Spirit in Action

Few people have quite such wide roots across the globe, both the motivation & outgrowth of a life of compassionate work in many countries. Jens Braun grew up in Ecuador, the son of parents who had worked as missionaries and with the Peace Corps.

Don Neufeld 's decades of service in social work, in child welfare, and in private practice has deeply equipped him for insights into a wide variety of men's (and society's) issues, like violence, fathering, and masculinity - and more. He's authored a number of books, including A New Hope and Living That Matters .

In 1987 David & Lise Abazs bought and built their off-the-grid  Round River Farm , in  Finland, Minnesota ,

Anita Sanchez 's books are mostly targeted toward young readers, anything from preschool to adult, and they help all readers fall in love with aspects of our world and nature that most ignore, whether talking about puddles, poison ivy, gardens, or visiting the night.

Gabrielle Cerberville is known to some as Chaotic Forager , to others as Mushroom Auntie, but you will certainly experience her as a person deeply connected to all the residents of the Earth, not only humans. Gabrielle's passions are wide-ranging, including music composition & gourmet cuisine, but she is especially known for thoughtfully bringing the fruits of the Earth to her table, and to te...

Sami Awad lives in Bethlehem, and has been dedicated to nonviolent action since his teen years, inspired by his uncle, Mubarak Awad . In a conflict focused on Jews and Muslims, Christian Palestinians are sometimes erased from the picture by many outsiders, although they have been an integral part of the Holy Land for many centuries.

In his book,  The Prophetic Lens: The Camera and Black Moral Agency from MLK to Darnella Frazier ,  Phil Allen Jr.  examines the history & the future of Black wholeness in the USA, especially the ways in which people of color have been made invisible, & how their power is being reclaimed through open eyes & lenses.

Thom Hartmann 's completely articulate voice & extensive knowledge & insights all combine to insure his place as the USA's #1 progressive talk show host. His more than 30 books are equally compelling, and today we talk with Thom about his latest, The Hidden one of the most articulate voices of progressive radio in the USA, and he's a compelling writer as well.

Our guest-host today is Jan Spencer , and he'll describe his book disguised as a website - A Primer For Paradigm Shift . The Primer is dense with usable information explaining why, how and what paradigm shift can look like in the real world. Paradigm shift is not a fuzzy future utopia, it's a here-and-now work-in-progress. The more people are engaged, the better, so listen and then check out what...

Mark Leach is guest-host for today's episode, sharing portions from his weekly radio show, Ecotopia Soon! Mark is a retired conservation biologist, activist, and a Quaker, and his perspective is that we are all in a leaky canoe together; we need to change our thinking to reach the safe shore of Ecotopia, where we treat Nature as our only life support system & we treat each other with respect.

One of my great delights is the growing number of folks from around the world that I can can find right here is my city, Eau Claire, WI, of about 75K people. Though the university plays a big part in that, an inspirational contributor to the diversity is the newly opened offices of World Relief - Wisconsin , and our Chippewa Valley offices .

Gary Eldred is a founder of The Prairie Enthusiasts , and he joins us today to talk about his newly released book, Healing Wounds: Giving Back to Nature .

I ran into Olivia Chalkley through an article of hers featured on the website of the Center for Action and Contemplation called A Home for My Loving Action , and I determined I needed to have a deeper visit with Olivia. It turns out that she has explored deeply and worked widely in the not-so-many years she's been on the planet.

We've got Chuck Collins with us here again today, sharing from his new book, Burned By Billionaires , a deep look into the damage to the entire world, and almost all Americans, of the soaring epidemic of wealth inequality in the US. Chuck was born on third base, but chose a better way, reducing his wealth. Notwithstanding his moderation, he has worked with the Patriotic Millionaires to bring our s...

Having done this program for 20 years, I have had the opportunity to see the work my guests do evolve over time, and such is the case with Eileen Flanagan .

Edgar Villanueva  is back on Spirit In Action with an importantly updated edition of his book,  Decolonizing Wealth 2 nd  Edition: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance .

I ran into Pete Bastounes at a campground in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and learned about his transition from a political conservative and a Rush Limbaugh enthusiast to a Thom Hartmann and Bernie Sanders liberal, a change that could be promising for those who wish to speak across the political & cultural spectrum. Pete Bastounes is union steward for local 150 operating engineers in Illin...

Jeremy Lent  explores the way forward for humanity & all life on Earth by a deep dive into knowledge, connection, insight, and wisdom in his latest book,  The Web of Meaning: Integrating Science & Traditional Wisdom to Find Our Place in the Universe .

The work of the  International Center for Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC)  is to develop & share the knowledge needed for effective civil resistance, and they are providing the info in more than 60 languages to freedom, justice, & democracy workers all around the world.  Hardy Merriman  has been Preside

I've seen alternative & sustainable energy technology evolve tremendously in my lifetime, and yet I know there are applications, like hydroelectric energy, that continue to be valuable contributors to our world. One that, sadly, has diminished mightily in most of our eyes, is the water-pumping windmills. At one time they were spread widely across our country, but now they are mostly broken, no...

Our guest is Suzanne Parry (and on Instagram ), and she is the author of a historical fiction novel, The Communist’s Secret , the 2nd of a trilogy centered on events during WW2 around Russia.

Many of us have been deeply concerned about domestic violence and been heart-broken at people we've known who've suffered, and maybe died, within a violent marriage, unable to leave. Today's SIA guest is Michael Neely , and he has testifying power about domestic abuse because of his many years in a marriage where he was badly abused. He'll talk about that today, but you can also find portions in h...

Our guest-host today is Jan Spencer and this is his 7 th time sharing an episode of Creating A Preferred Future , and this is a rather picturesque guided tour of what kind of change will prepare us for a better future.

Sonita Alizada grew up in Afghanistan under that Taliban, and then later in Iran, in a culture where females faced all kinds of trials, including forced marriage for young girls, and much more. Sonita found refuge and nurture via education by NGOs working in Iran, and through which she discovered a talent as a rap artist, with songs like Daughters For Sale .

Though fears about rising fascism in the US are rampant at the beginning of Donald Trump's 2 nd term, there has been a wide-spread increase in fascist movements world-wide over the past few decades, and today's guest, Craig A.