The Downward Facing Spiritual Spiral

Passively Numb And The Netflix Effect On Cinema

The biggest hurdle movie theaters and entertainers have these days is getting people out of the house. Are we lazy by nature? Do humans simply love the convenience of being spoon fed easy to digest information while staying home? Are subscription services a good thing or merely ruining originality and human's ability to create something different? Is technology making you passive or active? Today on the Spiritual Spiral Podcast, I talk about this concept of living in a day and age where we have access to too much information. There are too many TV shows, too many subscription services, too many podcasts and too much music to consume. We don't possibly have the time to consume everything so we end up staring at our phones while we drive, while we walk down the street or while we eat dinner and it ultimately creates a numbing effect. I also talk about the impact Netflix is having on cinema and how if Martin Scorsese, one of the greatest filmmakers of all time has to rely on Netflix to get his film produced, is this a sign we are reaching the end of cinema. Will movie theaters be a thing of the past? Will people no longer be interested in turning off the convenience of Netflix in order to go out and "experience" a movie in the theater? If you dig the show, please remember to share it with your friends or head on over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by visiting my Patreon page. Thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. 

Instagram Doesn't Care About Your Mental Health

Today on the Spiritual Spiral Podcast, I felt inspired to briefly talk about the toxic and destructive nature behind tech and especially Instagram. Yesterday, Instagram announced this coming week they're going to experiment with hiding the number of "likes" on profile posts in America, so I felt inspired to talk about Instagram's true intent behind this idea of "hiding likes." The CEO says they're doing it because they care about user's mental health but do you really believe that? i certainly don't. Instagram cares about making money and keeping you addicted to their platform. I also talk about some of the day to day chaos I've been witnessing lately and I play a clip from the Joe Rogan Show where he's speaking with Edward Norton. They're talking about riding motorcycles and why Edward feels much safer riding in New York as opposed to Los Angeles. The reason? Because every time he looks to his left or right while he is riding, he constantly sees people staring at their phones while driving. If you dig the show, please remember to share it with your friends or head on over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by visiting my Patreon page. Thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. 

David Gaumé

Music Mixer and Audio Engineer David Gaumé joins me on the Spiritual Spiral Podcast. David has spent the last few years on the road working as the front of house audio engineer for some incredibly successful and well-known bands including Garbage, Failure, Local Natives, Fleet Foxes and one of my favorite bands, Other Lives. David is originally from Kansas City and from a very young age, whether performing in bands or working behind the scenes as a tour manager and engineer, he has always had a love for music. He currently lives in Los Angeles and we talk about this idea of feeling "at home" even when you're on the road for months on end. David shares stories about what a typical day for him looks like before, during and after an artist goes on stage. He shares stories about what it's like living on the road and we discuss technology and how tech has evolved and changed over the years especially in the music industry. We discuss the pros and cons of social media and why it may be more important than ever for bands to spend their free time connecting with fans so they don't "fall off the radar." We also talk about his early days in Kansas City, his first band and what led him to become a full time mixer and audio engineer. If you dig the show, please remember to share it with your friends or head on over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by visiting my Patreon page. Thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. 

Phantasmagoria, Parasite, Ellen And The Complexity Of A Tweet

Today on the Spiritual Spiral Podcast, I felt inspired to touch on numerous different topics including this idea of living in a phantasmagorian world where there is so much chaos, we don't know what is real or fake anymore. California is burning up engulfed in flames, New York City is overwhelmed with traffic thanks to Amazon, Ellen Degeneres has to run to Twitter to explain why she's friends with George W. Bush, Daryl Morey's tweet may cost the NBA millions of dollars and the hypocrisy of Lebron James. I also talk about this incredible new movie called Parasite and how it may be one of the best movies I've ever seen. If you dig the show, please remember to share it with your friends or head on over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by visiting my Patreon page. Next week I welcome David Gaume to the show and as always, thanks so much for listening to the show. 

Social Media is "Artificial Sweetener"

Today on The Spiritual Spiral Podcast, I felt inspired to record a quick episode after listening to a podcast where Marc Maron is speaking with Edward Norton. Most of the interview is pretty insightful and I recommend you take a listen to the show but I was really struck by Edward's thoughts regarding the impact of social media. He refers to social media as "artificial sweetener." I play a clip from the show and I also talk about this idea of how sharing is no longer about caring. If you dig the show, please share it with your friends or head on over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by visiting my Patreon page. Next week I welcome David Gaume to the show and as always, thanks so much for listening to the show. 

Julie Scott

Author/Life Coach Julie Scott joins me today on The Spiritual Spiral Podcast. I met Julie about seven years ago in a yoga class in Santa Monica where I was introduced to her by a mutual friend. Right away I was impressed by her friendly demeanor and her positive and contagious energy. Julie was born in New York but she has spent the last 35 years of her life in Southern California where she resides in the Palm Springs area. She is currently a Life Coach and she just finished writing her first book called This Time It's About You. We talk about her upbringing, being the youngest of four daughters and this concept of "being heard" in a large family. She shares stories about her first marriage and the intimate moment when she told her husband she wanted to leave him. She also talks about what inspired her to write such a personal book and ultimately why she quit her job to become a full time life coach. Julie and I also talk about the impact of technology, cell phones and Instagram on our culture and how it may be more challenging than ever to sit still and listen to your voice. You can purchase Julie's book on her website Itsabouttimebaby.com or by visiting Amazon. If you enjoy the show, please share it with friends or head on over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by visiting my Patreon page. Thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. 

New York, Loneliness And The Sound Inside

I just returned from a quick vacation back in Ohio and New York visiting my family so today on The Spiritual Spiral Podcast, I felt inspired to share stories and thoughts from my trip and talk about the puzzling behavior I witnessed while I was away. Whether it's passengers on an airplane looking at Instagram during take off, people staring at their phones while working out at the gym, chefs looking at their phones while cooking, or people walking into each other on the streets of New York, I talk about these cultural trends and wonder if anything can be done to stop it. I also share thoughts about a wonderful new play I watched in New York called The Sound Inside written by Adam Rapp and starring Mary Louise-Parker. I was struck by the play's theme of loneliness, anxiety and technology's impact on the loneliness epidemic found in America. If you enjoy the show, please share it with friends or head on over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by visiting my Patreon page. Thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. 

Stevie Finedore

Today I'm stoked to welcome yoga teacher/model Stevie Finedore to The Spiritual Spiral Podcast. Stevie currently teaches yoga at Alo Yoga in Beverly Hills and she is also the founder of The Limitless Society, a community that offers connection, growth, physicality and inspiration. Stevie is originally from Chicago and while she currently specializes in yoga, yoga sculpt and boxing, her first passion from a young age was dance and ballet. She eventually moved to New York to pursue modeling and after a visit to Coachella a few years back, Stevie packed her bags and moved to Los Angeles. We talk about growing up in the dance and modeling world and the stress that can come from being a part of those industries. We discuss anxiety, social media, fitness, what drew her to yoga and how she ended up teaching at Alo Yoga. Be sure to follow Stevie on Instagram @steviefinedore and if you enjoy the show, please share it with friends or head on over to iTunes and write a review. You an also support the show directly by visiting my Patreon page. As always, thanks so much for supporting and listening to the show.