Opening Life Podcast

Hey friends! Season 3 episode 5, which is part two of this conversation exploring Ava DuVernay’s film Origin , has been a long time in coming! If you already listened to part one some time ago, may we recommend that you revisit it again before exploring this concluding episode? Both parts can serve as an introduction to the film, but they will make even more sense if you see the film first.  To pr...

Episode 4 of Opening Life Podcast is a conversation about a movie about a book. It’s also about the book’s author, Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, Isabel Wilkerson. The film, by director Ava DuVernay is called Origin. It’s a sensitive and powerful telling of Isabel’s journey writing the book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. The translucent soundtrack is by Kris Bowers, whose music-writing c...

Opening Life Season 3, Episode 3 The Meaning in Metal Dear friends, we hope this conversation between Kyle, Brittany and musician Tim Yearsley opens new avenues of understanding for you. In Nexus we believe every human story expands and deepens our sense of reality. The music you’ll hear says what is has to say with enormous conviction and feeling, and we think that’s a good thing!  As always, we’...

Season 3, Episode 2 - Pathmaking In today’s conversation, Brittany, Kyle, and Nexus co-conspirators Craig and Mary Charnley explore what really happens in life as we search for our path forward, inspired by Spanish poet Antonio Machado’s paradigm-shifting poem,  Caminante, No Hay Cammino (Pathmaker, There Is No Path ). The Spanish poem in it’s entirety (followed by an english translation): Caminan...

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 1 of Opening Life Podcast! In today’s conversation, poet/playwright/comedian extraordinaire Phil Ginsburg joins Brittany and Kyle for a fun and (we hope, for you) profound exploration of Phil’s poem “Body Language.” What do the various parts of our bodies have to say to one another and to us about how to be in the world? That’s our big question. Phil’s latest collectio...

Poetry Bob joins Kyle and Brittany to explore David Whyte's foundational poem, A Seeming Stillness. Once again we open the question of how we want to be in this world, with ourselves, and with everyone and everything else. Why do we seem so determined to deny our own vulnerability? We don't have all the answers, but we hope you are helped by our questions.  A Seeming Stillness - by David Whyt...

Kyle, Brittany and aspiring screen writer, Donte Slocum, explore connections between their life stories and the film Field of Dreams, 1989's nostalgic ode to life and baseball, starring Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta, and James Earl Jones. Along the way we explore the soul of sports and the meaning of dreams, unfulfilled and fulfilled, in our winding journeys. Composer James Horner's sweeping film scor...

In this third and final episode opening Parker Palmer's foundational book, Kyle, Laurel and Brittany explore excerpts that speak to the present chapter of their stories. We continue reaching for the wisdom and encouragement we all need to simply be who we are in this exasperating and beautiful world that we live in. 

Kyle and Brittany continue their conversation with Laurel, exploring our need to give space to others and ourselves. Parker Palmer's insights free us to be real and heal. 

In this conversation Kyle and Brittany's friend, Laurel, joins the conversation to explore the connections between soul and role, as described by very wise and generous author, Parker Palmer. What does our inner dividedness really cost us? How can we recover the wholeness for which we were all made?

Join Brittany, Kyle and Master sitarist, and Toronto resident Chris Hale as they continue their conversation unpacking Mary Oliver’s poem,  To Begin With, the Sweet Grass. What does Nature say that we deeply need to hear, amidst the clutter and the chaos of our daily lives? Chris Hale’s music is available at: https://christopherhalesitar.bandcamp.com/

Master sitarist, and Toronto resident Chris Hale, who grew up in the shadow of the Himalayas, joins Brittany and Kyle for a conversation about (re)connecting with nature. Mary Oliver’s poem,  To Begin With, the Sweet Grass is the bridge into this shared experience. What does Nature say that we deeply need to hear, amidst the clutter and the chaos of our daily lives? Chris Hale’s music is avai...

Welcome back to season 2, friends! Join Brittany and Kyle as they share life updates and changes over the last several months. Inspired by Pearl Cleage's book 'Seen it All Done the Rest', our hosts unpack the process, challenges and beauty of finding home and becoming rooted in the places they thought the least likely. 

We're wrapping up season one by reuniting Brittany and Kyle with their very first podcast guest, Robert Theissen, to unpack and discuss the poem 'Love After Love' by Poet and Nobel Laureate, Derek Walcott. Join our friends for a conversation about the journey to self-love and acceptance, what it has looked like to embrace one's whole self at every stage of the journey. If you've enjoyed this podca...

San Francisco hip hop artist Fego Navarro graces us with his presence and music in today's conversation, which explores big life questions through the lens of his creative process. We groove to and reflect on two songs from his recently released album Escapism which came out earlier this year. Join us as we discuss life, hip hop, and Fego's thoughts on the Nexus pillars of story, journey, beauty,...

This week Kyle and Brittany are joined by a dear friend and Nexus article contributor, Rinus, to unpack his top 50 picks of the best films of the decade (2011-2020). This discussion opens up a deeper connection that movies have to the human narrative, their power to connect us in times when we feel most isolated, and how to honor the gift of the storyteller by taking the time to truly be connected...

In part 2 of Maya Speaks, our hosts continue the conversation unpacking 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' by Maya Angelou. Join this candid discussion on untangling faith from religion, Maya's genius in using detailed yet simple metaphors to communicate complex feelings, and the power of words to uplift us in the darkest of moments. If you're enjoying this podcast, please subscribe on your preferr...

Join Brittany and Kyle as they discuss and unpack 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' - the beautiful and brilliant work of the illustrious Maya Angelou. Journey with our hosts in a conversation about Maya's power and ability to bring beauty and love to the most broken and painful parts of life through storytelling and the strength of her inner world shared in this amazing book. If you're enjoying t...

In Episode 2, Where Did That Come From, we share some of our own work with one another and get each others’ reactions. We hope this episode helps you to get to know us better as Opening Life Podcast co-hosts. There’s music, poetry and personal stories with sadness and hope side-by-side. We also reflect on the ways every human being is an artist. Please listen with us for what this all says to your...

In Episode 1, we open our lives to the poem 'Now I Become Myself', by May Sarton. Using this poem as our key, we're joined by our friend Robert to discuss the journey of becoming who we really are, how the perception of who we are evolves over time, and how our relationship to time itself has changed as we ripen with age. If you've ever wondered how this mysterious process of becoming your true se...