Growth Guide

John Richards (he/him) is the Director of Programming, On Air | Host of the Morning Show. KEXP is an independent radio station that bucks the entire system. No DJ is ever asked or forced to play any song at all. They play what they love, they have direct lines of communication with the listeners and the artists. For most of his adult life John's been starting the day for thousands of "morning fait...

My guest this week is Amy Richards, a tour de force and a longtime pillar in the feminism community. Amy is an author, producer and organizer, most recently authoring We Are MAKERS, a book based on the PBS documentary series MAKERS. She produced the Emmy nominated series WOMAN for Viceland and executive produced The Glorias, among other stage and video projects. Amy is the president of Soapbox, In...

Chief Jackie (Black Bear) Singer has devoted his life to one of service, as a Navajo Sundance Chief (Brave Eagle) and traditional healer, and as a US Veteran and commander of Walk With The Warriors. Jake offers us an opportunity to learn from the traditions and wisdom of the Navajo people. Despite a long history of being wronged by the US government Jake transcends this paradigm and is tirelessly...

Christopher Lindstrom's long passion for alternative monetary systems and local currencies led to his work at the Schumacher Center for a New Economics, where he organized a major international conference, called "Local Currencies in the 21st Century," in '06 he co-founded BerkShares, a local currency for use in the southern Berkshires of western Massachusetts, which continues to receive internati...

Let's step into the world of feature-film director and screenwriter Marc Meyers. Marc's body of work is diverse in genre but always reveals and honors the deeper emotional truth. Marc seamlessly moves from dramas like the critically-acclaimed cult hit My Friend Dahmer to romances like All My Life all the way to heavy metal slasher- We Summon Darkness . Whatever the film, he has a unique ability to...

Today we speak with the acclaimed jeweler Pitango Trotoush. To label Pitango a jeweler is like calling the grand canyon a big hole. He's an enigma, an artist, a mystic, and in many ways a guru. Acquiring a Pitango ring is typically accompanied by a tea ceremony, a reading where he seemingly looks into your soul while he describes the powers of the ring you selected. Or did it select you? His story...

Astrology is a subject that was held in the highest regard at least as far as 3-4 thousand yrs. It's a subject that was studied by the Babylonians, ancient Egyptians, Arabs, Greeks, Europeans, and on and on. Until the 17th century, astrology was considered a scholarly tradition, and it helped drive the development of astronomy. It was commonly accepted in political and cultural circles, and some o...

Muys Snijders is a powerhouse in the art world, but what makes her even more special is her deep intentions for honoring the artists and making art so accessible to everyone. In our discussion, we pull back the curtain on the art world's past, present and future. I am incredibly passionate about this topic. I've always been an artist at heart and struggled with many of the artist's current dilemma...

Kathleen Nagy is an orchestral musician, Bio Acoustic specialist, and author. Sound healing has no doubt hit the mainstream in recent years yet it's for from new. Music and sound has as long a history as we do. All cultures have their own versions of sounds, music, and instruments as well as sound healing modalities. Whether it be Kototama from Japan, the sound chambers of ancient Egypt, or Tibeta...

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My guest this week is Frank "The Legend" Shamrock, retired 4x undefeated UFC Middleweight Champion. Frank pioneered the sport as one of the first to successfully mix various disciplines. During his reign he was the No. 1 ranked pound for pound UFC fighter in the world. But all of that is a tiny part of his story. Frank's journey is nothing short of unbelievable. After leaving an abusive home at th...

Jhon T is the founder of the Atmananda Yoga Sequence and inventor of the Atmananda alignment mat. His yoga system combines 71 poses rooted in Hatha and Ashtanga. I studied with Jhon T for my teacher training after ten years of practicing with him. I'll say first hand that no other yoga teacher I've experienced gets more directly to the underlying issues. Living in NYC I had the choice between a lo...

Jude Boudreaux is a financial planner that helps others live their lives on purpose. His approach uniquely pairs living in the present with planning for the future. Weaving together finance, personal growth, psychology, and positive thinking, Jude breathes new life into a topic that typically makes my eyes glaze over. You may have heard Jude quoted in publications such as the New York Times, Wall...

Hari Kaur Khalsa is a Master Kundalini and Meditation Instructor. The thing about Hari's power is that I've never witnessed one so great yet without having any airs about her. She has been practicing for over 40yrs and running NY's beloved studio Hari NYC The Treehouse.    For those of you who are unfamiliar with Kundalini yoga, you are in for a real treat. I remember when I first discovered it an...

Today's guest is Mary Esther Malloy joined by my lovely wife, Navah D'Alessandro. Birth stories are a right of passage that every person on this planet experiences yet no two are the same. You think you know how babies are made? You are in for a big surprise. Mary Esther is the owner of Mindful Birth in New York City. It's no secret that our current systems have a gross misalignment with their bus...

Today we discuss the ancient field of Ayurveda and how to heal your own imbalances using it with a gifted practitioner Damin Hagglund. I've experienced Damian's work first hand and it's been a key asset for maintaining my health. We'll cover gut wellness, mind-body connection, martial sciences and his incredible journey. Damian's story begins like an epic Martial Arts saga. At the age of 5 Damian...

Whether or not you have heard of the Vagus Nerve prior, prepare to have your mind blown. For such a big and important topic, I've brought in the powerhouse, Dr. Eva Detko. Dr Detko is a natural healthcare practitioner, author and speaker who has studied natural medicine and the human mind for over 20 years. She has extensive knowledge and experience in the field of human physiology, biochemistry,...

When it comes to the design world, the name Stefan Sagmeister billows across the land. You've seen his work with a diverse body spanning the Rolling Stones, HBO, the Guggenheim Museum and Time Warner. Along with winning almost every prestigious design award out there, Stefan has a Grammy award, for the limited edition set he designed for The Talking Heads. This episode is not just for designers, w...

Sharon has found herself training under some remarkable masters throughout her life. From direct students of Ōsensei: Nakazono Sensei, Sugano Sensei, and Yamata Sensei to name a few. Sharon teaches Aikido at NY Aikikai under Yamata Sensei. Yamata Sensei studied as a live in student directly under the founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba - Ōsensei. It doens't get richer than that. Aikido is a defensi...

What's your earliest memory of music? For certain, the first thing we all heard was our Mom's heartbeat while nestled in the womb. That's rhythm and that symbolizes love, as Keith explains, rhythm at its core IS Love. Native New Yorker Keith "WildChild" Middleton is a 20yr veteran of the global hit show Stomp. After a tragic car accident that almost took his life, he dropped everything to pursue h...

Outer space is something that has fascinated us since our earliest ancestors walked this planet. The awe of looking up into the sky and seeing our sun, moon, stars, and planets. The wonder and awe this provokes to this day. Today we are blessed with speaking with one of the few people that have visited the international space station logging 178 days in space. Ron Garan, veteran Air Force fighter...

The first episode is unlike the rest. It's me, your host, Bryan D'Alessandro (sans guest) giving context to how Growth Guide came to be and why you should care. Growth Guide explores the depths of curiosity finding growth in all areas of life from all walks of life. We'll get into deep conversations with some incredible humans sitting around the modern-day campfire. Unbuckle your mind, and open yo...