Episode 124: “Transitions, Chapter Three: Oh, Canada!”
 
Just back from his annual sports-week trip with his buddy, Seth, JDK shares about the lessons he learned from the people he met in places like Detroit, Michigan and Toronto, Canada. These got him thinking – why do we choose to be as we are? Why do some of us choose kindness and courtesy and others the opposite? What is it about our friendships that teach us so much about ourselves and about human nature vs nurture? Take a listen and hear why a sports trip can be about so much more than sports. 

Episode 123: “Transitions, Chapter Two – The Big 5-0”
 
This week, JDK turns 50 and takes a look back at all the reasons why he is grateful fire all he’s learned and experienced so far in life, and why he’s excited for what’s next!

Episode 122: “Transitions, Chapter One” 
 
With so many autumn transitions underway or approaching, JDK asks listeners to step back for a minute and examine two things – how they respond to the changes that are constant, and what values they identify as key to holding onto as navigation through change. We can learn alot about ourselves – and others – in such self-examination. In the end, isn’t this really so much of what life is really about? 

Episode 121: “Projecting about ‘Socialism’ – Just Stop It Already”
 
Following up on the feedback he received from last week, JDK digs into all the ways in which commentators on all sides of the political spectrum misunderstand the idea of Socialism, and how they erroneously use the term as both a slur and as a target for emulation or condemnation. Bringing us back to the core focus of respecting the integrity and value of every human being, JDK posits a full-throated call to a decidedly different focus, no matter where we stand on the political and social spectrums. 
 

Episode 120: “Methinks Doth Projects Too Much”
 
In a hard hitting episode about history, JDK lays out an energetic defense of why and how the recent indictments of former president Trump are not anywhere close to resembling the judiciary systems in Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union. Along the way, he also lays out why using such comparisons is corrosive and harmful to our individual and collective connections to reality and to ourselves. 

Episode 119: “Reframing Wellness – A Conversation with Jill Beck”
 
JDK welcomes a special guest to this week’s show – Jill Beck, founder and CEO of “Go Long”, a Wellness Concierge service. Jill focuses on the “Sandwich Generation” of people (40s / 50s), who often are taking care of kids and parents and putting their own health last in their lists of “to do’s” Jill helps cut through that by helping people connect with what truly matters in their day-to-day lives, what they want to be doing in the future, and finds them the idea people and professionals with which to work to reach their goals. After listening to this stimulating conversation, be sure to reach out to Jill using the links below. And, if you mention that you found about her on this show, she will give you a 20% off discount! 
 
http://golong.me/
 
http://golong.substack.com/
 
jill@golong.me

Episode 118: “Whose Side Are You On, Anyway?”
 
JDK focuses this week on a story about Nancy Cunard, an early-twentieth century European intellectual and writer who challenged her fellow writers to take a stand by openly stating their “side” in the Spanish Civil War (1937-39), which pitted a democratically elected left-wing government against the fascist-driven Nationalist movement led by Francisco Franco. For Cunard, it was vital for leading thinkers then to take sides in the larger ideological struggle epitomized by the Spanish Civil War. How applicable is that question to us today in the midst of the political and ideological battles going on in the US, and the literal battles being fought in Ukraine and being threatened in Asia? JDK explores where history can and cannot guide us on this question, and asks us to take a good look at ourselves before we “take a side” on these – and any other – important matters. 

Episode 117: “When Square Scrubbers Don’t Work” 
 
This week, JDK asks us to consider why we tend to unify with one another over news-breaking tragedies rather than over the day-in-day-out gifts and commonalities of life. Why do we lose our sense of unity with others so quickly after a tragedy? What would it look like if we recalibrated our perceptions of – and approaches to – those with whom we disagree? Using a story from a famous near-tragedy, JDK challenges us to take a better look at ourselves and our capacity for connection and change. 

JDK relays a story about his recent road trip through rural America, where he found himself in conversations and situations that illuminated a lot about how some define freedom, how others practice it, and how we all understand it for ourselves and for others. In light of the recent Supreme Court rulings, such an examination of what we all mean by “freedom” can tell us a lot about ourselves and, perhaps, about how we want to be going forward. 

Episode 115: “A Future Needs a Past” 
 
On this Juneteenth, JDK explores the story of Opal Lee, an activist who led the charge to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. Her story is one of overcoming racism and violence, and one of patient – if urgent – advocacy and perseverance. In short, it is a decidedly human story that we can all connect with, should we so choose. 
 
Remember to visit and contribute to our show sponsor, Airway Science for Kids, at airsci.org
 
For ways to continue providing assistance, please consider contributing your money, time, and / or talents to uaws.org and supportukrainenow.org