261 Spirituality, Politics and Self Love with Marielena Ferrer

On this month’s installment of Spirituality and Politics, Marielena and I discuss the latest big media campaign for Jesus, “He Gets Us.” We share our thoughts on the goals of this campaign and what it might mean for Christianity. Is this a good thing? Will it really begin to behave like Jesus, and love thy neighbor? Naturally this leads us to talk about cults, but in a productive way, I hope. We talk about the points from this New Yorker article about how people find themselves in high demand groups and why it’s hard to leave. How invested are we in our beliefs? What do we sacrifice by not allowing them to evolve with us? Somehow we got on the subject of Madonna and ageism which in a way relates to our final conversation on self love. We leave you with a self love, Valentine’s Day, challenge to look yourself in the mirror and say, “I love you.” Can you do it fully naked in front of a body mirror? That’s some powerful self love!

Plus, Warren and Manuel share top influential women in history. Can you do better than me at guessing them?

Today’s show was engineered by Ian Seda from Radiokingston.org.

Our show music is from Shana Falana!

Feel free to email me, say hello: she@iwantwhatshehas.org

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211 Spirituality and Politics with Marielena Ferrer “Valentine’s Day Edition”

It’s the second Mo(o)nday of the month which means Marielena Ferrer returns for another talk about Spirituality and Politics, the Valentine’s Day edition. We stumble through the messy history of the day and talk about how we feel about it, debate a bit about how to handle the day if you don’t have/want a romantic partner which brings us back to ways of celebrating the day, self-love, Galentine’s, etc. regardless of your dating status. I then perform my annual ceremony to commit to oneself which Marielena happily plays along with. Here’s the I ME WED ceremony recorded for you.

The Full Moon is Wednesday so we then spend a little time at the end of the show talking about the predictions and suggestions of this Full Moon Astrology.

Here’s the link to artist submissions mentioned by Marielena.

Thanks to Ian Seda from Radio Kingston for engineering today’s show!

Our show music is from Shana Falana !!!

Feel free to email me, say hello: she@iwantwhatshehas.org

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205 Nancy Graham and Louisa Finn “Love and Mohonk Consultations”

Nancy Graham serves on the board of Mohonk Consultations and the arts council of The Lace Mill, where they live in Midtown Kingston. They have worked or volunteered for numerous nonprofits related to social justice, alternative media, theatre, film, and writing. Poet/writer/visual artist under the name Nancy O. Graham; actor under the name Noa Graham. Her most recent theatre project was Orchid Receipt Service, starring Asia Kate Dillon, at Theater MITU580 in Brooklyn, pre-pandemic. Most recent film project is a short called Elegy for a Glacier, about an environmental activist and her glaciologist daughter forced to face off about the construction of a ski resort in the Rockies.

Louisa Finn is a  Hudson Valley native, whose mother was a member of the Quaker Smiley family of Mohonk Mountain House, and father a Russian Jewish pianist from the Bronx.  She has spent her life thus far actively engaged in learning what it is to be human and to be herself.  She works as a Speech/Language Pathologist and Reading Tutor, and clinical instructor at SUNY New Paltz.  She is on the Board of Mohonk Consultations, where she serves as Administrative Coordinator, and Sky Lake Shambhala Center Buddhist Retreat.  She writes poetry, and is creating a forest garden in her front yard.

Today we’re talking about Love and a myriad of related and thought provoking subjects. Nancy and Louisa share about their first memories of love and how they relate to the word which takes us into the realm of spiritual materialism, caring for others, and being a mother.  The show is inspired by bell hooks and her writings on love and self love/self worth so we dive into self-love as Louisa and Nancy share their own process to love themselves better as well as how self-love relates to caring for others and being a woman. We then leave the personal towards the end of the show to talk about the public and how the work of Mohonk Consultations is cultivating love in its own way, bringing folks together to collaborate, lifting voices, and caring for land and others. We leave you with a call for your own definition or thoughts on Love.  bell hooks herself seemed to have a few, “love is the action we take on behalf of our own or another’s spiritual growth…” “love is a combination of trust, commitment, care, respect, knowledge and responsibility…” So, what say you?

Thanks to Ian Seda from Radio Kingston for engineering today’s show!

Our show music is from Shana Falana !!!

Feel free to email me, say hello: she@iwantwhatshehas.org

** Please: SUBSCRIBE to the pod and leave a REVIEW wherever you are listening, it helps other users FIND IT

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201 Isis Benitez “I’m Worthy”

On today’s show I share my very real conversation with Isis Benitez, a 22 year old woman who is struggling with loving her body for how it looks. She has struggled time and time again with thinking that she is “fat” (a term she uses). Benitez’s biggest struggle is when she tries to love herself so much but thinks her stomach is the problem. She sees herself as being a big girl, and therefore she made the Instagram account called @_im.worthy_ to help her in this process. She wants to be able to be her 100% authentic self and not be ashamed of her body. With the body image struggle, Benitez also struggles with the fear of saying “No” to others and letting other people down. A lot of this has to do with how society sees Women in America and the expectations and pressure to have to look and act a certain way. Now Isis Benitez is able to speak out on what is truly affecting her with loving herself and loving being a woman.

Here’s the info on Circle Creative Collective’s “Holiday Makers Market.”

Today’s show was engineered by Ian Seda of Radio Kingston, www.radiokingston.org.

We heard music from our fave, Shana Falana, http://www.shanafalana.com/

Plus here’s the playlist of songs for those of you who are listening on the pod.

Feel free to email me, say hello: she@iwantwhatshehas.org

Leave me a voicemail with your thoughts or a few words about who has what you want and why! (845)481-3429

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#133 Anna Hafner “Artist in the New World Pandemic”

Anna Hafner is a multi-disciplinary artist, working in the areas of costume, painting, performance art, illustration, lo-fi installation and DIY puppetry. She is a creator of occasional rituals and happenings.

Anna’s performance art manifests in two ways: first, as a colorful pantheon of costumed creatures, who live amongst hand painted backdrops filled with verdant textures; second, darker solo performances, using waste to question human excess and societal control of the feminine. She uses tactics of mime, Butoh and improv to lead performance rituals.  Anna’s costume and mask work are made with recycled mixed media and trash is often incorporated within each performance, through set, prop or costume.  Imagery of her performances are echoed within her illustrations, paintings, prints and backdrops; they are expressive and mystical, honoring nature through symbol and landscape.

Drawing on esoteric ideas, mythic symbolism and nature, Anna’s work aims to speak abstractly and emotionally about the greater struggle of excessive waste within society, the destruction of nature, uncontrolled human greed, and our lost connection with the Earth.

Today we talk about lots of important stuff like… identity, being a performance artist during a time when there are no performances, shifting her studio and work during COVID, teaching art, the healing power of creating, hope, mental health, self love, her creative process, self care, taking care of the earth and bunches more.

You can join Anna’s Patreon HERE and get access to all goodies she so generously births into this world and follow her on IG here! Oh and Anna recommends checking out Taraka Larson’s “The Now Age.”

Today’s show was engineered by Manuel Blas of La Dosis Perfecta.

Our show music is from Shana Falana !!!

Feel free to email me, say hello: she@iwantwhatshehas.org

Leave me a voicemail with your thoughts or a few words about who has what you want and why! (845) 481-3429

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#132 Talking Socially Distanced Yoga with Juliana Machado, Jacquelyn Nash and Carisa Borrello

Joining me on the show today are the following passionate and generous teachers…

Juliana Machado (E-RYT 500) is a native of Brazil, who moved to New York in 2000 where she was introduced to yoga. She has taken 4 yoga teacher trainings since then: Ashtanga Primary Series a 200 Hour TT (2001), Forrest Yoga a 200 Hour TT (2006), and “Life of a Yogi” 500 Hour TT with Sri Dharma Mittra (2012), and the 800 Hour “Life of a Yogi” with Sri Dharma Mittra (2013). Juliana considers herself to be a lifelong student who is lucky enough to share and teach her lessons learned on this sacred science with all those who wish to receive it. She has taught in New York, Florida, California and in South America for the past 18. Juliana believes yoga is the “house of no judgement” where one of the best things a student can do is to practice as often as possible and never give up. Her teaching style comes from a belief in empowerment of the higher self and observance of the yoga ethical rules on and off the mat. She tailors her classes to fit needs of the ones in the room, so everyone in her class receives the maximum benefit from their time spent on the mat. With a background in contemporary dance and awareness through the movement, Juliana blends her artistic experience with her love of yoga, creating a unique space for self-exploration and discovery through the practice and power of yoga. Juliana believes that the highest we go, the easier it gets as we walk the path of yoga. After offering her classes widely across the globe, Juliana put roots down and opened Yoga Path for Healing in Catskill in 2017.

Jacquelyn Nash is a yoga teacher and co-owner of The Yoga House. With her roots and practice firmly grounded in the Ashtanga lineage, Jacquelyn’s classes draw from the foundational principles of that practice but also incorporate the softer and therapeutic applications of yoga that she has absorbed through various trainings. Jacquelyn teaches with the intention to make yoga accessible to all people and to demystify the “secret language” of yoga. Inspired by the light-heartedness but also sincerity of many of her teachers, Jacquelyn’s approach to sharing yoga is nurturing, compassionate, and seasoned with a touch of humor. Jacquelyn also owns and manages Hudson Valley Wedding Yoga, which organizes yoga classes for weddings, bachelorette parties, and special events.

Carisa Borrello is the director and owner of The Living Seed, which opened its doors to the Hudson Valley Community in the summer of 2000. Carisa is certified in Sivananda Yoga, Somatic Yoga, Yoga Tune Up, completed the Forrest Yoga foundation course and two Advanced Teacher Training Courses with Ana Forrest, Gil Headly’s 6 Day Human Dissection Workshop and is initiated into the path of Andean Mysticism with Elizabeth Jenkins and Don Juan Nunez Del Prado. She is a certified Hanna Somatic Educator (CHSE) from The Novato Institute for Somatic Research and Training, and a level 6 Student and level 1 Instructor of I Liq Chuan, the Martial Art of Awareness, a family style Kung Fu based on principles of Tai Chi and Zen philosophy. Carisa is eternally grateful for the devotion, wisdom and insight that all of her teachers and ancestors have shared with her. Their passion for their arts, for healing the human spirit and mending the hoop of the people are a daily inspiration. She is honored to practice and share the art of  Hanna Somatics, Yoga and the Internal Arts- they are gifts – bringing us back to ourselves so we can heal, love and grow to express our highest potential. Carisa creates a sanctuary, a sacred place for people to deepen their relationship to their spirits through movement, mindfulness, meditation and creative expression.

Today these ladies share how and why they got into yoga, how they became yoga teachers and then eventually yoga studio owners. We checked in on how they are doing business now with COVID forcing the closing of their physical spaces. They are all offering classes virtually and in person outdoors with some on demand options at the Living Seed and The Yoga House. They of course also offer private sessions and if you were inspired by Carisa’s sharing of Hanna Somatics, she is also doing private sessions outdoors at her home and her studio which for pain management and other needs. They happily share how yoga has changed their lives for the better and offer ways to stay connected to the present moment versus in fear or anxiety during these uncertain times we are all navigating.

Because we broadcast out of Kingston, NY, I wanted to also recognize the other Kingston based studios, The Hot Spot offering outdoor and online classes, and Yoga Lab offering online classes.

Today’s show was engineered Nick Panken host of Freedom Highway from radiokingston.org

Our show music is from Shana Falana !!!

Feel free to email me, say hello: she@iwantwhatshehas.org

Leave me a voicemail with your thoughts or a few words about who has what you want and why! (845) 481-3429

** Please: SUBSCRIBE to the pod and leave a REVIEW wherever you are listening, it helps other users FIND IT

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#56 Megan Offner (NY Heartwoods) / Erica Chase-Salerno (Thank You Cancer) “Living and Dying On Your Own Terms”

Hello to you, and happy Feb 13th, the day before Valentines Day, which we like to think of as ‘self-love day.’ Yes, Girl Talk is about Valentine’s Day, but not in the way you THINK we’re going to talk about it. Theresa had a One Billion Rising event this last weekend, which not only raised money for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, but also the one and only Eve Ensler came and married everyone to themself. Eeeee! You can watch the video of the event speakers HERE. If you want ALL the vows, send us an email.

Our first guest today is Megan Offner of New York Heart Woods. Her company consciously produces lumber, live-edge slabs, furniture and retail displays from fallen and urban Hudson Valley trees. Yet another amazingly creative person coming from Brooklyn, creating a life out of the world of set design and DJ’ing in the city. Yes she was raised in Missoula MT, yes she renovated a crack house in Ocean Hill Brooklyn, yes she researched green building materials, yes she invested in her own education… started her own business in Brooklyn and moved up to the Hudson Valley. Heck YES! She’s been clear from the beginning to stay true to her passions and principles. She learned through some ups and downs, a bout with skin cancer and an awareness of the roles the masculine versus the feminine has played in her life to also stay true to her own needs. She’s a true model for how we can all both live and work sustainably not only for ourselves but for our world.

Our second guest today is Shana’s dear friend Erica Chase-Salerno. Erica is a force, a healer, a writer, a mother, a lover of life and connection. She gifted her community and family with a dynamic and diverse view of the world, working with new mothers with Wyld Acres Healing Arts & Prenatal Communication, working with families as an intuitive, homeschooling her own kids, and always exploring creative projects, outings and activities. It’s no wonder that her own backyard labyrinth inspired a dedication to her at The Forsyth Nature Center. Prepare yourselves, Erica talks about the GIFT of Cancer, the CAN in cancer, each new chapter a gift. Ever since we (her friends and family) learned about her cancer, we were not aloud to use certain language. We were instructed to lose the ‘fight cancer’ lingo, the ‘I’m so sorry for you’ offerings, instead we were all encouraged to join her in her wonder and joy, her excitement and her desire to share every detail of her experiencing this part of her LIFE.  Shana knew that Erica would be down to do an interview to share her story with us one last time, so she sat with her bedside, wheeling the breathing machine into the hallways (although you can still hear it).  The entire interview  (one hour and 40 minutes) is available to all who what it, you can email: she@iwantwhatshehas.org. It is meant to offer you a positive story of death, dying, cancer, and what it’s like to do the ultimate transition with grace and joy. Erica passed away 6 days after this interview, Feb 7th, 2019.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Erica’s loving memory to her children’s education fund by mailing checks made payable to Michael Chase-Salerno to PO Box 300, Modena, NY 12548. Write “education” in the memo. Online tributes and remembrances may be posted at https://erica.chasal.net.

You can read her obituary HERE.

Her TMI reading starts us off and you can watch that HERE.

Today’s show was engineered by Manuel Blas from Radio Kingston. We heard audio from Ashley Knox from this past weekend’s 1st Annual Sojourner Truth Walk, and music from our one and only Shana Falana. Until next week, love yourself and uplift one another.

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