Inspire Change with Gunter

Can another human being help us find our way back to ourselves? In this episode of Inspire Change with Gunter, Miranda Spigener-Sapon and DeVonna Prinzi explore Terry Gilliam’s The Fisher King, starring Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges, through the lenses of grief, guilt, shame, compassion, and human connection. Through the journeys of Jack and Parry, we examine how trauma can shape our identities,...

What happens when you come home physically, but part of your mind is still somewhere else? In this episode of Inspire Change with Gunter, Miranda Spigener-Sapon and DeVonna Prinzi welcome Army veterans Gerald Morgan and Jeffrey Ford for a powerful conversation inspired by Adrian Lyne’s psychological thriller Jacob’s Ladder. Through the film’s unsettling exploration of memory, perception, fear, and...

What if the life you call “yours” was shaped long before you ever had the chance to question it? In the first episode of The Films That Made Us, Miranda Spigener-Sapon and guest co-host Marsha Song explore the psychological and societal implications of The Truman Show and why the film remains remarkably relevant today. The conversation moves beyond the film's fictional constructed reality to exami...

What if the problem isn't competition itself—but what happens when competition becomes disconnected from cooperation? In this episode of Inspire Change with Gunter, psychologist Gunter Swoboda examines our drive to compete and why constantly measuring ourselves against other people can undermine the very growth we're trying to achieve. Competition isn't inherently destructive.  But when it becomes...

What does it actually mean to be strong? In this episode of Inspire Change with Gunter, Gunter Swoboda explores the difference between combativeness and genuine strength, examining how men can learn to equate winning, dominance and confrontation with being strong.  The episode looks at five values that patriarchal systems can hand men: territory, hierarchy, acquisition, competition and combativene...

Are boys actually less emotional than girls—or do they simply learn very early which emotions they're allowed to show? In this episode of Inspire Change with Gunter, psychologist Gunter Swoboda examines how boys learn to manage, conceal and communicate their emotions from childhood—and how family, peers and the adults around them can shape that development long before boys have the language to exp...

What if one of the most beloved songs in American music is also a remarkably precise psychological portrait of childhood shame? For the closing chapter of The Songs That Made Us, Gunter turns to Dolly Parton's deeply personal “Coat of Many Colors”—a song born from poverty, childhood humiliation, a mother's love and one little girl's attempt to understand why something she treasured became a reason...

What happens when sacrifice is demanded from everyone—but the consequences aren't shared equally? This week on The Songs That Made Us, Gunter explores Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son,” one of the most enduring songs associated with the Vietnam era and a furious examination of class, privilege, fairness and who ultimately pays the price when societies go to war. At the center of the s...

How can the same words mean something entirely different when sung by the same person decades later? This week on The Songs That Made Us, Gunter explores Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” and the extraordinary transformation of a song written by a young woman in the 1960s and revisited by the artist more than three decades later. The lyrics hadn't fundamentally changed. Joni had. Through the evolut...

What happens when society teaches you who you are supposed to be before you've had the chance to decide for yourself? This week on The Songs That Made Us, Gunter explores John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero,” a stark examination of class, identity, social hierarchy and the psychological consequences of being shaped—or “processed”—into the roles society creates for us. At the center of the song is so...

Music Video for The Stairs: https://youtu.be/-9FOYTwxfcU?si=mFPQVDCKASBR1oFu Live from Wembley Stadium: https://youtu.be/N8CIBNJB2FM?si=sF_SoLZtDrzyaszv There’s a kind of loneliness that has nothing to do with being alone. You can live surrounded by hundreds—or thousands—of people, pass the same faces every day, share elevators, hallways, sidewalks and city blocks…and never truly know one another....

What happens when the voice you're arguing with belongs to someone you love—and eventually becomes part of your own? In this episode of The Songs That Made Us, Gunter explores Cat Stevens' timeless classic Father and Son, uncovering the remarkable psychological conversation hidden inside one of the most enduring songs ever written. Originally conceived for an abandoned musical project, Father and...

Music Video for Marvin Gaye's What's Going On? https://youtu.be/o5TmORitlKk?si=tp-xjNHA4yQ0CYpO What happens when we ask a question—not because we expect an answer, but because we need someone to remain with us inside the uncertainty? In this episode of The Songs That Made Us, Gunter explores Marvin Gaye’s landmark recording, What’s Going On, and the psychological power of a song that responds to...

What does real hope sound like? This week on The Songs That Made Us, Gunter explores Sam Cooke's timeless masterpiece A Change Is Gonna Come—a song born from personal injustice, the Civil Rights Movement, and an unwavering belief that change is possible even when there is little evidence to support it. Rather than offering easy optimism, Cook's song reveals a deeper psychological truth: hope isn't...

Do we only recognize the value of something after we’ve lost it? This week on The Songs That Made Us, Gunter explores Joni Mitchell’s timeless classic Big Yellow Taxi, inspired by a hotel window overlooking the beauty of Hawaii…and the parking lot replacing paradise below. What begins as an environmental anthem becomes something much deeper—a reflection on how our minds are wired to overlook what...

How can a song change its meaning without changing its words? In the next installment of The Songs That Made Us, Gunter Swoboda explores Hurt through the radically different lives and recordings of Trent Reznor and Johnny Cash. Written by a young man confronting addiction, numbness, and self-destruction, Hurt became something profoundly different eight years later when Cash recorded it near the en...

Why do certain songs stay with us for decades? In this episode, Gunter Swoboda explores the psychological power of music through Simon & Garfunkel’s timeless classic The Boxer. More than a song, it becomes a lens through which to examine shame, endurance, dignity, and the quiet resilience that so often defines the human experience. Drawing on decades of clinical work, Gunter reflects on the di...

In this episode, Gunter Swoboda examines why strong, dominant political leaders increasingly appeal to many men, particularly younger men, through the lens of masculinity, mentorship, and psychological development. Drawing on the concepts of patriarchy, the masculine introject, and grieved entitlement, Gunter explores how absent fathers, missing mentors, and the decline of meaningful rites of pass...

In this episode, Gunter Swoboda explores the profound impact of the mentor wound—the absence of fathers, mentors, elders, and meaningful initiation—and how this hidden wound continues to shape men’s identities, relationships, and emotional lives. Drawing on attachment theory, developmental psychology, and the role of rites of passage throughout history, Gunter examines how the decline of mentorshi...

This episode explores the deep connection between men’s identity and their work, highlighting the psychological risks of defining oneself solely through occupational achievement. Gunter Swoboda examines how many men internalize a model of self-worth based on productivity, status, and achievement, leaving them vulnerable to crisis when retirement, redundancy, injury, or life transitions disrupt tha...

Gunter Swoboda explores the concept of Kali Yuga from Hindu cosmology as a powerful lens for understanding modern civilizational and psychological conditions. Often described as the “Age of Strife,” Kali Yuga offers a framework for examining societal fragmentation, declining trust, the pursuit of status and wealth, and the growing sense of disconnection many people experience today. This episode e...

Gunter Swoboda explores the impact of online pornography on adolescent boys’ sexual development and how content, algorithms, and ideology increasingly shape expectations around intimacy, relationships, and behavior. This episode examines sexual script theory, the influence of the Manosphere, and the broader cultural messages shaping young people today. Gunter also discusses the importance of media...

This episode explores the growing issue of body image struggles and eating disorders among men, examining how cultural pressures and online environments—particularly the Manosphere—shape perceptions of masculinity, worth, and identity. Gunter Swoboda discusses clinical insights into muscle dysmorphia, steroid use, and the increasing pressure men face to view their bodies as measures of status and...

Gunter Swoboda explores the psychological roots behind men’s avoidance of healthcare, the widespread misunderstanding of stoicism, and why traditional masculinity often discourages proactive health engagement. This episode examines the behavioral and cultural patterns contributing to the growing men’s health crisis—and offers practical pathways toward healthier, more empowered approaches to physic...

Gunter Swoboda explores how dominant masculinity shapes men’s relational lives—particularly the confusion between sex and intimacy—and how patriarchal conditioning contributes to emotional disconnection, loneliness, and difficulty forming meaningful relationships. This episode unpacks the internal and societal barriers men face around vulnerability and connection, while offering practical insights...