The Downward Facing Spiritual Spiral

Lee Hester (Part 2)

Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I'm excited to welcome back singer/songwriter and producer, Lee Hester, to the show. A few weeks ago, after an hourlong discussion with Lee, I realized we didn't touch on a few topics so I felt compelled to bring him back on the show. Today's episode is Part 2 of my chat with Lee and like the previous episode, all the music features Lee and his band entitled Too Far Moon. Lee and I continue where we left off by talking about creativity, inspiration, juggling marketing with the creative side of songwriting and Lee shares the story behind his band, Too Far Moon.  We also talk about the process of songwriting, working in the studio and we discuss the inspiration behind much of Lee's music.  Be sure to find Lee on IG either at @leehestermusic or @toofarmoon. As always, thanks so much for listening and remember, I'm also very excited to say my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or buy it on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn and on the music side, you can also purchase my new record at eddieconn.bandcamp.com or visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. As always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. 

Golf Stories, a Lump and When Does a Reaction Become an Overreaction?

Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I felt inspired to talk about this potentially confusing and derelict society as we are bombarded with an onslaught of reactions. Quick, let's all react! Opinions everywhere. Comments. Finger pointing galore. Yay! And whether it's the news media or the millions of people scrolling away on Twitter, we live in a galvanizing world filled with myopic opinions and over the top reactions. Fun, fun, fun! With all this noise, does anyone out there have time to turn inward? Maybe take a breath? Instead of screaming and commenting on the news, how about we try listening and maybe try to understand why people react the way they do. I know, sounds super boring compared to screaming an opinion, but maybe a more productive option? I share a few personal anecdotes from the past week about an unusual lump plus some eye-opening stories from the golf course. Lots of screaming, yelling and even some F bombs. Don't worry. It wasn't me.  I also read an excerpt from Liz Phair's brilliant book, Horror Stories, and I play a couple clips from a recent Bill Maher podcast where he talks about the hypocrisy of the entertainment industry. I also end the show by strumming away on my acoustic guitar. As always, thanks so much for listening and remember, I'm also very excited to say my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or buy it on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn and on the music side, you can also purchase my new record at eddieconn.bandcamp.com or visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. As always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks for listening. 

Lee Hester

Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I'm excited to welcome singer/songwriter and producer, Lee Hester, to the show. A few weeks ago, Lee posted a powerful message on Facebook about the complex duality of our culture and he also shared a beautiful new song entitled, Love Can. I truly resonated with Lee's message surrounding our tech-centric society and I also loved his new song so I felt compelled to have Lee on the show. Not only do I end this episode with Lee's new song but all the music on today's episode features Lee and his side project entitled Too Far Moon. Lee and I begin by talking about the inspiration behind a recent post he shared on Facebook and ultimately what inspired him to write new music. We discuss the complex duality and confusion surrounding tech and social media and he shares an eye-opening story about a music publisher's interest in understanding metadata. We discuss the inherent "value" of music and musicians and why Napster and Spotify may have destroyed not only the monetary value of music but also our culture's appreciation of art. We also talk about the process of songwriting and what it means to feel "inspired." It's a thoughtful conversation about some challenging topics and be sure to find Lee on IG either at @leehestermusic or @toofarmoon. As always, thanks so much for listening and remember, I'm also very excited to say my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or buy it on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn and on the music side, you can also purchase my new record at eddieconn.bandcamp.com or visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. As always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. 

Human Nature and the Runaway Train

Life is breathtakingly beautiful but too often unpredictable, unfair and tragic. Meanwhile, moving at a frenetic pace, the news media often doesn't give civilization a chance to catch its collective breath. The worst part? There's likely nothing we can do to stop this frenzied runaway train of life so where does that leave us? Are you going to try to stop the train or are you going to get off at the next stop? The past two weeks, we have been pummeled with one tragic mass shooting after another. The pundits, news commentators and both political sides are offering petty perspective while lambasting each other with myopic solutions to a problem that may never be resolved. Knowing life and human nature can feel like an unbridled runaway train, what do we do to manage our own well being and mental health? Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I touch on some challenging, potentially unsolvable problems as I reflect back on the aftermath of the Uvalde shooting. As horrific as that event was, what is equally frustrating is the societal response. The finger potting, the "commentary" and the rush to judgment is relentless. The system is so broken, can anything be done to fix it? I talk about the onslaught of opinions, the non-stop commentary but what does it take to actually make a societal change. I play some clips from a recent Bari Weiss podcast where she speaks to the wonderfully inspiring, Marianne Williamson. Marianne offers some much needed perspective and I also read an excerpt from a recent article in Bari's Substack entitled, To the Class of 2022. Maybe Don't Reach for the Stars. And I'm excited to say I end today's show by playing a new song on my acoustic guitar. As always, thanks so much for listening and remember, I'm also very excited to say my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or buy it on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn and on the music side, you can also purchase my new record at eddieconn.bandcamp.com or visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. As always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks for listening. 

Gaea Woods

Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I'm thrilled to welcome Marriage & Family Therapist, Gaea Woods, to the show.  Gaea is also a talented artist and freelance photographer and I actually met Gaea over 10 years ago when I was in the studio recording a new record. About seven years ago, she transitioned into the world of therapy where she practices full-time as a licensed therapist. Gaea and I begin by talking about creativity, photography and the challenges one can face dealing with the commerce side of art. Gaea shares the story about why she felt inspired to become a therapist and she even used to host her own podcast talking about relationships. We also discuss social media and mental health, the power of listening, societal and emotional triggers and some of the tools we can all use to try and alleviate stress in our lives. With all the cultural discussions about mental health over the last couple years, I felt it was an appropriate time to speak to Gaea. It's an important discussion and if you're potentially looking to speak to a professional about mental health issues, you can find Gaea in Los Angeles by visiting gaeawoodstherapy.com or click HERE. As always, thanks so much for listening and remember, I'm also very excited to say my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or buy it on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn and on the music side, you can also purchase my new record at eddieconn.bandcamp.com or visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. As always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks for listening. 

Where Does Inspiration Come From/Kauai and Flea

After a little hiatus to celebrate my birthday in Kauai, I'm excited to be back on this week's episode of the Spiritual Spiral Podcast. Lately, I've found myself thinking about the word "inspiration." I spent much of the airplane rides listening to the new Ryan Adams and War on Drugs records. They're both fantastic and they even inspired me to start playing my acoustic guitar. It's been over 5 years since I've played the guitar but something in the universe has drawn me back to playing my acoustic. Where does inspiration come from? I'm not talking about "influencers" or algorithms which are cleverly able to manipulate you to buy something. Inspiration. The impulse to try something new or to be creative. What inspires you? I begin the show by reading an excerpt from Flea's wonderful new memoir entitled Acid for the Children. I share a story about my ridiculous fear of flying and with new records coming out from Kendrick Lamar, The Smile, The Black Keyes and The Chainsmokers,  I wonder if this past week was one of the greatest musical release days in history. Or are we too distracted and too hypnotized by the dizzying blur of information to appreciate the beauty of art, nature and new music? I'm also very excited to say my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or on Amazon by clicking HERE and remember, if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn and you can also purchase my new record at eddieconn.bandcamp.com or visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. As always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks for listening. 

Emily Goodson

Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I'm thrilled to welcome entrepeneur and writer Emily Goodson to the podcast. Truly a wonderful and thought provoking chat as Emily and I touch on a multitude of interesting topics. Emily is the CEO of CultureSmart, a consultancy that helps startups build a more positive and inclusive workplace culture. Emily is also a fantastic writer who's published numerous articles in Medium and she recently had an essay published in the LA Times entitled, I'm A Disabled Woman. Is that a Dating Deal Breaker? It's a powerful story about the traumatic brain injury she suffered at the age of 8 years old and also about the emotional turmoil she's faced in the dating world. Emily and I begin by talking about the overwhelming joy and emotion she felt when seeing her personal story published in the LA Times. She shares powerful stories about her brain injury, losing her ability to speak and move her body and the long arduous process that brought her back to better health. We discuss the duality of life, the yin and yang that comes from living in a world that is beautiful but also incredibly chaotic and unpredictable. Emily talks about this concept of "alpha-ing up" but also holding on to her feminine side as she explores being in an intimate relationship. We talk about navigating the paradoxical nature of tech and social media and some of the challenges many of her clients face with communication in the workplace. We discuss the powerful force of television and how it may shape our perspective on the world and she also tells us what to expect from her as she begins work on her first novel. Be sure to check out her fantastic article in the LA Times by clicking HERE and you can follow and read her articles on Medium by clicking HERE.  Emily can be also found on IG @ecgoodson. As always, thanks so much for listening and remember, I'm also very excited to say my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn and on the music side, you can also purchase my new record at eddieconn.bandcamp.com or visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. As always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks for listening. 

As Netflix Flounders, Severance and Amy Reignite Creativity

This past week, Netflix suffered it's first subscriber loss in more than a decade. Elon Musk blames "woke programming" but I think Netflix's demise is because services like Hulu and Apple TV are simply offering better content. To my eyes, shows on Netflix often feel watered down and predictable so maybe people are tired of the drivel and craving more impactful and unique storylines found in shows like Severance or Life & Beth. Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I begin by talking about Severance and Life & Beth, two of the most interesting, well developed and unique shows I've seen in years. They not only inspired me, but also reignited my hope and belief that people still yearn for high quality and meaningful content. I talk about the disappearance of in-person, three-dimensional communities thanks to social media and I talk about how valuable and enriching it is to hold on to face to face conversations. I play a clip from a recent Bari Weiss podcast where she speaks with author Jonathan Haidt about the impact social media has made on people's values and priorities and how it's given rise to more trolls. I also talk about some of the inspiration behind my new book SSAFY and I end the show by playing a new remix I just released on Spotify. I'm very excited to say my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or on Amazon by clicking HERE and remember, if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn and you can also purchase my new record at eddieconn.bandcamp.com or visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. As always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks for listening.