Spirit in Action

I am so grateful when I find people working for a better world from the depths of their spiritual tradition, and that's exactly what today's guest, Mirele Goldsmith does. She is an environmental psychologist, something that I didn't even know existed, and she is co-founder of the Jewish Earth Alliance .

Chloe Schwenke is a teaching professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy of Georgetown University, and has keen observations about the incredible damage, destruction, and death being visited upon Africa and many other areas by the Trump administration's reckless attack on US Agency for International Development, USAID.

Some 15 years ago Maaria Mozaffar began as a civil rights lawyer & mediator, and since then her work has grown to center around both education and legislative advocacy, crafting & organizing legislation centered on religious freedom and rights. As a Muslim, Maaria sees more clearly the tilt, and sometimes the walls, that US society builds against minority faiths and ethnic groups.

This week is the conclusion of our visit with the amazing & inspirational Peter Samuelson about his new book, Finding Happy: A User's Guide to Your Life, With Lessons From Mine . You'll laugh, cry, gasp, pray, & get wiser though all the stories, insights, & lessons that Peter shares.

You've likely encountered Peter Samuelson through his work in the movie industry, like with his movies Revenge of the Nerds , Finding Henri , Wilde, and Tom & Viv , but you may or may not have known of the amazing & extensive work he's done through his non-profits, like Starlight Children's Foundation , First Star Academies , and EDAR (Everyone Deserves A Roof) .

We visit with David Welder , and his wife, Veronica, at their off-grid home called Fisher Cat Creek Forest Preserve (on airbnb and Hipcamp ), to talk about his book, Forth to Basics: A Guide to Goin' Off-Grid (And Living More With Less) , and his life experience leading up to

In this special Spirit in Action episode, guest-host Nicole Diroff welcomes Dr. Shanon Shah, Director of Faith for the Climate , for a conversation that weaves together faith, identity, and the urgent call for climate justice. A queer Muslim scholar, journalist, and advocate, Shanon shares how his lived experience and academic insight converge in powerful ways to challenge systems of oppression an...

A dive deep into the analysis and understanding of why & how evil is done in the world - not theologically, but behaviorally - with our guest Elizabeth Minnich , author of The Evil of Banality – On the Life and Death Importance of Thinking .

Jan Spencer is guest-host today for the sixth time, sharing an episode of Creating A Preferred Future , equipping us further in anticipation of changes we need for a better future. Jan explains why anyone interested in emergency preparedness can "graduate" to an interest in paradigm shift and moving towards sustainability. Preparedness for unplanned disruption is a very prudent idea.

Today for Spirit in Action we welcome back Pamela Boyce Simms of Singularity Botanicals . In 2017 we visited with her about Evolutionary Cultural Design , and in 2019 the topic was the African Diaspora Plant Medicine Project .

Today's guest-host, Peterson Toscano , brings deep riches from his occasional podcast called Bubble and Squeak . There is deep encounter & meaning in this episode, wrestling with stories, overtones of stories, & personal resurrection of Lazarus in the Bible, and recovering from conversion therapy in reality, a recovery of oneself through true unbinding.

Our guest-hosts today are Peterson Toscano & Elise Silvestra of Citizen's Climate Radio , bringing together voices exploring how emotional honesty, sound, and art can open pathways from climate despair to collective action.

President Trump has been wreaking havoc in so many corners of our country, including the disruption caused by his executive order to dismantle all DEI (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) programs throughout the country. Harvard has been the most prominent school to refuse the order, causing joy & celebration among many. Today we're talking with John Bach about Harvard's policies and ethics fr...

Most of the time it is the top officials in an organization who are interviewed to learn about & understand the group, but today we're exploring The Sierra Club from the ground up. Paul Wagner has been very active with The Sierra Club for over forty years, connecting at the local, Chippewa Valley level , within the state of Wisconsin , and also nationally.

Wayne Finegar is Executive Director of QuakerHouse , a resource located in Fayetteville, SC, which provides counseling and support to service members who are questioning their role in the military; educates them, their families, and the public about military issues, and advocates for a more peaceful world. Check out the GI Rights Hotline and also their Conscientious Objection resources .

Across the country, the  National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (NWTRCC)  links energies of folks like Anne Barron of the  Peace Resource Center of San Diego , the  Truth & Poverty Tour in San Diego , and War Tax Redirection, and Larry Bassett, the curmudgeon

We're going back in time to the end of World War II today for SIA, to get to know about one of the 151 Civilian Public Service camps, this one for the “bad boys” of the conscientious objectors. Our guest is Jane Kopecky , and we'll be visiting about her book, World War II Conscientious Objectors - Germfask, Michigan: The Alcatraz Camp .

We're seeking world healing in a different way today, for Spirit In Action. Our guest is Peter Anderson - author, mystic, misfit, & mountain dweller. His recent books have included First Church of the Higher Elevations: Mountains, Prayer, and Presence , and most recently, Riding the Wheel: Prose-Poems .

In order to restore harmony to our planet we need major changes in the relationships of people to the Earth & our neighboring species.

Today we're catching a glimpse of the organization Indivisible and, specifically, Chippewa Valley Indivisible , the local chapter here in the place I happen to live. There are hundreds, even thousands, of chapters nationwide.

More than 10 years ago I interviewed Betsy Leondar-Wright about her superb book, Missing Class , and today we'll visit with her about the book she researched and wrote with Jessi Streib called Is It Racist?

Today's guest-hosts are Nicole Diroff, Ben Yosua-Davis, and Peterson Toscano , of the Climate Changed Podcast from The BTS Center . In this episode they bring us a conversation that dives deep into the heart of what it means to find hope and community in a chaotic world.

Jan Spencer is guest-host today for the fifth time, sharing an episode of Creating A Preferred Future which takes a look at an unexpected topic. In Jan upcoming new book, A Primer For Paradigm Shift , he has found a new friend in the City of Eugene, Oregon's Strategic Planning Goals .

Guest-host Peterson Toscano  of  Citizen's Climate Radio is sitting in today for Spirit In Action, sharing climate info through a True Crime lens, in the 8 th and final installation of a series called Hot Mess .

The podcast, SmallTownBigGays , (also available on YouTube ) is produced weekly by Travis Gorell and Chance Smith, originating from Eau Claire, WI, and sharing the reality, the strengths, and the beauty of queer folks in places most often ignored or discounted. Travis also performs regularly in drag around the Chippewa Valley as Khloe Wold as one of many Dolls of the Valley .