Living in the Meantime with Stephen Bauman

As Stephen and Melissa celebrate 50 years of marriage, this special Independence Day episode reflects on the surprising ways love, commitment, humility, and lifelong growth shape a life. Their personal milestone becomes a springboard for a larger question: as the nation marks its 250th anniversary, what kind of future are we choosing to build together? Transcript: Melissa and I are marking our 50t...

In the wake of a heartbreaking tragedy caused by a drunk driver, Stephen reflects on the quiet but profound moral choices woven into everyday life. While many of life's deepest sorrows come from circumstances beyond our control, others begin with seemingly ordinary decisions that carry enormous consequences. This episode explores personal responsibility, moral culpability, and the sacred weight of...

In this Father’s Day reflection, Stephen recalls a heartbreaking encounter from his early years in ministry—a young boy who had come to believe that “stupid” was his name because it was all he ever heard from his father. Through this brief but unforgettable moment, Stephen explores the lasting power of a parent’s words, the deep human need for affirmation, and the responsibility fathers have to sh...

In this special live conversation, Stephen Bauman sits down with legendary Irish folk singer, songwriter, and peace activist Tommy Sands. From his childhood in rural Ireland to his work during The Troubles, Sands reflects on how music can bridge divides, heal wounds, and create space for reconciliation. Together, they explore the role of art in conflict resolution, lessons learned from peacebuildi...

When a high school student finds himself caught between loyalty to a friend and the truth, a simple conversation becomes a reflection on a much larger cultural problem. In this episode, Stephen Bauman explores the temptation to avoid discomfort, the courage required to face difficult truths, and why, as Robert Frost observed, the only way out is through. Transcript:Elliot was on the horns of a dil...

Stephen sits down with Eric Gullickson, president of Mohonk Mountain House, to explore the enduring values that have sustained the historic Hudson Valley retreat for more than 150 years. Grounded in Quaker-inspired principles of stewardship, reverence for nature, and human connection, their conversation reflects on what it means to live thoughtfully and faithfully in chaotic times—and how places o...

In this reflective spring episode of Living in the Meantime, Stephen Bauman shares a story about his young son, a pair of forbidden pruning shears, and a garden cut down too soon. What begins as a memory of frustration becomes a meditation on time, discipline, love, and the mysterious way life grows back fuller than before. Through the lens of parenting, aging, and renewal, Stephen explores how pa...

What happens when you walk away from success to pursue something deeper? In this episode of Living in the Meantime , Stephen Bauman sits down with Holly Fogle to explore a remarkable journey—from partner at McKinsey & Company to co-founder of Nido de Esperanza, a groundbreaking program supporting mothers and babies in Washington Heights. Holly shares the moment she realized her life’s work needed...

An online trend called “looksmaxxing” is gaining traction among young men—but at what cost? In this episode, Stephen Bauman reflects on the rise of performative beauty culture and makes the case for something deeper: a daily commitment to “soulmaxxing,” and reclaiming what truly makes us human. Transcript:I recently learned about an emerging online community called looksmaxxing, and its emergent 2...

On a spring morning in the Hudson Valley, the sound of chorus frogs—tiny “cross-bearers” whose song echoes the spirit of Easter—sets the tone for a reflection on renewal, truth, and self-awareness. In this episode, Stephen Bauman contrasts the quiet wisdom of nature with the noise of public life, exploring the dangers of unchecked incompetence and the enduring call to “know thyself.” Holding toget...

In a moment marked by distortion, spin, and eroding trust, Stephen Bauman reflects on what happens when truth itself becomes negotiable. This episode explores honesty, accountability, and the quiet but urgent work of reclaiming integrity—in our public life and in our own. TRANSCRIPT: The story goes that addressing a crowd during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln was asked why he didn’t just declare t...

In a world of immense power—from nuclear weapons to AI—Stephen Bauman asks a harder question: where is our wisdom? This episode reflects on humility, conscience, and the call to hold ourselves accountable as we seek the common good. Epic Fury We’ve been hearing a lot from generals and other armed services officers in recent months. They mostly engage geo-political debates and tactical operations c...

A simple roadside sign for a church meatloaf dinner sparks a deeper reflection on what our culture may be quietly losing. In this episode, Stephen Bauman reflects on what is lost when people abandon shared community life—the simple, humble gatherings where neighbors of different backgrounds once came together around a table for the sake of the common good. Get full access to Living in the Meantime...

Stephen sits down with bestselling author Stefan Merrill Block to discuss his memoir Homeschooled —a tender, unsettling, often darkly funny account of being pulled out of school at nine and drawn into years of isolation with a mother in slow-motion collapse. Together they explore the blurry line between love and control, how loneliness shapes a mind, what “unschooling” can hide, and why basic over...

From 30,000 feet, the Epstein files reveal more than a single criminal enterprise. They expose a rarified ecosystem of wealth, power, and privilege—an international network where status overrides conscience and unwritten elite norms quietly eclipse the most basic moral truths. In this episode, Stephen Bauman resists the temptation to rabbit-hole individual scandals and instead asks a deeper questi...

Years ago, Stephen heard theologian Henri Nouwen recount a simple Zen parable: a politician visits a master for wisdom, only to have his teacup filled until it overflows. “How can I teach you,” the master asks, “unless you first empty your cup?” At the time, Stephen admits, he was far more like the cocky politician than the humble student. But over the years, the lesson settled in: you cannot take...

In this episode, Stephen reflects on a stark presidential contrast during Black History Month—one that raises urgent questions about moral clarity, historical memory, and what time it is in America. Revisiting Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, Stephen draws particular attention to King’s piercing critique of the “white moderate”—those more devoted to order than to justice, more...

In the wake of shocking violence in Minneapolis and a flood of disorienting media, Stephen Bauman and producer Brandon Batson slow the conversation down to ask a deeper question: how do we live well in the meantime when our shared life feels fractured, fearful, and unmoored from truth? This wide-ranging conversation explores conscience, civic responsibility, and the erosion of trust in institution...

A snowed-out weekend in New York still made room for a moment of unexpected clarity. In this episode, Stephen reflects on a matinee performance of Ragtime at Lincoln Center Theater —and how its story of upheaval, hope, and human striving feels uncannily aligned with our present moment. Set in 1906, Ragtime captures a nation cracking open into something new, where beauty and heartbreak exist side b...

In a week meant to honor Martin Luther King Jr. , Stephen Bauman notices how easily remembrance can be eclipsed by noise—by endless distractions, algorithmic outrage, and the numbing churn of digital life. In this reflection, he resists the urge to look away and instead returns to King’s words as a spiritual and moral discipline: a way of re-learning what courageous leadership sounds like in momen...

In a culture saturated with noise, outrage, and fleeting influence, Stephen Bauman pauses to ask a deceptively simple question: what happened to the idea of virtuous living? In this brief reflection, he notices how words like fidelity —faithfulness to truth, to one another, to the common good—have quietly disappeared from our public vocabulary. Drawing on the wisdom of the ancient world, including...

January has a way of stirring up fresh resolve—even if “new year, new you” is mostly a trick of the calendar. In this reflective episode of Living in the Meantime , Stephen Bauman revisits a sobering conversation with a woman who felt life was quietly passing her by: relationships left undecided, vocational doors never fully opened, and a spiritual life stalled between belief and doubt. Drawing on...

What does it mean to “live in the meantime” in Bethlehem—during the Christmas season, in the shadow of war, restriction, and profound uncertainty? In this moving conversation, Stephen Bauman welcomes Shahinda Nassar , Director of the Advancement Office at Bethlehem University , for a firsthand look at daily life in Palestine from a Christian Palestinian mother raising three children steps from the...

There’s a common complaint I hear from a wide array of people. They’ll state this complaint in different ways, and experience it somewhat differently, but it boils down to this: their lives are out of balance. They have some of one thing, but not nearly enough of another. They feel off kilter; lopsided, both overfull and strangely empty. An old Indian proverb says that “everyone is a house with fo...

What does Christmas mean in 2025—when the world feels destabilized, institutions feel shakier than we assumed, and “powerlessness” is the default mood? Stephen Bauman is joined by Rev. Marcella Gillis, Episcopal rector at Christ the King in Stone Ridge, for a grounded conversation about faith, community, and living our values in real time. Marcella shares the ongoing story of her parish’s partners...