground for industry, and neglected by government and local authority over the years, and just trashed. And Paul is with a team of volunteers, working so hard to shine a light on that, but also just basically to clean it up, and to demonstrate how illegal rubbish dumps and illegal sewers are overflowing into it. And it's become this flashpoint really for a wider conversation of concern.And there are many other examples where, you know, on the River Wye, for example, on the border between Wales and England, which is one of the first rivers really to have its kind of legal rights asserted in England through the action of communities.And we're talking about wild swimmers and anglers and [00:37:00] kayakers and people who are kind of out on the river. And I think it's no coincidence that the River Wye is also one of the only rivers in England where there is a legal right of access to swim and to connect with the river. And that people have seen it as a gift really, to then act on behalf of the river. And of course, then that's playing out now.The rights of nature are playing out globally. I mean Ecuador, being one of the kind of trailblazing, the constitution, embedding this. And I think acting as an inspiration for so many more communities to really take on board the rights of nature. And to see a kind of community activists stepping forward in wild service to do some of this work. And in cases like Paul, they often trespass whilst they're doing it.Chris: Yeah, I think there's definitely this question of animism that comes into play, perhaps peripherally as well in these conversations, which is that, so many of our ancestors, at least at some point, [00:38:00] understood the more-than-human beings and worlds within their places as just as alive and deserving of a good life and dignity as humans are.And that over the course of the last 500 years, at least, a degree of deanimation has occurred as a result of the enclosures. Certainly, you could get into the Cartesian philosophical questions, regarding who has a soul and who doesn't. But I think there's something deeply embedded there as well about the questions of, when we find ways to ensure that rivers, for example, or other aspects of the more-than-human world have rights, that we are trying to find a way back towards respecting the dignity that exists, and is [00:39:00] more or less, demanded, if not, seen or experienced a priori, within an animistic perspective.Lewis: Yeah, I mean, absolutely the same logic that tore people from the Commons was also at play, of course, in the kind of instrumentalising and essentializing nature, and creating this sort of division between people and the rest of nature. And it is certainly there in the history of the British Isles.You just don't have to look even back that far to see that people had a much kind of closer relationship. And I think this isn't about going back to anything. This is about finding a new path where, actually, this kind of experiment in driving a wedge between humans and the rest of nature has been wildly unsuccessful, and has caused great harm, and has precipitated, also, the harms done to people elsewhere.And, part of our kind of job now, I think, is to look to other [00:40:00] ways of doing things. And I see really in the kind of richness of the work being done by communities and individuals, and increasingly, with work being done within governance, that actually rights of nature is not a panacea, but it does give us this sort of direction towards something, which is perhaps more unifying, and can be part of that future.Chris: Hmm. Yeah. I'm reminded of a fairly famous quote, at least within the psychedelic culture, of a man named Terrence McKenna, who said that this work is not a return to the archaic. It's a return of the archaic.Lewis: Hmm.Chris: And so perhaps there's something in there that can give us pause to consider and reconsider how we are with more-than-human worlds.Well, I'd like to take a, just a slight detour if we can, because there's this question of [00:41:00] what the enclosures of the commons did, to people both in England and then abroad, later. And a lot of it has to do with the human relationship to nature, to more-than-human worlds. But I'm also curious about this relationship to home, and to housing even, and to what the enclosures kind of precipitated in the behaviour of human beings, what displacement and expulsion and enclosure do to human beings.And so, I have a little quote here from a great book, called The War Against the Commons. And in that book, the author writes,“The largest number of migrants left England entirely, mostly for North America or the Caribbean. [This is as a result of the enclosures.] Net emigration in the century before 1640 was close to [00:42:00] 600,000, and another 400,000 left by the end of that century, extraordinarily large numbers from a country whose mid-1600s population was barely 5 million people.What's more, those are net figures. More people left, but their numbers were partially offset by immigrants arriving in England from Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and continental Europe. Most of the emigrants were young men, and about half paid for the dangerous ocean crossing by agreeing to be indentured servants for four or more years there, in the ‘New World.' That was a high price, but hundreds of thousands of landless peasants were willing to pay it.For some, it was not a choice. English courts frequently sentenced vagrants and other criminals to indentured servitude in the New World.”And so, I don't think it's such a huge [00:43:00] stretch of the imagination to say that the chain reaction that began with the enclosures in England and later spread to most parts of the world had direct consequences for how the Americas, among other places, were colonised. I think it's quite curious and telling that the sometimes brutal dispossession and dislocation that was unleashed on commoners in the UK was then later unleashed by those same commoners turned migrants or their descendants on the other side of the Atlantic. And so, given that one of the major issues of our time revolves around migration and borders, I'm curious if this history or this unauthorised history has come up at all in the conversations around migration in your part of the world.Lewis: Yeah. Well, I think the harm that has been done to the landscapes here, clearly, the mindset and the exploitative mindset have been at play [00:44:00] elsewhere as we've discussed. You talked about how vagrants were treated. People are told they have no place on land that they don't own. And then when they find themselves, suddenly without work and dispossessed and subject to new laws that were criminalising that kind of vagrancy, I think that's such a strong kind of signal within a society that there's this kind of way of being successful or a way of undertaking a life, and of doing business, whatever you wanna call it. And so as soon as people are given an opportunity to go off and set off for new shores... we were effectively training a whole population on how to other, and how to exploit. I mean, this was the kind of place in which that mindset was cultivated.Chris: Mm-hmm.Lewis: And people, I think what I always come [00:45:00] back to in, whenever I'm reading about the enclosures and the commons, is that people were resisting, as well. And I think, the Levellers, the amazing campaigning done by the Levellers who took up arms and really knew resisted the kind of modern enclosures and the idea of landlordism, that only land landowners should have a broad set of rights, including the right to vote. The people were resisting this at every step of the way.And I think that we see that obviously internationally, as well. Colonisation by Britain and by other colonising powers has always been resisted, and there are movements globally that are working to protect the rights of people and land against these kinds of damaging and exploitative practises.But I think it comes back really, as somebody who lives here in England, that it might feel small to be a part of a campaign, which is about “I want [00:46:00] rights to be able to walk outta my door and walk into the nearby countryside, whilst there are these sort of incredibly awful, colonial practises going on in the name of progress, globally, in my name.”This is also about how we cultivate that kind of awareness and resistance. Because what I see and what I've learned through being part of this campaign is that, something which is kind of meaningful for us here today, by learning our histories and how this has kind of evolved, really, and grown out of the land where I live, part of that journey is also about educating ourselves and taking action on things which are an injustice for us in our lives, and joining those injustices to others, which are taking place in the name of the same systems that exploited the world, the more direct world around us.So, these are joined up. And, I think the other thing I wanna say is that like so many times in our campaigning we've come across the role of power and privilege and money in the countryside, [00:47:00] and how the larger states and the names that go with them that persist in the countryside today...I mean, about a third of England is still in aristocratic hands. We're unsure of the exact figure because so much of the land in England is not registered, but around about a third of England is still in the hands of... many of those people can trace their lineage right back to the Norman Conquest, to 1066, when William the Conqueror came over and handed out the land of his newly acquired domain to all of his mates. We're still living with that legacy today.And so, we see those power structures in the countryside. We see the money that's behind them. And all of the new money, the corporate money as well, that's being poured into the countryside around us. And there's a direct link there to democracy, as well, to what we're told about who belongs and who gets a say and who actually should feel welcome here. And when we look at the rise of the far-right here [00:48:00] in England, and I think, elsewhere, globally, the perpetuation of the narratives that go behind the rise of the far-right comes from that kind of land-owning, embedded power structure, the same power which has actually disconnected and dispossessed the majority of the population, the 99% of us, who don't own half of England.And that's really shocking. And I think, when we see figures like Nigel Farage here in England, pointing to migrants as the problem, it doesn't take much delving back into our history to see that this is a defence strategy, a way of deflecting blame from those who have acquired through exploitation, through murder and destruction, massive amounts of wealth and privilege and power.And so, this is the latest iteration of blaming people. We blamed the vagabonds and the [00:49:00] poor for causing problems in the countryside by criminalising activities, and exporting them off. And today we're blaming migrants, and I think, to be able to know our history and to look at how the enclosure acts and the loss of a sense of common belonging is connected to how we are having our dispossession thrown back at us through a sense of blame for others who have absolutely no stake in the uprooting of our connection.Chris: Hmm. Brilliant. Yeah. Thank you so much, Louis, for bringing this up. I mean, I've had my friend and mentor Steven Jenkinson on the pod a few times. And one of the things that he's written that describes the dynamics in a lot of the modern condition. But I think in this question, particularly around migration and colonial history,[00:50:00] he writes that, “ they deify what dispossessed their ancestors.” They turn into a God, the trauma that dispossessed their ancestors. And then, of course, in this particular context, they project it onto the people who are now being dispossessed.Lewis: Hmm.I mean, we see this logic also play out in other, smaller ways, I think, in the countryside in England. Like, for example, massive running battles and riots to protect Fenland, the fenlands of the east of England, from being drained and improved. Massive protests to prevent woodlands from being enclosed. But today, we'll see the everyday public who don't have any ownership of those lands, protecting this kind of sense of industrial improvement. And I think that there's a lot of unpicking to be done, to look back [00:51:00] and to say, actually, this is something that was done to us. And with that, we lost our rights, and also now, one of the biggest kinds of parlour tricks really of that whole system has been for us to blame each other.Chris: Yeah. I mean, I see it on a smaller scale as well in terms of landlordism and rent. I mean, we, I had an interview a few months ago, and we brought up the question of rent, which surely existed before the enclosure of the commons, but has become a staple, a normalised aspect of modern life. And it's become that rent has become so normalised that no one questions the kind of wage and rent slavery that we're born into in this late capitalist context. And therefore there's no need to imagine our relationships with home or [00:52:00] house or housing or land being any different.And as you mentioned, how the enclosures created this kind of notion perhaps among people in England in the previous hundred years, and then of course exported elsewhere, that the roots of enclosures and the different forms that they take or can take in the world, are the recipe for a ‘better life', right?And so I see that as well as a kind of historical extension of the enclosures, this notion that, like, “well, it's just the way it is and you just have to pay your rent, and there's no questioning the dynamics of private property. And if you don't like it, just submit or become a landlord yourself.Lewis: Hmm. Well, one of the interesting things I think that happened again in Scotland was that in 2003, the Land Reform Act, which came in and which [00:53:00] I've mentioned as being the acts which brought about the Scottish right to roam as we know it today, actually, that was almost a kind of footnote to the wider act. And one of the main things that it brought about was for people to have a right to buy, for communities to have a right to buy. And one of the big transformations in Scotland in recent years has been communities being able to buy up parts of whole estates and even sometimes whole islands.And so, the Isle of Eigg was one of the first examples, but now there are many, many more across Scotland where communities are starting to take literal ownership of places, and with that obviously comes things like rent controls and responsibility and accountability, between each other, within communities.And so, looking at it through that lens, where people have a greater stake in landscapes that they literally own or have a stake in, there are many, many outcomes in terms of nature conservation and public [00:54:00] access, and a wider sense of responsibility, which can kind of spill over. And it is not without problems. I mean, of course, there are still issues in Scotland with estates, and large, faceless landlords extracting massive amounts of extortionate rent from people. That's, of course, still happening.One of the things that we see in England, and I think is maybe a bit of a kind of telling contrast to that, is that in the last year we've seen two large estates, and there's probably been many more, but two that have come up on our radar, really, that have held-in properties.So one of them down in Dorset, a kind of neighbouring county to where I live, had 32 houses, ostensibly, affordable dwellings for people to live in the countryside, which is hard to come by, actually. In some parts of rural England, it's really hard to live affordably in the countryside. So, people who have been there for generations saw an estate that had been held by the same family for seven generations, suddenly bought by a [00:55:00] faceless corporation on behalf of an anonymous absentee landowner.And suddenly, overnight, the community was hit with kind of massive amounts of uncertainty. People worried about evictions or rents going up. And the same things happened just down the road from us, with an estate owned by the royal family suddenly put up for sale, and suddenly, tenant farmers, people who had had this kind of certainty that actually this has been owned by the royal family since the 1300s, are now being put up for sale.And from that point of view, the person selling it just looks at it like a set of assets that could be sold off. And I think what I would love is for, in England, for us to have a community right to buy. So when things like that happen, then actually communities get this kind of first refusal.So, landlordism and ownership patterns that are linked to the extortions going on are deeply connected to rights of access, because the golden thread that links all of those is a right to belong. And without that kind of certainty that you can call a place home [00:56:00] without being evicted, or without being told that you can get to your kind of favourite river swimming spot, for me, those two things are deeply related, and they point to the need for something much more robust for people who so desperately need it, who don't have the means to buy land themselves.Chris: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Thank you, Lewis. I'm grateful for this work that you do with the right to roam, and hopefully, as the movement grows, there'll be an opportunity for, perhaps, seemingly disparate movements or campaigns to join in this way and to recognise their mutual goals.And so I'm curious, I'd love to ask you about how this shows up on a broader spectrum, in a global spectrum, in terms of the Right To Roam, in terms of access to land and the campaigns and movements that are happening, not just in England, but elsewhere, beyond the Isles and perhaps beyond [00:57:00] Europe.And so I'm curious what kind of similar movements or campaigns might be happening in other countries or continents, for which there might be solidarity between the fight for the commons in the UK and the fight for the commons elsewhere?Lewis: Hmm. Well, land. It literally underpins everything, really.I mean, we see so many campaigns and injustices, which obviously are linked to land and the right to belong and the right to be. And land justice, globally, there's so much international solidarity. Our work today is very much about drawing those threads and remaining kind of focused on what we need to do, but we can see sort of the parallels elsewhere.And, people that we campaign with are also involved in international campaigning with Survival International, for example, doing amazing work to support the rights of indigenous peoples and rights to land globally. And the International Land Coalition, the work that they're [00:58:00] doing, a lot of which is in South America.We talked already about the rights of nature movement, and seeing lots of that kind of showing up and the rights of nature in the constitution of Ecuador, has, as I've already said, been a massive inspiration for that movement now in the UK.And, obviously, in the majority of Latin American countries, this is a real present challenge, and it's highly contested. I was speaking with a group from Dalhousie University in Canada as well recently about the kind of the rights to the coastline up there, and how, even in North American countries, there are like these challenges because of the development of coastlines, and not just coastlines, but also, the private property rights which excludes people to perhaps a more extreme extent than we have here in England.I was always struck by how, in the United States, the [00:59:00] right to roam campaign is sort of... I think people are just bewildered by it. Like, “What is this kind of campaign?” Because the rights of property are so sacrosanct, and the rights of property and the right to exclude, with the exception of the national park.So, we see these interesting challenges coming up, and international solidarity with people, in all sorts of different contexts.I was really interested in the conversation that you were having with Devon Taylor on this podcast about the rights to the coast, for example, in Jamaica, as well, and how that is absolutely linked to the exploitation of Jamaica and of people, and that land is still subject to the same kind of sets of exclusions there. And I was really interested to hear about the campaigning that's being done to just give people a simple right to get to the beach, which just seems so [01:00:00] basic and simple, but actually is fundamental. And so, I'm really gladdened and also shocked by what's happening there. And particularly if you contrast it with a place like Barbados, where there's a right to the coast, to see just what's possible with campaigning. And with political will, actually, you can see that these things are winnable and that they're winnable because of people like Devon doing that kind of work.So yeah, our work's very much focused on England, and what we can achieve within this parliament. We basically want to finish what we're doing, and then carry on with the wider work that we're all also interested in doing, and getting this law changed is our kind of like tiny puzzle piece in the wider tapestry of land justice, globally.Chris: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. May it be that the people who listen to this and who find their way towards the Right to Roam's work, join up and remember the [01:01:00] histories that have led us to this point and to people like yourself who are working to reconcile, as you said, what's been done historically in your name, or in your names.And, it's been a blessing to have you on the pod Lewis, to be able to both historically and contemporaneously, bring together a lot of the threads that a lot of other podcast guests in the past have spoken to, threads that bring us to a degree of source or historical origin in terms of how these enclosures came to be and of course, how people like yourself in the place that they began are working for their proper subversion.And so, on behalf of our listeners, Lewis, I'd like to thank you for joining me today for being willing to speak to these issues, these very complex issues. And I'm of course grateful that you're digging into the complexities in the way that you do.It's a great honour. And finally, [01:02:00] I'd like to ask you, how might our listeners find out more about the Right to Roam and its campaigns? How might they get involved and support, or begin this good work, in the places that they live?Lewis: Thanks, Chris. It is great to be on here and speaking with you, as well.And yeah, I mean, we're a small campaign. We do what we can with the small amount of resources that we have available. But I think, if people want to support our work, you can head over to our website. We've got our website at righttorome.org.uk. So check that out. We've got a mailing list, as well, and we try to send out fairly infrequent, but we hope, worthwhile emails, which give you a bit of insight.They tend to be focused on the work we are doing here for England and Wales. But I think for international listeners, this is potentially of interest as well, because, obviously, this speaks to the wider context. We've got social media as well, so you can see us on Instagram and on Blue Sky. And we're just in the process of setting [01:03:00] up a blog, as well. So, stay tuned for that. But get in touch and listen out for any updates.Chris: Thank you, Lewis. I'll make sure that those links are on the End of Tourism website in the homework section. And, for those who are outside of England who are wondering about this, perhaps the Right to Roam and their work is something not only of an inspiration, but a foundation for the ways in which you and your people might come to gather together and organise for access to land in your places.Thank you so much, Louis.Lewis: Thanks, Chris. Get full access to Chris Christou at chrischristou.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode, my guest is Dr. Devon Taylor, the President of the Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement (JaBBEM), an advocacy group founded in 2022 that fights for equitable beach access and environmental justice in Jamaica. He is a Biomedical Research Scientist and environmental and social justice advocate who leads efforts to repeal the colonial-era Beach Control Act of 1956, which he describes as discriminatory and a barrier to public access.JABBEM uses legal tools, including the Prescription Act of 1882, to establish long-standing community rights to beaches and rivers. The group is currently involved in multiple court cases, including those concerning Bob Marley Beach, Little Dunn's River, and Flanker/Providence Beach, to secure public access and prevent privatization by luxury resorts like Sandals.Dr. Taylor emphasizes that beach access is a fundamental human right and reparative justice issue, arguing that Jamaica's beaches—national treasures—should be accessible to all Jamaicans, not just tourists. He calls for government action to replace outdated laws with modern legislation that ensures constitutional protection for public access and sustainable management of coastal resources.Show Notes* The violence and displacement from which JaBBEM emerged* The Beach Control Act of 1956* Coastal colonialism / plantation tourism* Shoreline personhood and the birth of humanity* The medicinal space of the sea* Taking the fight to the courts in Jamaica* Pan-Caribbean solidarity and dilemmas* Critical mass: advice for guests/touristsHomeworkJabbem - Website - Instagram - Facebook - YouTubeStronger Caribbean TogetherTranscriptChris: [00:00:00] Welcome Dr. Taylor, to the End of Tourism Podcast. Thank you for being willing to join me today. And I'm wondering to start, if you could share with our listeners where you're sitting today and what the world looks like there for you where you are.Devon: Yeah. You know, funny enough, I'm sitting just outside of Washington, DC today.Chris: Oh.Devon: You know, I just got back from Jamaica. All right. And I'm just outside the capital of the “free world” today. Yeah, but Jamaica is home, so we just got back from some community service work, advocacy work. And I'm happy to engage the End of Tourism audience and share what the experience and the livity of the Jamaican people is like.Chris: Hmm. Thank you, Dr. Taylor. As far as I understand, you are the president of Jabbem, the Jamaica Beach Birthright [00:01:00] Environmental Movement, which was founded in 2022 as “a grassroots organization acutely aware of the adverse effects of misguided development and environmental injustices to beaches, beach property, and sensitive terrestrial ecosystems” And so I'd like to ask you, Devin, a bit about your story, about how and why Jabbem was created, if I can.Devon: Yeah. So my story is the story of my community - my community of Steer Town, a coastal community that I grew up in, but that's also the story of the descendants of enslaved Africans, really, and a former slave plantation known as Jamaica, right?There's a history that is rooted in displacement, disposition, and disempowerment of a people, you know. [00:02:00] So, Jabbem is a response to continued injustice, injustice not only to black bodies, you know what I mean? And the indigenous ones, the Tainos who were there first, right? But also the desecration of land, right?Land have a relationship with human beings and with indigenous people, and we have a relationship with land. But all that get disturbed, through this “development.” So, you know, myself, my community, experienced that displacement and disposition and disempowerment in 2019, at the heights of COVID.When our childhood beach that our community has been using for more than a hundred years, you know, we were displaced from it. And the displacement. It's around 29 acres of beachfront land that the community... as an extension of our community that we use for everything, everything that Jamaicans use the beach [00:03:00] for, right? You know, recreation, fishing, spirituality, I mean, courtship, artisan work, farming you know all that space that offers a multitude of opportunities, multitude of possibilities, right, which made it that node, that connectivity to the community of Steer Town, to the community of Chalky Hill, to the community of Epworth and Davis Town and, you know, parts of, and tourism mecca of Ocho Rios. You know what I mean? This is what this space represented. It was a community that birthed ideas and continual livity of our people.And we were displaced from it, displaced from it by force. You know, a force that was part of the state, the Jamaican police, private security, the political class. It was violent. It was a very [00:04:00] violent displacement. And so, if you have ever experienced disposition and displacement, it unsettles you. It arms you. You know, I mean, you are rattled, right?And so, we had to figure out how this happened and how we need to move, because we're a resilient people, we never give up. This is where we're able to survive 500 years of chattel slavery. So, it took us a minute to kinda understand what was happening and knowing that we have to move from the grassroots. We have to come together in solidarity and farm something that could push back at our displacement. So Jabbem was born through state-sponsored violence and private violence, the displacement of communities from beach ecosystems, from the sea, in that time.Chris: Thank you for that, Dr. Taylor. You know, you mentioned 2019 as a kind [00:05:00] of watershed moment for your community and for the creation of Jabbem. But of course most people have some understanding that the tourism industry has a long history on the island, in Jamaica. And there's something that arises quite a bit in the work of your organization and in the interviews and in the media that's come out, and specifically around a law that was created or enacted in 1956, The Beach Control Act in Jamaica. And so, I'm wondering if you would be willing to offer up a little bit about this law, why it's so infamous in your country and maybe a little something of what was happening in Jamaica before 2019 and perhaps since that act, that law was created in the fifties.Devon: Yeah. The struggle for beach rights, you know, access to the beaches use of the sea [00:06:00] is historical, right? There are giants before my time who stood in the fight. You know what I mean? We had Dr. Carolyn Cooper, you know what I mean, very instrumental. John Maxwell. We have Kabu Ma'at Kheru. We have Esther Figueroa and many other Jamaicans who lend their voice to a struggle, observing and seeing that, with every new hotel that's built, every new villa that's built, every new guest house that's built, is a loss of the Jamaican people to really continue to enjoy spaces that they have been doing since childhood. Right.You know, as you mentioned, there's a long history of tourism in Jamaica. Yes, there is. I mean, Jamaica is still a colony of England. The King Charles is still the king of Jamaica, right? With all that said, Jamaica does have its prime minister who runs the country, and the king don't really get in his way, so all the experiences of the Jamaican people now is [00:07:00] actually a product of the political class that is running the country.And the tourism model at one point was more integrated, right? There was more a blend of locals and visitors traversing in beaches and enjoying these spaces, walking around in the country, participating in other cultural activities that are not based along the beach, right? You would come into villages, enjoy villages. You know, that was true for, also, my community. My community was close to a couple of these hotels and guest houses at the time. Many members in our community work in these spaces. Some of those tourists would venture up into the village and enjoy all that we offer, you know, in the Jamaican life.I should point out that musical albums, between Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones was made with members of of the Steer Town community. “Wingless Angel” is the name of that album.So this was a time when it was more [00:08:00] of that kind of integration. But the colony that Jamaica is right, and just pre-independence, Jamaica became independent in 1962... a law was passed in 1956 just on the eve of independence, which you alluded to earlier - The Beach Control Act of 1956 - and we're still trying to fully grasp why there was a need to put a law in place that says that no Jamaicans have the right to the foreshore, or the floor of the sea and was translated by the head of the National Environment and Planning A gency (NEPA), that we do not have the right to swim, to bathe, to fish, to walk along the foreshore. All those rights are vested in the government, in what they basically call “the crown,” controls all that kind of things. And the thinking we are trying to understand, is that the [00:09:00] result is very clear, that it's stripped us of any inherent rights to the foreshore. Stripped us.And very important for accessing beaches is the rights, the land. So you cannot get to the beach or the sea without traversing land.Chris: Right.Devon: And so this legislation, really inherently, did not give us any land rights. And that is what you know happened post-emancipation. There was never any reparative justice around the rights of descendants of enslaved Africans to land, where compensation was given to the enslavers. They got millions and millions of dollars when slavery was abolished. There was no compensation to the descendants in any form. No rights to land, no distribution of land, nothing [00:10:00] that was constitutionally put in place, nothing for provisions were made. In fact, the secretary of the islands made sure that they put tariffs so high on government land that the descendants could not afford them.So it kept the Jamaican people, and for that case, most of the Caribbean Islands' peoples, landless, right? So we walk out of slavery as a homeless people, despite the many rebellions and revolutions that were fought by our ancestors to free our people. You know, the powers to be never gave us any of that rights to land.And so, the 1956 Beach Control Act is consistent with colonial logic of dispossession and disempowerment.Chris: Wow.Devon: And that's what that legislation has really done to us.Chris: Wow. Yeah. I mean some of the statistics that have [00:11:00] come up in Jabbem's research is that at least 35% of Jamaica's GDP is tourism, that 25% of all jobs on the island are tourism-based jobs, that 70% of tourism dollars go to foreign investors while only 10% goes to the community and 20% going to the government. Then finally, less than 1% and maybe less of Jamaica's shoreline is accessible to Jamaicans.You refer to this, I think as coastal colonialism. Is that right, Devin?Devon: Yeah, it is coastal colonialism. It's a kind of plantation tourism, right? And the numbers speak, for themselves. I mean, they're very consistent with colonial logic around ownership of land, possession of land, what land is used for, and who the [00:12:00] usage of land benefits. The resources of the land benefit the colonial master. Of course, in this case, it is the government of Jamaica with it's elite. You know, the elites are sometimes Jamaican. Sometimes they're multinational corporations. So all of these kind of things are linked to plantation tourism and the exploitation of labour. Now there's no way that you can have, in 2024, a tourism product made 4.3 billion US dollars, and more than 3 billion of it, did not stay in Jamaica. It may not even enter the country, because of the way all these transactions are done. You could book your tour from overseas, pay for your hotel from overseas, you pay for your flight, you pay all these things. So those dollars does not even enter the country.Even many of the Jamaican tours, their banking companies are in international spaces. Many of these entities are the owners of these hotel, these [00:13:00] corporations, also registered in other countries. You'll have some of them registered in other Caribbean islands, St. Lucia and other tax havens across the planet. So, I mean, all of these things are very similar to the way that the plantation work.And then of course the workers and the exploitations of the worker, being paid very low wages, wages that are not livable wages. I mean, they're overworked. And so, the whole thing is consistent just the way the plantation works, right? And so we have to call it what it is. And at the same time, you work at the hotel and you can't enjoy the beach, right? Not while you're working there. Neither can you go home and say, “I'm taking my family of five to where I work, and I'm gonna put my towel down on the beach and take a swim, or I'm going to go roll out, and I'm going to fish.So I mean, the whole model, as to how it's constructed right now is very [00:14:00] oppressive, and is a continuation of the systems of oppressions that were characteristic of the plantation. So it makes it a plantation tourism model that the Jamaican government is supporting. And it is the government of the country because as you mentioned, you know less than 1% of beaches in the country is accessible by the Jamaicans, right?The country, the island is 494 miles around right now. 150 miles of it is technically sandy, right? Most of it is are rocky terrain, but the rocky terrains are beautiful terrains. You know, these are terrains that we all meditations from. You know what I mean, we go fish at, you find your moment in these spaces and they're becoming far and few, and that is supported by just the way all the legislation is constructed, and no government in the history of [00:15:00] “independent Jamaica” from 62, right... The law will be on the book for 70 years, and none of them changed that law to empower the Jamaican people with inherent rights.Not just to... because I know sometimes the reasoning is that, “well, we just wanna go to the beach to swim.”Well, we are thinking about a new imagination of our relationship with the coastline that we have been having for many, many, many decades.It wasn't just swimming.You know? No, no, no. It's beyond that.So, they may project that that's all we need: is just to go into the water.Right? I mean, absolutely. That's part of it. Absolutely we need to go there where our deads were washed upon the shores from these slave ships, that many were thrown overboard, many jumped overboard.But livity along the coastline for fisher folks, for vendors, for those who harvest [00:16:00] seaweed, right? For those baptisms, for the artists who get their inspiration there, for farmers who farm there, all of these possibilities, that we used to use the space for.We are saying that we should be able to continue doing so. Right? And we are fighting for this kind of a justice in this space.Chris: Wow. I mean, this is a theme, a through line, that that comes up in so many of the conversations I have with people like yourself who are fighting for land and land rights in their homes, in their places.It seems there's so much in common. One of the strange things... I don't know how strange it is really, but I was reading recently on the history of what they call “the enclosure of the commons” in Britain from I think the 13th or 14th century on, and how slowly, little by little, the rich landowner started kind of carving away, the land from the peasants and forcing them into the [00:17:00] towns and cities to work for wages, essentially, and to undermine, not only their ancestral relationships with the land, the places where they're dead were buried for many, many centuries, but also the kind of lived spiritual relationship they have with it. Right.And so, this is something that I've seen on Jabbem's website regarding the organization's principle goals. And that one of them is “the promotion of environmental personhood to beaches, selected rivers and important land formations to protect nature for future generations and to safeguard the intrinsic value of nature by recognizing them [that's the beaches, the selected rivers, and land] as living entities.”Now, I think this is something that's a common understanding, if not something that ecologists and environmentalists today campaign for, which is giving waterways and [00:18:00] land rights, but also legal and judicial protections.And so I'm curious, how do you think giving legally-bound personhood to land and water could change the lives or the relationships that travellers and local people have to those places?You know, when we come to live our lives in the presence of rivers and beaches and land as alive and sentient and as having history, their own personal history, how do you think our relationships to places might change, either as tourists or locals.Devon: Yeah. I mean these ideas are not distant to the human consciousness, because it was like that in the beginning. If we look at the scientific history of earth, right? You know, the sea, oceans are the birthplace of humanity. We crawled out the [00:19:00] sea onto land, and where did we enter first? It was on the shoreline?So, historically, ancient shoreline is the birthplace of humanity. And we just imagine, what happened in that space was the beauty of evolution. Evolution, physically. Evolution, spiritually. Evolution, in all ways and form you could think of. That space was a space of a multitude of births and rebirths. A space of energy, that led to all that we know it right now - plants and animal life, running around and terra firma.So I mean, that recognizes that this space of a right to exist because without it, I mean, I and I would not be in existence in this present formation. So it's not really a kind of thinking that is outside of the grasp of humanity. [00:20:00] It's just that a version of humanity turned its back against nature, you know, to degrade it, to use it without recognizing the relationship that it had with us.And so to really raise these ideas, that the space has its own consciousness, has its own intrinsic value, has its own understanding of I and I, knowing what I needed within such time. Give it to I so that I could thrive and manifest. So it did its work and it continues to do its work. It's just that humanity, a version of humanity, is robbing the space of its ability to continue to serve as a crucible for next generation, even the protection of the planet Earth.And you will hear it all the while that the shoreline is very important to protect us against the fallout of climate change, in terms of [00:21:00] protecting land. You know, we hear those words, but we don't live those words. So I think the recognition of personhood status to these kinds of ecosystem will bring us back to our relationship with the land, whereas we are custodian of it and it is custodian of us. And so that kind of duality, between man and environment can reign again, so the environment can serve its role in the next phase of human consciousness, right? It's not just a space to degrade, but it offers many things. I'm sure you go to the beach and when you go to the beach, you're alive. And you feel more alive when you go to a beach that is rustic, that when you look around you, you hear the sounds of nature. You can feel the beauty of that sun under your foot, and the smell that you are smelling is smell of a natural coastal forest, a natural ocean. You're not smelling [00:22:00] chlorine or suntans, or you're not hearing the bustling of engine mechanizations. You know what I mean? All what we have created in these spaces, right?You're not seeing the beautiful crabs run, the crustaceans in the space. You're not seeing the vibrancy of all the creatures that live in the ocean at near shore, because you take out hectares of grass beds, which is necessary for replenishing life.You know, the ocean produce more oxygen than the land, because earth is more than 70% water. So the importance there of understanding personhood status is for us to understand our livity and our life is critically linked to this space. And that's what we're trying to say.Understand this space for what it meant for human evolution, what it means for our continued survival, [00:23:00] and allow it to do so, but we have to give it that kinda legal protection. We have to make generations coming on board understand what it is in terms of how critical it is for livity.My work is based in the gift economy. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Chris: Wow. That's beautiful.Yeah. Thank you so much Dr. Taylor. When I think about all the times that I spent on beaches, I mean maybe not as many as other people, but I also think about how much, in our time, in the last few generations that so many people go to the beach to relax. And you know, as far as I know, this wasn't a very common thing around the world before the Industrial Revolution - to go to the beach to relax, at least en masse, at least with so many people. And it makes me wonder, what might be happening mythically or mythologically or mythopoetically, when people go to the beach, they lie down in front of the [00:24:00] sun and in front of the ocean, and in terms of what you were saying, I always wondered, this seems like a kind of devotion that people are almost, in a religious way, devoting their bodies to being in this place with the sun and the ocean.But also in this place, as you mentioned, just between the ocean and the land. Right. The shoreline. And while it seems like a kind of religious devotion, maybe the fact that it's kind of commodified and industrialized and manipulated in such a way so that people don't recognize the life or lives of the shoreline, of the rivers, of the beach, of the ocean, et cetera, that there's something in there that humans are longing to express, but it gets turned into this really, really strange and almost demented form of, you know, “oh, take my picture and let's put it on Instagram” and all that kind of thing, right?So yeah, thank you for that, Devin. It was really beautiful to [00:25:00] hear.And for our listeners who can see some of the work that Jabbem is doing on their website, there are many, many campaigns that your organization is involved in in Jamaica, and some of them involve court cases, but I'm curious if you'd be willing to comment, I guess, on how your organization, how your team has been dealing with the campaigns, what kind of successes or failures, what kind of learning has come your way. What can you tell us about the work that you've been doing with the people on the ground there and what, if any kind of successes you've had so far.Devon: Yeah. Yeah. So, so we have just been around like four years now. This is our fourth year. Right. You know, kinda listening to how you were kinda talking about the reverence when one goes into these spaces, because the sea is medicine. It's a medicine space. And I think that's why a lot of people gravitate towards it. And what we are trying to do [00:26:00] is saying that everyone should be able to experience their birthplace, which is the foreshore, right? And so our fight and our struggle is that, as the United Nation Convention and the Law of the Sea puts it, the sea is the common heritage of humankind. So what we are doing is consistent with what the United Nation goal, that this space, this sea, this ocean, these rivers are common edge heritage of humanity. And so, we must be able to access them, engage them, we must be able to experience them and they must remain protected for all generations.So, Jabbem's campaign on the ground are not campaigns that are just for the liberation of the communities, where these beaches are. But it's for the community of humanity, that when they come into our country, they will experience the ecological heritage of the country, not [00:27:00] restricted by how much money you have in your pocket, by how much you could pay to go to one of these all inclusive hotels. Or one of these high-end villas that are encroaching in the sea, or any of these hotels that they are now building in the sea, is that you could've travelled from another country to experience what the foreshore and the sea - which is your heritage, as a human - in Jamaica.So the campaign, we are fighting for liberation of the coastline, right? So we have five of these cases right now in the Jamaican court system, right? Yeah. We have the case fighting for Bob Marley Beach. I mean, I could speak uniquely to what these spaces symbolize, about what they have been for the Jamaican people. You know, that particular beach has been a space where Rastafari, who are oppressed in Jamaica as a black liberation movement, with its central spiritual nucleus being [00:28:00] Emperor Haile Selassie I. That beach was the cradle of where thoughts and ideas were born in versions of Rastafari, and we had to move into protect that space because ultra-luxury hotels is slated to be built here that was going to displace the community. And so, that fight continues, right?We have the fightof Mammee Bay, which is my childhood space. As we explained to you earlier, you know, more than a hundred years of usage within this space, an extension of our community. It's a space that provide livity for many, right?And we speak to Blue Lagoon, right? Very historical, very beautiful mix of salt and fresh water, which many underground springs being fed from the Blue Mountain, a space that was used by the indigenous Tainos and Africans used this space for spirituality, for food, for all that you could imagine beyond recreation. This space is being commandeered by elite private interests.We have that in the court. We're fighting [00:29:00] our own government for liberation of the Blue Lagoon, which is a national monument, which would means that, “oh, can a national monument be privatized?”But Jamaican laws allow for this to happen. And if we don't fight to protect the space for humanity, then you may not be able to see this majestic space.It is the same that is true for a Little Dunn's River. Again, the intersection of a beautiful waterfalls with the Caribbean Sea, that was occupied by Rastafari from in the fifties. This space is majestic. You know, the rush of the water, the sound that we hear in this space, just brings you to these meditative spaces. You know, feel the blend of sea water meeting fresh water and how that turns into the warmth. Right. It is just beautiful.We are fighting for that and we are fighting... you know, our newest case is in Providence/F lanker in Montego Bay. One of the tours in mecca, which, you know, the hotel [00:30:00] giant, Sandal Resort International, applied to the National Environmental Planning Agency for a permit to build hotel rooms in the sea and to build villas on this land.And so we are in the courts trying to defend that, because when we lose these spaces, right, it's not just Jamaicans lose. It's just not, you know, “we have been ripped from our culture.” I mean, it's that humankind loses. Humankind loses.You know, it's cultural desecration, right? It's exploitation. It's a form of capitalism that see the concentration of wealth in the hands of few people. And the exploitation of labour and, degradation of coastal forests.So we are fighting with communities, so the way we work, every community that we go into expresses their willingness to protect their spaces. I mean, most of the time they reach out, because we're grassroots. You know, we're not a NGO. We don't [00:31:00] operate and move like these spaces. We are truly community-run. You know, as members from the community that leads up those fights. And we collaborate and we build, because we are one people. And the struggle is led by these communities. You know, I mean, we are just networking the struggle across the island, just as the struggle for people across Earth is always finding brotherhood, sisterhood, and connection in the struggle for liberation.Chris: Amen. Amen, brother. I'm curious as well if that solidarity has reached beyond the island's shoreline, if you have any brothers and sisters that you've been working with in other Caribbean islands or other countries to forward the cause.Devon: Yeah, man. Yeah, man. We work very closely with Stronger Caribbean Together Network. It's a network with other Caribbean countries who are undergoing similar things, similar land struggles for coastal spaces all across the [00:32:00] Caribbean. You know, so while Jamaica has this Beach Control Act that gives us no inherent right to access the beaches and to use the sea, most of the other Caribbean islands, you can access the foreshore, and you can use the sea.All right. You know, Jamaica is one of the unique countries that does that. It's not withstanding though that the tourism product across the Caribbean is now where most Caribbean economies are moving towards in terms of investment. So, they are building out these hotels and these overwater bungalows across the Caribbean, which is impacting lives and livelihood as well, because yes, you can go on some of these beaches, but you can't truly enjoy them in their fullness. And they are building on these beaches, as well, which is also causing environmental issue.So, I mean, it's funny that the commonality among Caribbean Islands, since the time of enslavement was plantation [00:33:00] economy, based on sugar and cotton and rum and all these things. And that was not good for us. And the region now is moving towards a very similar tourism model, that doesn't pay its people as much. Seeing these lands, coastal lands, being owned by private interests, that is actually displacing the indigenous population, and the descendants of enslaved Africans from these spaces. So we're not really benefitting at scale to the kind of tourism that is coming into the Caribbean.I mean, I think you are in Mexico, you are seeing it in different parts of Mexico too. I mean, wealthy people come and buy coastal lands or, lease them, I guess in the case of Mexico, of a slightly different kind of law where you, I don't think you can own coastal lands. I mean, you have a right to beach, but there are barriers that are put in place that makes it difficult for you to sometimes traverse these spaces. And they're intentional. [00:34:00] All right. You know, I mean, we have experienced them in Puerto Rico as well. You know, we're seeing them emerging in places like Costa Rica and and in St. Lucia.In spaces, they're wide open, but in spaces you can see the creep is coming, Because there's a thing about capitalism where when it comes in, it takes everything. It swallows everything. It's not a good political economic model, that takes the environment into consideration as to what it gives back to humanity.So it takes, and it takes, and it takes, and that's not the sustainability that you will hear being preached on the planet. If we truly want to be sustainable, then the environment must have as much rights as a moving animal. It was here [00:35:00] before I and I. Earth existed before I and I. So, all I and I come, in the context of Earth, and treated Earth like it's a second class entity in existence. It must be afforded that right.I mean, it's only 3% of the planet that is water, fresh water. So, we know water is a very essential source for life. So we cannot allow this to be controlled. Access to the sea, access to the oceans, must not be controlled by no entity. We must freely move in these spaces. So Jabbem is at the view also that all coastal land must be public land. You know, must be public land.Chris: Yeah. I mean, I completely agree, you know, that offering rights in these regards can definitely change our understanding of how we are with land, of how we [00:36:00] are with other people. And I think that in order for the function of rights to work that we need to undertake a degree of responsibility for how we are with the land, with each other and the way we implement those rights.And you know, it's been a great pleasure to speak with you Dr. Taylor. I know we're just running out of time now. Before we finish off, I'd like to ask in regards to those responsibilities, you know, I'm sure this conversation or question has come up many times for you and your team, your people there on the island.If local people have a responsibility to their homes, to their places, to how they live and even host in those places, then what do you think the responsibilities are of the guest, of what we would otherwise call the tourists in our time? What do you think their responsibilities are when, either coming to your island or just even thinking of planning a vacation, because I've had many guests on the podcast who are [00:37:00] fighting similar fights as you and your people are.Some of them say, “please come, please come, and we'll figure it out.”And some of them say, “please don't come. This is not the time.”So I'm curious what those conversations like look like with Jabbem.Devon: Yeah. Yeah. No, it's a good question, because we know that there are some countries that too much tourists goes there, and it has a critical mass that it can't take anymore. And so there's need to kind of regulate the number of people.You know, Jamaica's not at that point right now. And myself and our team believe in freedom of movement. We see this as a world without borders, despite how politicians, and kings, have drawn artificial borders across the world to limit all your move, and requires visa to go in spaces and validation, that you can afford your stay within spaces. Yeah. We don't have that view still, you know. Those kind of views are colonial logic, because [00:38:00] if that unconsciousness was birthed in humanity, then the migration of I and I outside of Africa would never have happened, and would've never had the multitude of nations that make this planet a very beautiful space. So freedom of movement is something that we cherish. So come to Jamaica.What we would say is that you need to do your homework. You don't want to participate in injustice. You don't want to participate in discrimination. You don't want to participate in displacement and disempowerment of people, so do your homework. Before you come to Jamaica, look where you are staying. And check out whether or not these communities can freely access these beaches, use the sea, whether these fishing communities are thriving, as they were before, whether or not workers are compensated enough, whether the social health of the [00:39:00] community where this hotel is is good, whether or not the space that you are actually coming to is degraded. I think these are question for you to ask yourself.I would say you boycott those spaces, because I think one thing that the capitalists understand is that when his money is in danger, his behaviour changes. He first gets violent. He first gets violent and come after you, which would be we the people, but if we have the protection of the international community who is demanding a more equitable and just product interact with, a product that is fierce. So you can't be charging me $3000-$6,000 to stay in a hotel room or $500 to stay in a hotel room, but you're paying your people minimum wages that are, I think, $15,000 Jamaican dollar might be a hundred US dollars a week. You know, I mean, that is labour exploitation.“ Then I'm not going to go there. I'm gonna participate in some other products across the island.”[00:40:00] I know Airbnb have their own sets of issues, but though that's a growing space in Jamaica. Small mom-and-pop establishments that are there. So it might not be easy, but search them out, you know?And we are getting ready to actually help the international community by importing some of that resources on our page, so you could see places that you could stay. So we are saying, being responsible, be responsible in your travels.And when you come, venture out. You know, come amongst our people, come experience the real Jamaican culture. You know, those things are important because tourism is an educational thing, right? It's idea sharing, right? It is cultural exchange, right? It's getting to feel outside of your normal space and getting to a new mindset to understand how other people are living around the world, and what adjustment you can make in your life. What can you impart? What can you take back? And these things are important for the [00:41:00] growth of humanity, for us to understand each other. I think these things prevent wars and conflicts. But contrary, you know, I mean, what we see world leaders are doing is driving domination of particular cultures, domination of particular economic systems that are unjust.And Jamaica is still growing. We still have a lot to offer to the world. We provide real good, music to the world, but we are beyond music. You know what I mean? We are very creative people of just a lot of goodness and a lot of niceness. So come to Jamaica, but you know what I mean? Be responsible in your travel and seek out the spaces that are equitable and just, and help in our struggle, advocate on our behalf in the international community for the repeal and replacement of the Beach Control Act of 1956, for different tourism models to come into play.Chris: Mm mm mm Thank you, Dr. Taylor. Our listeners can find out more about [00:42:00] the actions and campaigns on the Jabbem website, jabbem.org, if I'm not mistaken.Devon: That's it.Chris: And I believe on Instagram as well.Devon: JabbemJabbem on Instagram. We are also on Facebook and on your Tiktoks, and all your other spaces. You know, I mean, and reach out to us. We have a GoFundMe page where we are trying to raise money for legal struggles.You know, we have many more cases that we need to push forward to protect communities. So if you want to help out, you know check us out on GoFundMe there.And when you come to Jamaica, just link us up and we'll bring it to couple of the spaces and in some of the communities then you'll get the real Jamaica, you know?Chris: So, I'll make sure that all those links are up on the End of Tourism website and Substack page when the episode launches. And on behalf of our listeners, Devin, I'd like to wish you an amazing, amazing day and to your team, to your organization. It seems like you're doing incredible work and with a really grounded and [00:43:00] equally political and spiritual basis or foundation for the way that you and your team walk in the world.I'm very, very grateful for that and for your time today. So, I wish you also the best of luck in the so-called, capital of the free world there, and all the best.Devon: Yeah, man. Give thanks. Give thanks, Chris, and give thanks to you and your team for having us. Give thanks.My work is based in the gift economy. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Chris Christou at chrischristou.substack.com/subscribe

GoFundMe is the world's largest social fundraising platform – for individuals, organizations, and not-for-profits. I sit down with GoFundMe CEO Tim CadoganThanks to the Derek Sheely Foundation, concussions are back in the game Madden NFL – in the form of a free “mod” (modification). We hear all about it with Devon Taylor, SVP at Klick HealthTech lifestyle expert Mario Armstrong talks to us about the latest in spring tech – including automated blinds for your windowsI chat with a ChatGPT voice to show you how to use hands-free AI in a conversation, while driving, via CarPlay – or just through the app itselfThank you to Visa, Norton, and SANDISK for your incredible support. Get a huge discount on Norton anti-malware at norton.com/techitout

Episode: 2024.10.47 The Living Full Out show with Nancy Solari encourages you to cultivate meaningful connections in your life. Maybe you're questioning whether certain relationships are contributing to your happiness and growth. Perhaps you've noticed some people leave you feeling depleted rather than uplifted. Join Nancy as she discusses how to identify relationships that inspire you and how to nurture bonds that empower you to live full out.Our first caller, Stephen, asks how he can give back to his community in ways that feel more rewarding than simply donating money. Nancy encourages him to reflect on the causes he deeply cares about and to consider how his unique skills can make a difference. She suggests leveraging strengths like coaching, leadership potential on a nonprofit board, or event planning to engage with local organizations and create a greater impact. Tune in to hear how utilizing your talents to support your community can lead to deeper fulfillment and inspire you to live full out.Our inspirational guest, Devon Taylor, discovered how intentional connections transformed his journey as a brother, father, and volleyball coach. Devon's life was shaped by trials and resilience, from the heartbreak of losing his older brother at 14 to becoming a guardian for his estranged brother's four children. Through nurturing supportive relationships with his partner and family, he made brave decisions to protect their well-being. Devon also reignited his artistic dream, writing a children's book inspired by his own story of overcoming adversity. Tune in to hear how Devon's choices to surround himself with uplifting connections became the foundation for his personal and professional growth.Maybe you've struggled to find relationships that genuinely encourage and inspire you, making it difficult to let go of those that hold you back. Try focusing on people who align with your values, uplift your spirit, and motivate you to grow. Devon's story shows that even in the face of loss and uncertainty, choosing the right connections can lead to a life of purpose and fulfillment. Embrace these insights, and you'll understand what it truly means to live full out. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/living-full-out-show--1474350/support.

About 40 percent of Americans believe in ghosts, and one in five even say they've had an encounter with one! So could ghosts really exist?? Or does some other spooky phenomenon explain these strange and sometimes terrifying experiences? To find out, we visit a haunted house with paranormal investigators, explore one very creepy basement searching for ghostly mold, and try to move cutlery with the help of quantum physics. Join us on this Halloween adventure with astrophysicist Dr. Katie Mack, environmental engineer Dr. Shane Rogers as well as psychologists Dr Baland Jalal, and Prof. Chris French. Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsGhosts2024  This is an updated version of our ghosts episode from several years ago. In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Visiting a Haunted House  (06:09) Hunting for Ghosts in Theoretical Physics  (12:27) Eerie Electromagnetic Fields?  (16:49) Spooky Sleep Paralysis  (23:13) Spooky Spores (31:50) Spine Tingling Psychology This episode was produced by Ben Kuebrich, Kaitlyn Sawrey, Diane Wu, Heather Rogers, Shruti Ravindran and Wendy Zukerman. Editing by Annie-Rose Strasser and Blythe Terrell. Production assistance: Audrey Quinn. Fact checking by Michelle Harris. Sound engineering, music production and original scoring by Bobby Lord. Thanks to Dr. Ciaran O'Keeffe, Dr. Neil Dagnall, Dr. Giulio Rognini, Raymond Swyers, Dr. Joseph Baker, Prof. Kwai Man Luk, Prof. Kin Seng Chiang, Prof. Tapan Sarkar, Prof. Maxim Gitlits, The Zukerman family, Joseph Lavelle Wilson as well as Jorge Just, Devon Taylor … and thanks to Haley Shaw for the spooooky violins in the Science Vs theme. Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Less than 1% of the Jamaican coastline is accessible to the public. People's livelihoods and leisure rely on access to the waters, but locals are prevented from beach access to make room for more all-inclusive resorts for foreign tourists. How are Jamaicans fighting back? In this episode: Devon Taylor, Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement Episode credits: This episode was produced by Marcos Bartolomé and Veronique Eshaya, with Duha Mossad, Manahil Naveed and Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal. It was edited by Amy Walters. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Alexandra Locke is The Take's executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

What if AI could replace your creativity? Discover the implications of artificial intelligence in education and creative fields as we sit down with graphic artist Benjamin Jancewicz and Dr. Devon Taylor, Ed.D., from Shenandoah University. Listen in as they share their insights into using AI in academia, supporting students, and preparing them for the workforce.Explore the potential dangers of AI taking over creative work, the ethics of labor and automation, and the importance of teaching younger generations how to use AI as a tool. Our guests also discuss the positive side of AI, enabling more creative expression, and tackling bigger issues in the world. We dive into the complexities of AI and its impact on various industries, highlighting the essential role of the human element in this ever-evolving technological landscape.As the use of AI continues to grow, we touch upon the potential implications of this technology in the 2024 US election, including the risks associated with deep fakes, imagery, and video manipulation. Join us for an engaging conversation that delves deep into the world of AI, creativity, and the future of our industries.More from Benjamin:Business: Zerflin.com, @Zerflin on all socialsArt: Art.Zerflin.comPersonal: BenJancewicz.com, @BenJancewicz on all socialsMore from Devon:TwitterLinkedInLinks from the show:A.I.: Actually Insipid Until It's Actively InsidiousChatGPT Wrote (Most of) This LetterThe People Onscreen Are Fake. The Disinformation Is Real.DALL-E 2 and Midjourney can be a boon for industrial designersGenerative media won't kill creators — It'll make a new type of creative.More: Contact Us Drop us a line at feedback@basicafshow.com You'll find Jeff at @reyespoint on Twitter and @reyespoint@mastodon.sdf.org on Mastodon Find Tom at @tomfanderson on Twitter, and @tomanderson on Threads Join Tom's newsletter, Apple Talk, for more Apple coverage and tips & tricks. Show artwork by the great Randall Martin Design Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating! Review on Apple Podcasts Rate on Spotify Recommend in Overcast Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen Apple Music Spotify Show transcripts and episode artwork are AI generated and likely contain errors and general silliness.

The Indiana Hoosiers and Mike Woodson added a big name to the men's basketball coaching staff on Monday. The IU baseball team kicked off it's Big Ten Tournament with a win over the Illinois Fighting Illini.On today's episode of Locked on Hoosiers, Jacob Rude (@JacobRude) brings the information on the latest coaching addition in Cheaney. After spending the last three years as a player development coach in the NBA, Cheaney will take a similar role with the Hoosiers.In Omaha, the Hoosier baseball team opened Big Ten Tournament play with a win over the Illini thanks to some great pitching from Evan Whiteaker. The Hoosiers move onto the second round against the Iowa Hawkeyes.The show wraps by looking at the Big Ten awards for the baseball season where the Hoosiers saw Devon Taylor earn Freshman of the Year honors.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!BirddogsToday's episode is brought to you by Birddogs. Go to birddogs.com/lockedoncollege and when you enter promo code, LOCKEDONCOLLEGE, they'll throw in a free custom birddogs Yeti-style tumbler with every order.Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you'll get 15% off your next order.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Don't miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Indiana Hoosiers and Mike Woodson added a big name to the men's basketball coaching staff on Monday. The IU baseball team kicked off it's Big Ten Tournament with a win over the Illinois Fighting Illini. On today's episode of Locked on Hoosiers, Jacob Rude (@JacobRude) brings the information on the latest coaching addition in Cheaney. After spending the last three years as a player development coach in the NBA, Cheaney will take a similar role with the Hoosiers. In Omaha, the Hoosier baseball team opened Big Ten Tournament play with a win over the Illini thanks to some great pitching from Evan Whiteaker. The Hoosiers move onto the second round against the Iowa Hawkeyes. The show wraps by looking at the Big Ten awards for the baseball season where the Hoosiers saw Devon Taylor earn Freshman of the Year honors. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Birddogs Today's episode is brought to you by Birddogs. Go to birddogs.com/lockedoncollege and when you enter promo code, LOCKEDONCOLLEGE, they'll throw in a free custom birddogs Yeti-style tumbler with every order. Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you'll get 15% off your next order. FanDuel Make Every Moment More. Don't miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Devon Taylor joins us on this episode to talk about the creative process of writing and publishing his first children's chapter book. His unique story combines, transformational, connecting and creative energy to bind his family together as they created the characters and storyline for this book. Be sure to check out his website at www.devontaylorauthor.com where you can get signed copies of the book plus merchandise to support any children you know who are going through hard things and need to find their inner power. Devon will be at our Booked Naples event in Naples, Florida on March 17, 2023 at the Norris Center. Be sure to get your tickets at www.olearypublishing.com/bookednaples. We look forward to seeing you there! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/olearypublishing/message

YES! It was BRING A CELEBRITY TO THE BEST SHOW STUDIO NIGHT on The Best Show and boy oh boy is this one wild show!WATCH THE BEST SHOW LIVE EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT 6PM PT ON TWITCHhttps://www.twitch.tv/bestshow4lifeSUPPORT THE BEST SHOW ON PATREON:https://www.patreon.com/TheBestShowWATCH VIDEO EPISODES OF THE BEST SHOW:https://www.youtube.com/bestshow4lifeFOLLOW THE BEST SHOW:https://twitter.com/bestshow4lifehttps://instagram.com/bestshow4lifehttps://tiktok.com/@bestshow4lifeTHE BEST SHOW IS A FOREVER DOG PODCASThttps://thebestshow.nethttps://foreverdogpodcasts.com/podcasts/the-best-show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

YES! It was BRING A CELEBRITY TO THE BEST SHOW STUDIO NIGHT on The Best Show and boy oh boy is this one wild show! WATCH THE BEST SHOW LIVE EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT 6PM PT ON TWITCH https://www.twitch.tv/bestshow4life SUPPORT THE BEST SHOW ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/TheBestShow WATCH VIDEO EPISODES OF THE BEST SHOW: https://www.youtube.com/bestshow4life FOLLOW THE BEST SHOW: https://twitter.com/bestshow4life https://instagram.com/bestshow4life https://tiktok.com/@bestshow4life THE BEST SHOW IS A FOREVER DOG PODCAST https://thebestshow.net https://foreverdogpodcasts.com/podcasts/the-best-show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tá Devon ar chúrsa le Oideas Gael i nGleann Cholm Cille, agus cuireann sé síos ar stair a theaghlaigh agus an fáth a chur sé an oiread suime sa Ghaeilge.

Devon Taylor Gould is an English teacher, teaching abroad in Chile. In this episode Devon and I talk about teaching, Covid-19 pandemic, online classes, future of the English language, privilege in the US, population dividend, healthcare services, disadvantages of online education, fiction reading, fantasy movies, and television shows.

EPISODIO 93Temporada 3-23.EPISODIO PATROCINADO POR:CBM Clases de batería Madrid. https://clasesdebateriamadrid.com/ .Superdrummer Academy.www.simonefolcarelli.com .LIBRO RECOMENDADO por Simone.RockSchool Drum Grade 1: https://amzn.to/3ssZRbs .TOP TRI.Simone:Ethan Torchio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHe8TkbmtWs .Aaron Edgar: https://www.instagram.com/aaronedgardrum/ .Billy Joe Freeman: https://www.instagram.com/billyjoefreeman/ .Iñigo:Ihan Haydar: https://www.instagram.com/ihanhaydar/ .Devon Taylor: https://www.instagram.com/stixxtaylor/ .Josh Dion: https://www.instagram.com/joshdion/ .Síguenos en: FB: https://www.facebook.com/Drumless-el-Podcast-101614758071997 .INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/drumlesspodcast/ .TELEGRAM: https://t.me/drumlesspodcast .ABEL:https://www.instagram.com/kustomdk/ .SIMONE:https://www.simonefolcarelli.com .IÑIGO:https://Clasesdebateriamadrid.com .https://www.twitch.tv/inigobatera .https://www.ellibrodelascorcheas.com .BUY US A COFFEEPaypal: https://www.paypal.me/inigoiribarne .Bizum: 606424669 .

Setting your patients quickly at ease is an essential skill for male nurses, but female nurses will benefit from mastering this tip as well! Listen now: Today, you'll be hearing from Senior Nursing Student Devon Taylor, who is rejoining us today with another valuable contribution to this Expert Tips for New Nursing Students Series. His first tip was in episode 32, answering the question of whether you should work during nursing school. But in THIS episode, he will be sharing a special tip for all the aspiring male nurses out there, about how you can create quicker connections with your patients AND help them feel less anxious working with a male nurse. Even if you're a female student, I promise that this tip is well worth listening to, and you will get some good guidance from it as well. All links and resources I mention in this episode can be found on the show notes page: www.YourNursingTutor.com/episode39

Today we are talking about the question I get asked ALL the time - should you work while in nursing school? You'll be hearing from Student Nurse Devon Taylor, who is in his last semester of nursing school and preparing to launch a podcast called “Memoirs of a Murse” (A “murse” is a male nurse, if you didn't know that already). Devon is offering his advice about a question I get asked ALL the time by new and prospective nursing students...should you work while in nursing school? He'll give you his definitive answer, plus his rationale, along with some bonus advice for how to make yourself look good to all the other nurses, nursing faculty, and various healthcare personnel you'll be working with throughout nursing school. All links and resources I mention in this episode can be found on the show notes page: www.YourNursingTutor.com/episode32

Will is a full time employee for the Stafford County and a full time student. He is pursuing a Business Degree and is interested in postmodern politics, sports, religion, and most of all civil dialogue! Find him on Instagram and Twitter @lilwillivert Devon is a firefighter/EMT that has worked all across Virginia. He has interests in music, history, American politics and civil rights. Find him on Instagram @lightskin_dev97 and Twitter @sweater_God3 Sana is a conversationalist in profession and interest, she is currently in the sales industry and is pursuing a graduate degree in clinical mental health counseling. By engaging in politics she hopes more young adults will become activists for what is fair and right. Theophilus Felder is a full-time student and former West Point cadet who works for the Germanna Community College PD. He is currently enrolled at AMU and Germanna Community College majoring in Homeland Security and Administration of Justice respectively. He is an active member of the NOVA Eagles Rugby League team. Follow us on Twitter and IG: @worldxppodcast and Spotify, YouTube, & Google Podcasts

For decades, coal fueled the town of Somerset, MA. But when the coal plant went bust -- taking with it millions in tax dollars -- the town struggled. That’s when a local politician, the self-proclaimed Queen of Coal, learned that an unexpected industry could revive the economy. Today on the show how Somerset, MA went from a town of coal to a launching point for the burgeoning offshore wind industry. Want to help speed the transition away from coal? Check out the Beyond Coal Campaign. Want to nerd out on wind policy and how to jumpstart this industry? Check out the policy memo, polling and graphics by Urban Ocean Lab, Data for Progress, and Evergreen Collaborative. Send us an email to howtosaveaplanet@spotify.com. Find us on Twitter and Instagram @how2saveaplanet. How to Save a Planet is a Spotify Original Podcast and Gimlet Production. It’s hosted by Alex Blumberg and Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. Our reporters and producers are Kendra Pierre-Louis, Rachel Waldholz and Anna Ladd. Our senior producer is Lauren Silverman. Our editor is Caitlin Kenney. Sound design, mixing and original music by Emma Munger. Additional music by Bobby Lord, Catherine Anderson, and Billy Libby. Our fact checker this episode is James Gaines. Special thanks to Holly McNamara, Blythe Terrell and Devon Taylor.

Devon moved from Canada to Scotland (for a year) in early 2005 and by wonderful coincidence she stumbled across Ashtanga yoga shortly after. She has consistently practiced Ashtanga for the past 15 years and has developed a daily practice (at home or shala) during this time. Devon is a mum to Zoe (7) and Jess (3) who are natural yoga and movement teachers. Her husband doesn't practice Ashtanga but cheers her on.Clare is a yoga health coach who specialises in helping people live vibrantly in their body and mind using the wisdom of Ayurveda. Clare will help you get your life and your routines automated to let you feel more like yourself. www.clarecare.couk

This is it! The finale episode from Season 3! Time flies when you're having fun!In our final episode we are joined by Women's Circus artistic director Devon Taylor.And finally, we get the sommelier knowledge that we were seeking all season! Season 3 is generously supported by City of Maribyrnong Arts and Culture and Genista Wines.Join us on Patreon for unique episodes: https://www.patreon.com/drinkingwiththeartisthttps://drinkingwiththeartist.com/

[Season Finale] Two years ago, Penelope had a baby on her own. To save money and to create a stable environment for her child, she decided to move back in with her mother Rosa. But living together under the same roof has become increasingly challenging. Penelope appreciates her mom's support, but at the same time she's trying to find a way to assert her own independence and establish boundaries. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet and Spotify. It’s produced by Kimmie Regler and Peter Bresnan. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Music and mixing by Emma Munger. This podcast should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Miranda works at one of the top consulting firms in the country. She also has three young kids. After years of trying to balance the needs of her career with the needs of her family, Miranda is finally at a breaking point. She is physically and mentally exhausted, and worried about what will happen to her kids if she continues to prioritize her career. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet and Spotify. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan and Kimmie Regler. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Music and mixing by Emma Munger. This podcast should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Last year we met Julia, a woman who was adopted from South Korea when she was just a few weeks old. She was raised by white parents who never encouraged her to explore her roots. However, after having her own children—the first biological relatives she’d ever seen—Julia began an active search to find her birth mother. Dr. Sacks spoke with Julia about this experience in a previous episode (“Rethinking Your Roots After Motherhood”). Then, over the summer, Julia told us that she'd actually booked a trip to Seoul so that she could meet her birth mom in person. In this special update episode, Julia takes us inside this journey back to where she was born, to reunite with the woman who gave her up more than 30 years ago. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet and Spotify. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan and Kimmie Regler. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Music and mixing by Emma Munger. This podcast should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

When Regina and her husband decided to start a family, she took care to prepare him to be the father of a child of color. But when her daughter was born with blonde hair and light skin, Regina was caught completely off guard. Now, Regina is trying to help her daughter navigate increasingly complicated questions of race and identity, but is struggling to connect with her daughter's radically different experience of Blackness. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet and Spotify. It’s produced by Kimmie Regler and Peter Bresnan. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Music and mixing by Emma Munger. This podcast should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Harper met her second husband through a Facebook group called “Young, Widowed, and Dating.” The two connected through their shared grief—she’d lost her first husband in a car accident, and he’d lost his first wife to brain cancer. Now Harper is helping to raise her new husband’s five year-old daughter, and is struggling with the sense that she is an imposter in this family. Harper is afraid that she will always be overshadowed by the memory of the woman who died, and worries that her daughter will never see her as a real mom. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet and Spotify. It’s produced by Kimmie Regler and Peter Bresnan. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Music and mixing by Emma Munger. This podcast should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Cassie and Ray haven't had sex since the birth of their son, who's now two years-old. But becoming new parents has thrown their sex life into a brand new kind of turmoil. Now, they're trying to find their way back to one another—and to seeing themselves as individual sexual beings rather than just Mom and Dad. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet and Spotify. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan and Kimmie Regler. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Music and mixing by Emma Munger. This podcast should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

When Audrey was pregnant for the first time, she asked a doctor about genetic testing; he told her it wasn’t necessary. But after giving birth to her second son, she learned that she’d passed a rare genetic disease down to both her children. Now, she’s wracked with intense feelings of guilt, and trying to figure out how to be the best mother she can be for two kids with special needs. Show transcript: http://bit.ly/383unwO CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet and Spotify. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan and Kimmie Regler. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Music and mixing by Emma Munger. This podcast should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

When Tom and Sandra got married, they both came with complicated personal histories. Tom brought three kids and a contentious relationship with his ex-wife. Sandra brought long-simmering feelings about her own parents’ messy divorce. Now, they are trying to navigate their complex dynamics of this new family, and trying to make sure their children are protected from the tension and conflict. Show transcript: http://bit.ly/35NPK3N CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet and Spotify. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Music and mixing by Emma Munger. This podcast should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Dee grew up in a low-income neighborhood in Kenya, where her family struggled to make ends meet. After racial violence flared up in her hometown, she came to the U.S. seeking asylum. Now she lives in a middle-class suburb of D.C. with her husband and her two year-old girl. But she’s unsure of how to raise a daughter in an environment so different from the one she grew up in. She’s worried that her daughter will become spoiled, and won’t learn the values Dee herself learned during her difficult upbringing—generosity, compassion, and gratitude. Show transcript: http://bit.ly/2NozrUH CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet and Spotify. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Music and mixing by Emma Munger. This podcast should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

FOOTSCRAY LIVE - LIVE WEEK - DEVON TAYLOR - THE WOMEN’S CIRCUS & the Next-Gen Radio Stars Footscray City College

Interviews with Joel Murray, Devon Taylor and Joe Ball.  Joel Murray discusses the NSW Government's plan for mandatory HIV and blood borne virus testing.  Devon Taylor discusses the Women's Circus's latest production The Drill in Melbourne.  Joe Ball from Switchboard Victoria discusses LGBTIQ Census exclusion, Out and About for LGBTIQ elders and Switchboard's suicide awareness and podcast series.  http://www.switchboard.org.au/  Lifeline 13 11 14.

When Joni was 40 years old, she was financially independent, enjoying her life as a single woman, and feeling strong enough to have a baby on her own. But now that her daughter is seven months old, Joni is struggling with intense loneliness. She feels like a failure, and is surprised and embarrassed by her longing for a partner. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Mixing and music by Emma Munger. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Mia and Laura had always imagined they would each carry one of their children. Laura delivered their first child, but as they approach planning for their second child, Mia—who presents as masculine-of-center—is afraid of how pregnancy will disrupt her body and her sense of self. She wonders if it even matters if she has a biological relationship to her child. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Mixing and music by Emma Munger. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Camilla was a PhD student struggling with a feeling that she didn’t belong in academia. Then she got pregnant. Seven years and two children later, she’s never finished her dissertation. She’s feeling frustrated as a stay-at-home mom and angry at herself for abandoning her professional aspirations. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan and Molly Donahue. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Mixing and music by Emma Munger. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Brittany has always had a troubled relationship with her father, and the two have been estranged for years. After the birth of her daughter, he reconnected and is pushing to spend time with his grandchild. Brittany’s unsure if she should continue to maintain her distance from her father, or consider a new beginning. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan and Lauren Silverman. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Mixing and music by Emma Munger. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Margot and her wife always imagined having more than one child. But Margot’s first pregnancy was physically and emotionally exhausting, and she’s not sure she can go through it again. Now she’s afraid of disappointing her wife. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan, Molly Donahue, and Lauren Silverman. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Mixing and music by Emma Munger. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Cari gave birth to twins when she was only 23 weeks pregnant—the edge of viability for newborns. Four years later, the kids are still dealing with medical complications, and Cari and her husband Jay are struggling with residual guilt and an ongoing sense of helplessness. They wonder if parenthood will ever feel “normal.” CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan, Molly Donahue, and Lauren Silverman. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Mixing and music by Emma Munger. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Julia was born in South Korea but was adopted and raised by a white family. Since giving birth to her own children—the first biological relatives she’s ever known—she’s become curious about where she came from, and is on a search to find her birth mother. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan, Molly Donahue, and Lauren Silverman. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Mixing and music by Emma Munger. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Weeks before the birth of her second daughter, Leigh is counting down the time she still has alone with her firstborn. She's feeling guilty about how the arrival of a new baby will impact her relationship with her older daughter. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan, Molly Donahue, and Lauren Silverman. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Engineering and music by Emma Munger. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Anne never wanted to be a mom. Now that she actually has a kid, she’s worried that she made a mistake. Her guilt and perfectionism is getting in the way of having a motherhood experience that might leave more room for herself. Credits Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Lauren Silverman, Peter Bresnan, and Molly Donahue. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Music and mixing by Emma Munger. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Zoe recently separated from the father of her two-year-old son, and now she feels stuck. She’s struggling to get past the anger she feels toward her ex and her shame about being a single mom. Credits Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan, Molly Donahue, and Lauren Silverman. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Engineering and music by Emma Munger. Music by Emma Munger. Special thanks to: Sarah Abdurahman, Caitlin Kenny, and Jenny Wall. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

For many businesses, it’s all about looking forward. New trends, new brands, new verticals. But Sharon Price John sees a different path: one that involves looking to the past. She has made a career of reinvigorating forgotten and failing brands, including Nerf, Stride Rite, and Barbie Fashions. But her career hasn’t been all success all the time. Alex talks to Sharon about a bet she made that went very wrong, and about her biggest turnaround yet, as the CEO and President of Build-a-Bear Workshop. Without Fail is hosted by Alex Blumberg. It is produced by Molly Messick and Sarah Platt and edited by Alex Blumberg and Devon Taylor.  Peter Leonard and Bobby Lord mixed the episode. Theme and ad music by Bobby Lord.

In November 1995, Ira Glass quietly launched the first episode of This American Life. The rest, as they say, is history. Today his show is a colossal success and Ira Glass is a household name. But in the intervening two decades, Ira has left an indelible mark on the industry by helping to shape hundreds of podcasts and as well as hundreds of podcasters—including Alex. On this episode, Alex sits down with his mentor and former boss to talk about the early days at This American Life, what Ira taught Alex, and how being a good boss means learning to set people free. Without Fail is hosted by Alex Blumberg and produced by Molly Messick and Sarah Platt. Devon Taylor and Alex Blumberg edited this episode. The episode was mixed by Jarrett Floyd and Peter Leonard. Music by Bobby Lord. Thanks to our sponsor, Cole Haan. You can hear more of Alex and other Gimlet hosts in conversation at ExtraordinariesOnTheMic.com, produced in partnership with Cole Haan.

This week, Richard chats all things Womens Circus with executive director Devon Taylor and Penelope Bartlau, a collaboration between Heide and the Immigration Museum curated by Brooke Babington and Moya McFadzean respectively titled Love;Lana Schwartz and Colin Scott join Richard to talk about the newest exhibition space Long Space.

When Julie Schwietert Collazo heard that migrant families were being separated at the U.S.-Mexico, she wanted to do something to help. But how could she, just one person, thousands of miles away from the border, actually make a difference? Julie tells Alex how she found one tiny way that she could help—and how doing that one tiny thing turned into something much larger than she ever could have imagined. To learn more about Julie and Immigrant Families Together, check out immigrantfamiliestogether.com Without Fail is hosted by Alex Blumberg and produced by Molly Messick and Sarah Platt. Devon Taylor and Alex Blumberg edited this episode. The episode was mixed by Jarrett Floyd, Catherine Anderson and Peter Leonard. Music by Bobby Lord. Thanks to our sponsor, Cole Haan. You can hear more of Alex and other Gimlet hosts in conversation at ExtraordinariesOnTheMic.com, produced in partnership with Cole Haan.

Caterina Fake was on her way to life in academia as a Renaissance literature scholar when the tech world came knocking. She co-founded Flickr, the hugely popular photo-sharing site, and started a handful of other tech companies. These days she runs her own VC investment firm and is regarded as one of Silicon Valley's top visionaries. But spend five minutes with her and you'll realize she has not left behind her academic roots; instead, she brings that mindset to everything from predicting the next big tech movement to making the case that every business should be a family business. Caterina Fake is the co-founder of Flickr and Hunch.com. She is a partner at Yes VC. To learn more about Caterina's upcoming podcast check out ShouldThisExist.co Without Fail is hosted by Alex Blumberg. It is produced by Sarah Platt and edited by Alex Blumberg, Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Jarret Floyd mixed the episode. Music by Bobby Lord.

When you run a company, you hear two pieces of advice over and over again. One is that you must persevere at all costs. And the other is that you have to be ready to pivot on a dime. To persevere or pivot: it can be hard to tell which is right. But when Evan Marwell set out to tackle a huge national problem seven years ago, he didn’t really have to choose. Persistence is his default. Evan tells Alex the crazy story of how he helped to bring high speed Internet to American school children — thanks to a bit of luck and a lot of perseverance. Without Fail is hosted by Alex Blumberg. It is produced by Sarah Platt and edited by Alex Blumberg, Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Jarrett Floyd mixed the episode. Theme and ad music by Bobby Lord. Additional music by Jupyter.

When Skye was in middle school, her best friends showed up at her home one night and wrote “f*ck you” on her garage door. After that, they never spoke again. Now Skye has a son entering middle school, and he can’t believe his mom never asked her friends why they did it. So, thirty years later, Skye and her son set off to find out. Credits Heavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein. This episode was also produced by Kalila Holt, Peter Bresnan, and Stevie Lane. Editing by Jorge Just, with additional editing by Alex Blumberg. Special thanks to Emily Condon, Devon Taylor, Annika Pillsbury  and Jackie Cohen. The show was mixed by Bobby Lord.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Bobby Lord, and Edwin, with additional music by Blue Dot Sessions, Michael Hearst, and Hew Time. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records, and our ad music is by Haley Shaw.

Just in time for the World Cup, we bring you the first installment of Gimlet’s new show, We Came To Win. The show tells the stories behind the World Cup’s biggest moments, and this episode brings you inside one of the most miraculous turnarounds in sports. It was 1990, and English soccer was in the doldrums. The national team was crap, the stadiums were crumbling, and there was the pervasive threat of violence from football hooligans. But one summer—and one World Cup—changed English soccer forever. Credits: We Came to Win is hosted by Nando Vila. This episode was produced by Emily Ulbricht, Emma Morgenstern, and Ngofeen Mputubwele, with help from Anna Foley and Jasmine Romero. Our senior producer is Matthew Nelson. Our editors are Caitlin Kenney, Devon Taylor, and Jessica Weisberg. This episode was scored, sound designed, and mixed by Bobby Lord. Check out more Gimlet podcasts at gimletmedia.com.

In 1974, the first all-black team competed at the World Cup: the national team of Zaire, now known as D.R. Congo. They were remembered for one of the strangest plays in World Cup history: a botched free kick that led some commentators to speculate that the African team didn't understand the basic rules of the game. But behind Zaire’s kick is a lesser-known story of nationhood, colonialism, and government corruption.  CREDITS: We Came to Win is hosted by Nando Vila. This episode was produced by Ngofeen Mputubwele, Emma Morgenstern, and Emily Ulbricht with help from Anna Foley and Jasmine Romero. Our senior producer is Matthew Nelson. Our editors are Caitlin Kenney, Devon Taylor, and Jessica Weisberg. Original Congolese music by Nkumu Katalay. Additional scoring, sound design, and mixing by Bobby Lord. Check out more Gimlet podcasts at gimletmedia.com.

In soccer, the glory usually goes to the attacking players like Maradona, Pele, and George Best. These legends of the sport created endless highlight reels with their powerhouse performances and game-winning goals. But every so often a goalkeeper comes along that’s so good that the saves they make, and the goals they stop, become the highlight of the game. One such goalkeeper is Hope Solo. On this episode of We Came to Win, we talk to Solo about what it's like to play in three tournaments—and finally win one. To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers CREDITS: We Came to Win is hosted by Nando Vila. This episode was produced by Emma Morgenstern, Anna Foley, Emily Ulbricht, and Ngofeen Mputubwele with help from Jasmine Romero. Our senior producer is Matthew Nelson. Our editors are Caitlin Kenney, Devon Taylor, and Jessica Weisberg. This episode was scored, sound designed, and mixed by Bobby Lord. Check out more Gimlet podcasts at gimletmedia.com.

Today, the English Premier League is the richest and most watched league in the world. But rewind to the end of the eighties, and English football was in the doldrums. The national team were crap, the stadiums were crumbling, and there was the threat of violence from football hooligans. This is the story of how one summer, and one World Cup, changed English football forever. CREDITS: We Came to Win is hosted by Nando Vila. This episode was produced by Emma Morgenstern, Emily Ulbricht, and Ngofeen Mputubwele with help from Anna Foley and Jasmine Romero. Our senior producer is Matthew Nelson. Our editors are Caitlin Kenney, Devon Taylor, and Jessica Weisberg. This episode was scored, sound designed, and mixed by Bobby Lord. Check out more Gimlet podcasts at gimletmedia.com.

The year is 1989. The United States is a soccer desert, but it just won a bid to host the 1994 World Cup. If the U.S. is going to prove it deserves the honor, it’ll need to get its team to qualify for the 1990 World Cup—and they haven’t made it in nearly four decades. A coach named Bob Gansler and his gang of mulleted misfits are America's only hope. This is the story of their last-ditch attempt to put U.S. soccer on the map. CREDITS: We Came to Win is hosted by Nando Vila. This episode was produced by Emma Morgenstern, Emily Ulbricht, and Ngofeen Mputubwele with help from Anna Foley and Jasmine Romero. Our senior producer is Matthew Nelson. Our editors are Caitlin Kenney, Devon Taylor, and Jessica Weisberg. This episode was scored, sound designed, and mixed by Bobby Lord. Check out more Gimlet podcasts at gimletmedia.com.

The retired Argentine midfielder Diego Armando Maradona is regarded by many soccer fans as the greatest player who ever lived. They’ll say he was creative, surprising, masterful—a gift to the game. But there are others who will tell you the opposite. That Maradona was the worst: A scoundrel, a villain, a cheat. In this episode, we tell the tale of soccer’s most complicated icon. CREDITS: We Came to Win is hosted by Nando Vila. This episode was produced by Emma Morgenstern, Emily Ulbricht, and Ngofeen Mputubwele with help from Anna Foley and Jasmine Romero. Our senior producer is Matthew Nelson. Our editors are Caitlin Kenney, Devon Taylor, and Jessica Weisberg. This episode was scored, sound designed, and mixed by Bobby Lord. Additional music by Emma Munger and Bliss Blood & Al Street. Check out more Gimlet podcasts at gimletmedia.com. To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

The year is 1998. 12 years have passed since archrivals Argentina and England last met in a World Cup, but the grudges that defined that last match—most notably, the legendary Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal—are still fresh. On June 30, 1998, a young Iain MacIntosh, future football journalist, watched the two teams face off. In this Extra Time episode, he recounts the drama that unfolded during and after the game, one of his favorite World Cup memories. CREDITS: We Came to Win is hosted by Nando Vila. This episode was produced by Ngofeen Mputubwele, Emma Morgenstern, and Emily Ulbricht with help from Anna Foley and Jasmine Romero. Our senior producer is Matthew Nelson. Our editors are Caitlin Kenney, Devon Taylor, and Jessica Weisberg. Additional scoring, sound design, and mixing by Bobby Lord. Check out more Gimlet podcasts at gimletmedia.com.

Every Mexico fan remembers where they watched the round of 16 match between Mexico and the United States in the 2002 World Cup. This was a defining game—one that carried the weight of past World Cup defeats and the promise of the Mexican team’s future. That the match was against the U.S., Mexico’s powerful neighbor, only made the stakes higher. This is the story of how one game came to define an entire generation of Mexican soccer fans. To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers CREDITS: We Came to Win is hosted by Nando Vila. This episode was produced by Emma Morgenstern, Ngofeen Mputubwele, and Emily Ulbricht, with help from Anna Foley and Jasmine Romero. Our senior producer is Matthew Nelson. Our editors are Caitlin Kenney, Devon Taylor, and Jessica Weisberg. This episode was scored, sound designed, and mixed by Bobby Lord. Check out more Gimlet podcasts at gimletmedia.com.

Making it to the World Cup had long been a dream of American defender Jimmy Conrad’s, and at the age of 29, he finally got his chance. U.S. coach Bruce Arena named Jimmy to the 2006 World Cup squad. Unfortunately, he spent the first game watching from the bench. It wasn’t until deep into the second game, when the U.S. was down a man and fighting for survival against the powerful Italians, that Jimmy was called in. Hear how he went from riding the bench to holding the line in one of the most epic matches in U.S. soccer history.   To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers CREDITS: We Came to Win is hosted by Nando Vila. This episode was produced by Emma Morgenstern, Emily Ulbricht, and Ngofeen Mputubwele, with help from Anna Foley and Jasmine Romero. Our senior producer is Matthew Nelson. Our editors are Caitlin Kenney, Devon Taylor, and Jessica Weisberg. This episode was scored, sound designed, and mixed by Bobby Lord. Check out more Gimlet podcasts at gimletmedia.com.

Say the name Byron Moreno to any fan of Italian soccer and you’re likely to get the same response: that guy is the worst. It all stems from one game at the 2002 World Cup where Moreno was the referee. It was a match between Italy and South Korea that resulted in an unlikely upset for South Korea. Italian fans have never gotten over it, insisting Moreno was part of a huge scandal to fix the results of the World Cup. But a look into Moreno’s past tells a more complicated story. To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers CREDITS: We Came to Win is hosted by Nando Vila. This episode was produced by Emily Ulbricht, Emma Morgenstern, and Ngofeen Mputubwele, with help from Anna Foley and Jasmine Romero. Our senior producer is Matthew Nelson. Our editors are Caitlin Kenney, Devon Taylor, and Jessica Weisberg. This episode was scored, sound designed, and mixed by Bobby Lord. Check out more Gimlet podcasts at gimletmedia.com.

For years the Spanish women’s national team was treated like an afterthought by their coach and the Spanish Football Federation. The team’s most basic needs were ignored, they were paid almost nothing, and the coach regularly disrespected them. But when they qualified for the 2015 World Cup, they knew they had an opportunity to change that. They could harness the world’s attention and finally demand the resources and respect they deserved. But bringing about change meant taking on a century-old institution and a system built on inequality and rampant sexism.  CREDITS: We Came to Win is hosted by Nando Vila. This episode was produced by Emily Ulbricht, Emma Morgenstern, and Ngofeen Mputubwele, with help from Anna Foley and Jasmine Romero. Our senior producer is Matthew Nelson. Our editors are Caitlin Kenney, Devon Taylor, and Jessica Weisberg. This episode was scored, sound designed, and mixed by Bobby Lord. Check out more Gimlet podcasts at gimletmedia.com.

America’s got an opioid problem. So where do we go from here? What can actually help people struggling with opioid addiction? We speak to Dr. Anna Lembke, Dr. Marvin Seppala, and a patient we call Mischa. UPDATE 04/17: We’ve adjusted a couple of lines of script in this episode to clarify the role of religion in Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. A previous version of this episode incorrectly implied that the 12 step philosophy considers addiction a sin and a “defect of character”. If you or someone you love is struggling with an opioid addiction, in the US you can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP or visit their website. Check out our full transcript: http://bit.ly/2LB4kEo To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers This episode has been produced by Rose Rimler with help from Wendy Zukerman, along with Shruti Ravindran and Romilla Karnick. Our senior producer is Kaitlyn Sawrey. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Additional editing help from Lulu Miller. Fact checking by Michelle Harris. Mix and sound design by Emma Munger. Music written by Bobby Lord. Recording help from Marissa Shieh and Julia Smith. For this episode we also spoke to Dr. Hilary Connery, Dr. Ben Davies, Prof. Linda Gowing, Dr. Laura Payne, Prof. Suzanne Nielsen, Prof. Tom McLellan, and Prof. Wayne Hall. Thank you so much for your help. And special thanks to the Rimler family, Devon Taylor, Sarah McVeigh Joseph Lavelle Wilson, and to everyone who spoke with us about their personal experiences with addiction and treatment. Selected readings: The White House report on combating drug addiction This study that followed about 150 people in NA This review on buprenorphine and other medicationsThis review on risk of death This survey that asked doctors what stopped them from prescribing buprenorphine

Ken Carter was a Canadian daredevil who dreamt of performing the biggest stunt the world had ever seen. He wanted to jump a rocket car one mile over a river. For 5 years he prepared, only to have his dream hijacked at the very last moment by the very last person he ever expected. Thanks to the National Film Board of Canada for their use of audio from The Devil At Your Heels. You can watch the movie here: https://www.nfb.ca/film/devil_at_your_heels/ Also check out Aim For The Roses, a musical docudrama based on The Devil At Your Heels: http://www.aimfortheroses.com/ Credits Heavyweight is hosted and produced by Jonathan Goldstein. This episode was also produced by Kalila Holt. The senior producer is Kaitlin Roberts. Editing by Jorge Just and Alex Blumberg. Special thanks to Emily Condon, Risky Rick Cruz, Cody Glive, John Bolton, Freddy Sibley, Anna Sosnowski, Lee Fortenberry, Adam Symansky, Lou Ann Leonard, Dick Keller, Harry Simpson, Gordon Katic, Saidu Tejan-Thomas, Blythe Terrell, Jessica Weisberg, Devon Taylor, Chris Neary, and Jackie Cohen. The show was mixed by Kate Bilinski.  Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, and Steven Page, with additional music by Michael Charles Smith, Hew Time, Blue Dot Sessions, and Y La Bamba. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records, and our ad music is by Haley Shaw.

When Mike Slagh left the military, he wanted to find a job in tech, but he couldn't get his foot in the door. And then he found out that he was one of approximately 300,000 service members who every year struggle to make the transition back into the workforce. So Mike decided to do something about it and started Shift.  Today's investors are Phil Nadel, Jillian Manus, Daniel Gulati and James Altucher. Our show is produced by Josh Muccio, Kareem Maddox, and Molly Donahue. We are edited by Devon Taylor. Our Theme Music is by Breakmaster Cylinder, with original music composed by The Muse Maker, Bobby Lord and Haley Shaw. We were mixed by Enoch Kim with help from Matt Boll. Lisa Muccio plans our recording events and thanks to Asthaa Chaturvedi for her reporting on this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Miki Agrawal made headlines with the success of her first company Thinx—until she became the headline. Now she's ready for a comeback with Tushy, her new business built on making bidets mainstream in America. But first she has to convince investors she's learned from her past.  Today's investors are Phil Nadel, Jillian Manus, Daniel Gulati and James Altucher. Our show is produced by Josh Muccio, Molly Donahue, and Kareem Maddox. We are edited by Devon Taylor. Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder, with original music composed by The Muse Maker, Bobby Lord, and Person B Productions. We were mixed by Enoch Kim with help from Matt Boll. Lisa Muccio plans our recording events and thanks to Asthaa Chaturvedi for her reporting on this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this instalment of NAVA: In Conversation, Melbourne-based artist and producer Audrey ( aka ADHOC) speaks with Devon Taylor, the Executive Director of The Women's Circus, a 26-year-old arts organisation with a strong legacy for fantastic community and artistic support programs for women. The Women's Circus is also a key player in the Arts West partnership, that harnesses a collective of Arts organisations to revitalise and celebrate their place in Footscray, Melbourne. They touch on a broad range of subjects around Feminist legacy and gender politics, funding, and the increased pressure on the Australian Arts sector to provide advocacy and services to citizens, as health and welfare service providers face continued funding cuts.

One third of Americans believe in ghosts, and one fifth have had a personal encounter. We go to a haunted house with some paranormal investigators and things get spooky. But, scientists aren’t scared - they have a range of explanations for why so many people encounter ghosts. We speak to Dr. Katie Mack, Baland Jalal, Dr. Shane Rogers, and Prof. Chris French and find out what ghosts are all about. Credits: This episode has been produced by Ben Kuebrich, Wendy Zukerman, Diane Wu, Heather Rogers and Shruti Ravindran. Senior Producer Kaitlyn Sawrey. Our editor is Annie-Rose Strasser. Production assistance: Audrey Quinn. Fact Checking by Michelle Harris. Sound engineering, music production and original scoring by Bobby Lord. Thanks to Dr. Ciaran O’Keeffe, Dr Neil Dagnall, Dr. Giulio Rognini, Raymond Swyers, Dr. Joseph Baker, Prof. Kwai Man Luk, Prof. Kin Seng Chiang, Prof. Tapan Sarkar, Prof. Maxim Gitlits, The Zukerman family, Joseph Lavelle Wilson as well as Jorge Just, Devon Taylor ...and thanks to Haley Shaw for the spooooky violins in the Science Vs theme. Our Sponsors: Meet real Subaru owners and hear their stories on MeetAnOwner.com. Selected References:Baland Jalal’s Sleep Paralysis Hallucination HypothesisReview of Folklore Surrounding Sleep ParalysisWorld Health Organization’s Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Dampness and MouldChris French’s Haunted Room Experiment

Misha decides she's not in Pakistan anymore and she's gotta find a way to belong. Produced by Misha Euceph with help from Laura Sim and Robin Miniter. Special thanks to Devon Taylor, Peter Bresnan and Sammy Miller. Music by Mai Dhai Band and Podington Bear.

Devon Taylor co-founder of thetimbre.com, a website dedicated to podcast reviews, commentary and discovery is my very special guest for my 50th episode!  What a great conversation!  Devon and I talk about the how the site came to be, how they determine their favorite shows each week, how the site has grown, how they choose what they feature and review, what it's like interracting with podcast creators, and so much more! And stick around to the end where Devon and I do what we do best!  Recommend great shows! SIX shows are featured! I couldn't have asked for a more engaging and interesting guest for my 50th show! If you are listening to The Podcast Digest, you need to bookmark and frequently check in with The Timbre! You'll be glad you did! Links The Timbre (Website) (Twitter) (Facebook) Buzzworthy Studios (Website) Show Recommendations Home of the Brave (Website) Analogue (Website) Millennial (Website) Slack Variety Pack (Website) Rumble Strip Vermont (Website) Radio Diaries (Website)