The Hinge Podcast

What does it really mean to face the truth? In this episode, Noel O'Driscoll and Jake Esman explore what happens when we stop running from reality, and what it costs us when we don't. Drawing on Scott Peck's The Road Less Traveled, Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking, Richard Rohr's Just This, and the Enneagram, they unpack why we resist reality even when it's right...

In this episode of The Hinge, Noel O'Driscoll and Jake Esman go deep on one of the most misunderstood forces in human psychology — shame. Not the healthy kind. The toxic kind. The kind that doesn't just make you feel bad about what you've done — it convinces you that you are what you've done. They explore the difference between healthy shame (the foundation of humility) and toxic s...

In these three episodes that belong together, Noel and Jake meet in the Isle of Wight. It is the first time the brothers meet in person since the start of the podcast. They share on chance encounters, personal practice, and not taking oneself too seriously. If one does, God will help you get off that high horse!. Podcast Editor - Ger Kellett Contact us at - thehingepodcast@gmail.com Follow and Sup...

In these three episodes that belong together, Noel and Jake meet in the Isle of Wight. It is the first time the brothers meet in person since the start of the podcast. They share on chance encounters, personal practice, and not taking oneself too seriously. If one does, God will help you get off that high horse! Podcast Editor - Ger Kellett Write to us at - thehingepodcast@gmail.com FOLLOW AND SUP...

In these three episodes that belong together, Noel and Jake meet in the Isle of Wight. It is the first time the brothers meet in person since the start of the podcast. They share on chance encounters, personal practice, and not taking oneself too seriously. If one does, God will help you get off that high horse! Podcast Editor - Ger Kellett FOLLOW AND SUPPORT THE SHOW Instagram Patreon YouTube Wri...

Noel and Jake explore connection and the contemplative path, emphasizing how ordinary, predictable things and the non-efforting presence of people can provide a sense of belonging and safety. Podcast Editor - Ger Kellett  Show notes Everything is waiting for youYour great mistake is to act the dramaas if you were alone. As if lifewere a progressive and cunning crimewith no witness to the tiny hidd...

Jake and Noel reflect on the contemplative life as resting in the truth of reality. They discuss the transformative impact of silence. referencing a retreat with executives who profoundly valued eating in silence. Who knew that silence could speak so much? Podcast Editor - Ger Kellett FOLLOW AND SUPPORT THE SHOW Patreon YouTube Instagram Write to us at - thehingepodcast@gmail.com

Jake and Noel discuss Herman Hesse’s perspective on creation as a  discharge of the living soul and the human need to make our mark, connecting creation to the desire to communicate the incommunicable and so feel less alone. They explore the distinction between loneliness and solitude on the spiritual path.  Podcast Editor - Ger Kellett Show notes: In its origin a poem is something completely uneq...

Noel and Jake exchange on the transformative nature of listening, defining it as an empathetic and tender act requiring presence and a willingness to be changed by the other person, citing Jake's reflection on an encounter with Henk and Noel’s reference to King Solomon's request for a listening heart. Podcast Editor - Ger Kellett Listening Listening is a form of worship,  but you don't...

Noel and Jake explore the profound power of words, emphasizing their role in liberation, recognition, and connection, leading to the choice of The Hinge as the name for the podcast. Podcast Editor - Ger Kellett Words There are places inside me  For which I have no words, And these are the places I write from . . . Words are like stones That I gathered in my pocket That anchored me to this place ....

How do we let go of docility, so we stop participating in known falsehoods? Can we embrace the agency that arises from confronting fear and the rupture of the world as we know it? Is this a time for stepping away from what no longer serves us, ending individualistic pursuits and reorientating towards community as a new beginning? Podcast Editor - Ger Kellett References: — Speech Mark Carney, Prime...

Jake describes an encounter with a man named Luigi during a flight, which leads to conversations about life, faith, and the importance of remaining open despite initial judgments. Noel recounts an unexpected stopover in Charlotte, illustrating the spirituality of interruption. . . Podcast Editor - G er Kellett Show notes --- Yesterday, I got up at four. I shower standing on the fold-down bathroom ...

Noel and Jake discuss the concept of beauty as a powerful, inescapable force that ‘hunts everyone.’ Noel introduces the poetry of Andrea Gibson and Jake speaks of beauty as an ‘apparition of God.’ They share their personal experiences of encountering beauty and its place, constancy and necessity for our lives. Podcast Editor - Ger Kellett Show notes - Acceptance Speech After Setting the World Reco...

Noel and Jake discuss the many faces of gratitude. Noel reads a  poem  "A grateful heart” emphasizing spontaneous thanks for life, the importance of context beyond negative events, and the connection between gratitude and grace. They explore the place of gratitude amidst and even for difficult experiences, including loss and addiction. Podcast Editor - Ger Kellett Show notes - A Grateful Hear...

Jake and Noel explore the theme of tenderness through poetry, personal anecdotes, and conversations about ordinariness and care, beginning with Raymond Carver's poem "Still looking out for number one". They discuss how tenderness is found in the economy of words and the beauty of the ordinary. Podcast Editor - Ger Kellett Show notes - Looking out for number one , by Raymond Carver FO...