Podcasts about zen under fire

Kia Ora whanau. This week, Eugene and Matt have the pleasure to sit with Marianne Elliott, for what really is an interesting conversation with an interesting runner. Like most of us, you won’t find Marianne topping any podiums or with a laundry list of sponsors to fund her globetrotting lifestyle, however Marianne’s story is no less interesting in terms of using running to engage with others, perhaps more so. Marianne is the Author of Zen Under Fire, which details her work as a head of the UN mission in Herat, Afghanistan. In her writing, and wider life, Marianne focuses on narrative to foster engagement. The more we engage with each other, rather than ascribing set presumptions to a viewpoint, the more we see the complexity, subtly, and humanity of the other. This fosters understanding, which can only be a good thing, right? In addition to being an author, Marianne is a human rights lawyer, advocate for mental health, restaurateur, entrepreneur, yogi, and also curates Wilder Running, a series of retreats in the USA that combine writing and running. In addition to Afghanistan, Marianne has worked in Timor Leste and the Gaza Strip. AND, she runs trail, having completed multiple ultramarathons and other trail events. We spoke to Marianne from her home base of the Aro Valley in Wellington in what was an enriching and wide ranging conversation that covered all the things we’ve just written about and more, including how Marianne is training to run her fastest 1600m ever. This conversation truly is a gem, and we’re thrilled to bring it to you.

Marianne Elliott is an attorney, human rights advocate and author. Her work has included developing human rights strategies for the governments of New Zealand and Timor-Leste and she served as a United Nations peacekeeper in Afghanistan with a focus on human rights and gender issues.  She also helped establish one of the best restaurants in Wellington, ran a thriving online yoga practice and wrote a memoir about her work in Afghanistan, called Zen Under Fire. And this was all before she founded Action Station, a disruptive and effective citizen-led force advocating for a fair and flourishing Aotearoa New Zealand. Marianne is also a self-described introvert, with social anxiety and bouts of feeling like an imposter. Her work is incredibly inspiring for anyone who feels you could do incredible things in the world if only you didn't have self-doubt. You don't have to wait!

Hello and welcome to the Uncomfortable is OK podcast I'm your host Chris Desmond. This is the show where we chat to interesting people about getting out of their comfort zones. We see cool people doing cool things and think wow that's cool, but we don't talk as much about the challenges these people faced to get there, or the times that they had to push out of their comfort zones to get this good stuff done. These people inspire me to keep pushing out of my comfort zone and to try and be OK with challenges and hard stuff that is inevitable on the journey. Hopefully you guys listening get something out of these chats too, whether this is your first one, or your 34th one. Today we've got a bit of a treat for you. I'm having a chat with Marianne Elliott. Marianne is a whole lot of things, she is a writer, a human rights advocate and consultant, a yoga teacher, a teacher of living life, and a collector, crafter and teller of stories. Marianne started out her career as a lawyer who developed a passion for human rights law. She worked in human rights for many years, within New Zealand, in Timor-Leste, in the Gaza strip, and in Afghanistan. If you want more of an insight into her time in Afghanistan doing good and being well then you should check out a copy of the book she wrote about it “Zen Under Fire”, I'll throw a link in the show notes. Today we touch on these subjects but they aren't the bulk of the conversation, we had a relatively short time to chat and trying to cover all about Marianne in the time we had available would have been an injustice. It would be fair to say that Marianne is a change maker, and today we get stuck in to talking about change. We talk about her 4 areas to create change in the world, how we change and evolve as people through time. We talk about a couple of areas that align perfectly with the podcast, about changing our relationship with the discomfort, and finding the right level of discomfort to create change in society. Again this is a conversation where I have heaps of notes from it so get in touch with me if you want a copy of my thoughts on this chat. This will be the last podcast before Christmas, but don't worry there will be an awesome one coming out next week too. I just want to take a second to wish everyone a Merry Christmas wherever you are in the world, even if you don't celebrate Christmas. Hope you have a great time with your loved ones. We're off to Hong Kong to spend a few days with my parents there before shooting over to Japan for a quick look around as well. Thanks for taking the time to listen today and if you enjoy the chat then make sure to share it out as a Christmas present for everyone else out there. Thanks for getting uncomfortable with me and Marianne today. Guest: Marianne Elliott Website La Boca Loca Boquita Action Station Facebook Twitter Host: Chris Desmond Twitter Facebook Instagram Music: Jeremy Desmond Music

Welcome! My guest today is Marianne Elliott, a mouthy introvert who collects treasures and tells tales. She is the National Director for Action Station, a digital platform to enable social action. She rallies fellow New Zealanders to fight for truth, justice, and a kinder way. Marianne trained as a human rights lawyer, and worked in several places around the world before going to the Gaza Strip and Afghanistan. Stories are her secret weapon and yoga is her medicine. Her memoir, Zen Under Fire, is a moving account of working on the world’s most notorious battlefield and her personal story about the effect of her lifestyle on her relationships.  In this episode, you’ll learn: How Marianne’s decision not to have a child came from a combination of choices and circumstances. For many years, Marianne made life choices that didn’t coincide with life as a mother. When she contemplated parenthood, she didn't have a suitable partner with whom to embark on this life experience. “Sometimes, the choice is not between A and B, but between B and C.” How we control with technology SO many aspects of our lives, but the circumstances surrounding having/not having a child cannot be controlled. One of the most hurtful comments is that parenthood alone transforms you from selfish and shallow to caring and compassionate. A deep, compassionate heart can be awakened in other ways besides motherhood. “Closing the door” on parenthood did bring grief, that this part of the human experience would NOT be a part of her life. Marianne saw a therapist for six months to process the decision she’d made. Zen retreats, journaling, meditation, and therapy all were helpful. The MOST helpful support for Marianne came from a friend in a similar situation, the only person with whom she could be totally honest and transparent. Women without children are perceived in stereotypically negative ways. Ironically, men who chose to not be parents are not questioned or perceived in the same selfish, negative ways that women are. Society seems to define women according to their state of motherhood or non-motherhood. Women need to be allies to each other, whether or not they have children. Marianne has nephews, nieces, and many children in her life. Marianne has an increasingly small number of close friends with whom she has much in common, being in mid-40’s and child-free. Social networks DO exist for women in this narrow niche. The major benefits for Marianne to not having children are that she can pour herself into incredibly important work. She enjoys incredible freedom and flexibility, which allow her to be a support system for many of her friends who do have children. Marianne describes herself as an introvert who LOVES to be alone, so she wonders how she would’ve coped if motherhood had come to her. Find Marianne at www.marianne-elliott.com, which features her writings and her book about her time as an aid worker in Afghanistan. I do hope you enjoyed this episode. Please go to michellemariemcgrath.com for more episodes of these valuable conversations. Thank you! 

Marianne Elliott is an attorney, human rights advocate, and the author of Zen Under Fire, a memoir about her work in Afghanistan. In this episode taken from the 2013 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Marianne shares her belief that mindfulness practice alone isn’t enough to put an end to the suffering of the world. By first unpacking a few areas of social suffering that have deeply touched her, Marianne talks about the practical strategies she employs when working towards positive social change. As she describes the importance of action to the engaged Buddhist life, Marianne encourages the audience to ground themselves in the resiliency provided by Buddhist practice, find an issue that touches them, find a way to use their unique skillset, and actively work to end suffering in the world. Episode Links: www.Marianne-Elliott.com Zen Under Fire ( http://marianne-elliott.com/book/ )

Marianne Elliot talks about her time as a human rights lawyer in war torn Afghanistan, and about what got her through these life and death experiences.

Marianne Elliott is the author of Zen Under of Fire: How I Found Peace in the Midst of War. Marianne is a writer, human rights advocate, and international yoga instructor. Trained as a lawyer, Marianne helped develop human rights strategies for the governments of New Zealand and Timor-Leste, has worked as a Policy Advisor for Oxfam, and spent two years working in human rights in the Gaza Strip prior to her time in Afghanistan, where she served in the United Nations mission (2005-2007). Her memoir Zen Under Fire, tells the story of her work and life in Afghanistan. Marianne writes and teaches on creating, developing and sustaining real change in personal life, work and the world. She lives in a converted church above the zoo in Wellington, New Zealand, where she writes to the sound of roaring lions and singing monkeys. You can learn more about Marianne on her website, marianne-elliott.com, follow her on Twitter at @zenpeacekeeper, and see if her book tour is coming to a town near you at marianne-elliott.com/book/events. Listen and subscribe to the Big Vision Podcast on iTunes. Connect with me: Website: brittbravo.com Speaking & workshop calendar: brittbravo.com/speaking Blog: havefundogood.blogspot.com Facebook: facebook.com/britt.bravo Twitter: @Bbravo Music: "Mango Delight," by Kenya Masala.  Connect with Kenya through CD Baby and Source Consulting Group.