The Downward Facing Spiritual Spiral

There is less talking. More texting and DM's. Less listening with more people shouting and everyone has their phone out with the camera always rolling. It's a crazy and often toxic world we live in and it seems to make less sense every single day. Today on the Spiritual Spiral Podcast, I felt inspired to talk about what happened yesterday in Central Park with Amy and Christian Cooper. Of course Am...

While riding my bike this past weekend, a car started to swerve towards me and almost hit me. When I approached the car at the red light and looked inside, sure enough, the driver was staring down at her phone. I yelled out to the woman, "Stop staring at your phone!" to which she replied just as emphatically, "NO!" And there lies the problem, she doesn't #GAF. We live in a world where people just...

I often wonder if anyone really cares about what you and I are doing. I mean sure, in the moment, it may appear like people "care" when we get a text or someone leaves a comment on a FB post. There's a certain rhythm in our day to day lives, but are we all just fragments in space? Even Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest athletes of all time, shocked us all by tragically passing away earlier this yea...

About three weeks ago, I read a post on Facebook from my next guest about the impact the pandemic is having on the yoga industry. She shared some honest and insightful words and I immediately felt inspired to ask her to talk on my show. Today on the Spiritual Spiral Podcast, I am excited to welcome Missy Kai Hoffman . Missy has over 2,000 hours of extensive training in yoga, FRA and FRC, massage t...

Is the coronavirus proving there's simply an onslaught of just too much information? Everyone has an opinion, opinions constantly change, no one is listening and even Dr. Fauci is changing his stance on whether we should wear masks. Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I talk about my utter disdain for Dr. Fauci and how he needs to do us all a favor and just stop talking. Will Los Angeles ever resemble...

Do you listen to experts anymore? Do you listen more carefully when an expert is speaking? It almost feels like when you go on to Facebook, everyone thinks of themselves as an expert. Maybe we simply live in a world full of know-it-alls. Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I talk about the diminishing returns that come from being an expert and I share thoughts about a recent article from PBS about valu...

Do you see the Fox News logo and immediately jump to conclusions? When you see a story in the New York Times, have you already made a judgement about the article before reading it? Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I am excited to welcome Health Freedom Advocate, Laurie Cohen Peters to the show. Laurie is involved in sustainable agriculture and she has worked with the Non GMO movement. She also start...

Maybe the most important trait or quality of a "successful" artist is knowing how to pivot and evolve with the times. Maybe for an artist, it's no longer about sales but simply about being heard and getting people's attention. Today on the Spiritual Spiral Podcast, I am excited to welcome producer, mixer, DJ and my friend Carmen Rizzo to the show. Carmen has worked with well-known artists includin...

"You figure out what someone's scared of... you can get him to do pretty much anything." It's a powerful line from Michael Shannon in the first episode of WACO. It feels like the world wants everyone to be scared to go outside. The world, the media, corporations and even governments benefit if people live in fear. Facebook and Netflix certainly benefit if people stay home all day. Will people feel...

Is anyone truly listening anymore? Can you question what's happening without being called a hater or a conspiracy theorist? It's widely believed that 5G first rolled out in Wuhan so it is just a coincidence that this virus began in Wuhan? Is Facebook merely creating more chaos as it amplifies all of the misinformation we read every single day? Today on the Spiritual Spiral Podcast, I am excited to...

What inspires you and gets you to stop scrolling or stop watching Netflix all day? Can discipline and motivation be taught or is it hardwired in people's DNA? I am thrilled to welcome author, coach, personal trainer and my friend Jen Widerstrom to the Spiritual Spiral Podcast. Jen is probably best known for being one of the trainers on the Biggest Loser or maybe you know her as Phoenix from the Am...

When I was growing up, i was obsessed with Soundgarden, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and of course, Alice in Chains. I saw Alice in Chains opening up for Van Halen and I was immediately in awe. The drums and guitars, the melodies and soaring harmonies coupled with Layne's powerful voice left me mesmerized. The Seattle grunge scene was also one of the reasons why I picked up the guitar and started writing my...

Instead of trying to find answers or get facts, people are numbing out and scrolling. Sending DMs on Facebook. The world is literally spending a record amount of time on social media. Meanwhile, very few people are even questioning the government or whoever is behind the draconian response as Americans are forced to stay home. No one can leave their house and the government is even asking people t...

Can the restaurant industry possibly survive another month - long lockdown? Every single day, we see a running count of new deaths from the coronavirus, but what about the emotional and long run societal effects from a complete shut down. Today on the Spiritual Spiral Podcast, I am happy to welcome back Adam Mesnick to the show. Adam is the  owner of Deli Board, a lunch only sandwich shop based in...

Is there anything that can stop the mad rush of content being made specifically for cell phones? With Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney, Apple Plus and now Quibi, we have more quantity of shows but is there actually more quality? Will movie theaters ultimately be a thing of the past? Today on the Spiritual Spiral Podcast, I am thrilled to welcome actor/writer  Chris Webster to the show. I met Chris ab...

I think back to when I was diagnosed with a major health condition. I've certainly had my share - skin cancer, arthritis, gall bladder surgery, ulcers and anxiety. After my original diagnosis, it was always suggested I should get a second expert opinion to confirm the diagnosis. That always seemed logical and sensible however it feels like we now live in a day and age where second opinions don't m...

I think one of the greatest issues we face as human beings is cultivating more self-awareness. Being in touch with who you truly are as an individual with acceptance, yet with social media and the copious amounts of distractions we face, it may be harder than ever to achieve that goal. Bentoism is meant to help us combat the noisy and chaotic world in order to achieve more clarity and live life on...

You probably know by now how I may have the tendency to question what's been happening lately with our culture. The way our society simply embraces technology and social media as these wonderfully positive additions to our lives when in fact they may be creating more harm than good. I'm also slightly perplexed by the way our country has pretty much completely shut down thanks to Covid-19. Today on...

You can't just tell Californians to stay home. That's impossible. Or it's not possible without some sort of a realistic plan. How about the government also closes banks and puts a freeze on all bill payments while the government tries to find a more reasonable solution? Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I talk about the government's feeble attempt to grab a handle on the Covid-19 situation. Over nine...

The world may never be the same. We are out of control so to try and gain some semblance of normalcy, we have no choice but to rely even more heavily on technology. Zoom, FaceTime, Instagram and YouTube. Our lives literally depend on technology more than ever before and with some thick irony, it feels like tech companies are the only ones benefitting from this crisis. Oh, and Domino's too. Today o...

Well, this is a great talk. The day I recorded this conversation, I felt a sense of anxiety growing inside my body. It was the day after Los Angeles was placed on a virtual lock down, but it's incredible what a face to face conversation can do for my state of mind. Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I am stoked to welcome actress, stuntwoman, personal trainer and all around bad-ass, Rachael Holoway to...

With the coronavirus in full swing seemingly impacting our culture in every imaginable way, I want to try and bring some nuance and thoughtful perspective surrounding Covid-19. I throughly enjoyed the talk I had last night with Internal Medicine physician Dr. Damon Raskin. Dr. Raskin is based in the Pacific Palisades and today on the Spiritual Spiral, you'll hear firsthand how the coronavirus is i...

With this huge cultural shift in how we're living our day to day lives, maybe it's time for some self reflection and a reset. If nothing else, maybe this crises will help us reprioritize our lives and remind us of what's truly important. Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I welcome my friend Marc Mulcahey back to the show. I wanted to check in with Marc and see how he's handling this situation and the...

What do you do or where do you turn to feel human? What do you need to feel seen and important? Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I continue to discuss my personal struggle surrounding the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak. It seems as each day passes, the anxiety and questions swirling around inside my head are only growing stronger. I'm trying to stay positive and find the silver lining but each day, it...

Are we ever really in control of our lives? As hard as we try to micromanage every facet of our life, maybe this pandemic is a harsh truth that we're never really in control. Like most of you, I do as much as I can to try and stay healthy and give myself a sense of control, but are any of us really in the driver's seat? Is mother nature the great equalizer and a reminder of just how fragile and un...