Audacious with Chion Wolf

Medical aid in dying offers what some may call “a good death”. But how will the increased use of it change our relationship with dying?

Meet a hospice and palliative care consultant who has been present for over 1,500 deaths, and hear his concerns about the effect of so-called “designer deaths” on the human species.

Then, hear from a woman living with terminal cancer who is an enthusiastic advocate for passing Medical Aid-In-Dying legislation in Connecticut.

GUESTS: 

• Stephen Jenkinson: An author, activist and palliative and hospice care consultant. He is the author of Die Wise: A Manifesto for Sanity and Soul, and he is the founder of the Orphan Wisdom School.
• Lynda Bluestein: A Bridgeport resident who has terminal cancer. She’s actively working to get “Medical Aid in dying” legislation passed in Connecticut.

Photo: Getty Images

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What's it like being an environmental activist who takes a vow of silence for 17 years?

What's life like as a Trappist monk who defaults to silence for a lifetime?

And what's it like to be a public radio host who gives up speaking for a week? The voice in Chion's head narrates the experience, and you'll hear audio she collected along the way.

GUESTS: 

• John Francis: an environmental activist who took a 17 year vow of silence when he was 27
• Brother Paul Quenon: a Trappist monk and poet at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky
• Chion Wolf: the host of Audacious who went without speaking for one week

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This is a bonus track from the first time Chion Wolf spoke after a week-long vow of silence.

It was for an episode of Audacious featuring two people who've had their own vows of silence, including an environmental activist who didn't speak for 17 years (with the exception of one time), and a Trappist monk, whose lifestyle defaults to silence.

This video of this moment is also available here: ctpublic.org/audacious.

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The most common name in the United States is Smith, and if that's your surname, you'll have around 4.5 million others in the world to share it with.

But just because you have a popular name like, say, Pat Smith, that doesn’t mean that you’re common!

The four Pat Smiths you’ll meet are unique: an environmental activist, an adventurous videographer, an African-American kindergarten teacher in Japan, and a beloved mentor who taught me in 3rd and 5th grade.

Enjoy the Pat Smith Show!

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The odds that you’ll be in an airplane crash are about 1 in 1.2 million. The odds you’ll die that way? 1 in 11 million. So what’s it like being someone who made it through something like that?

On today’s show, hear stories from two people who did, including a military pilot, and a woman who was one of only two survivors of a crash that claimed 107 lives.

GUESTS: 

• Kechi Okwuchi: author of More Than My Scars, a memoir about being one of the two survivors in a 2005 plane crash that claimed 107 lives. Her debut album is called Kechi.
• Jamie Hull: author of Life On A Thread, a memoir about surviving after a plane crash in 2007

PHOTO: Songphol Thesakit/Getty Images

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It’s one thing to have a hard time with parenthood. But what if you wholeheartedly regret it?

On this Gracie Award-winning episode, hear from two parents who feel this way, and find out how they balance feeling full of regret while wanting to make sure their kids are well taken care of. And is it really possible to love someone whom they regret bringing into existence?

You’ll also meet a woman who knew she was regretted, and find out why she thinks we should be more open about it.

GUESTS: 

• "Anna": The mother to a 1 year-old and a 4-year old, from Iowa
• "Tracy": The mother of a 9 year-old, from Maryland
• Sarah K. Brandis: The author of The Musings of an Elective Orphan. She also writes for Medium and The Virago

Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate.

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This episode of Audacious is tops!

You’re gonna meet the first African-American to summit Everest, the world’s first candidate to consider transplanting his head onto a different body, and how teachers and students of a special education school in the UK beat the world record for the tallest stack of hats worn for at least 30 seconds!

GUESTS: 

• Sophia Danenberg: The first African-American and first Black woman to reach the peak of Mount Everest
• Val Spiridonov: A candidate to be the first person to have his head transplanted on a donor body 
• Julie Lee, Leanne Underwood, Hannah Neville: Guinness World Record holders for tallest stack of hats worn for more than 30 seconds

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On past episodes of our Audacious Love series, we’ve talked with people who’ve been married for over 50 years, people who’ve fallen in love with synthetic companions, people who’ve fallen love with objects, and today, you’ll meet four people who are married to spirits, ancestors, or gods.

GUESTS: 

• Dr. Megan Rose: An initiated ceremonial magician, a Shakta Tantric practitioner, and the author of Spirit Marriage: Intimate Relationships with Otherworldly Beings. She serves as an ordained interfaith minister and psycho-spiritual counselor and is the executive director of the Entheosis Institute
• Caroline Kenner: A professional Witch and Tarotiste, a teacher of visionary healing methods, and a spiritual healer also known as the Washington Witchdoctor. Caroline is a founder of The Fool's Dog, a Tarot app publishing company.  She is married to multiple spirits
• Dr. Monica Mody: A transdisciplinary poet, writer, educator and spiritual practitioner whose border-crossing praxis lives at the intersections of earth-based wisdom, whole person philosophy, and embodied regenerative consciousness
• Orion Foxwood: A traditional witch, conjure-man, "Eco-Magical Activist", faery seer; author of The Faery Teachings, The Tree of Enchantment, Mountain Conjure and Southern Rootwork and The Flame in the Cauldron. He is the founder of the House of Brigh Faery Seership Institute, a co-founder of Conjure-Craft, and Witches in the Woods gatherings in California

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How do you define forgiveness?

Turns out, the definition tends to be as different as every person. And that definition changes depending on where you are in the process, too!

On this episode of Audacious, Chion talks about it with a best friend, a pastor, a philosopher, and a man who lost his face after getting hit by a drunk driver.

You’ll also hear ponderings on forgiveness from some of our Audacious listeners!

GUESTS: 

• Sarah Eyre: A Willimantic-based textile artist
• Rev. Dr. Shelley Best: CEO of the Greater Hartford Arts Council
• Robert Chelsea: The first African-American full-face transplant recipient
• Everick Brown: Robert Chelsea’s godson and the spokesperson for the Robert Chelsea Foundation
• David Whyte: Poet, philosopher, speaker, and author of Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment, and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words

Photo: Oscar Wong / Getty Images

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On the most recent episode of Audacious, we talked about the definition of forgiveness. It seems like every person has their own interpretation of it, and how we define it often defines us. 

David Whyte is a philosopher, poet, speaker, and author of Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment, and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words. He begins our conversation by reading the passage on forgiveness in that book.

You can experience more of his work at davidwhyte.com

Go ahead and check out the full episode on forgiveness, featuring perspectives from our Audacious listeners. You’ll hear from a pastor whose brother spent her entire million dollar inheritance, and a conversation about forgiveness with a man who needed a full face transplant after getting hit by a drunk driver. 

That’s right here in your podcast feed, or at ctpublic.org/audacious. 

We'd love to hear your thoughts on forgiveness for another installment of this show! Send a voice memo or video on the social medias @chionwolf, or email [email protected].

Audacious is produced at Connecticut Public Radio in Hartford by Chion Wolf, Jessica Severin de Martinez, and Catie Talarski, with help from our interns, Michayla Savitt and Sara Gasparotto.

Photo: Bodi Hallett

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