Awake to Wonder: Live like you mean it!

Awake to Wonder's Season 1 Finale is here!

To wrap up a WONDER-ful season of guests, Jonathan and I recap our favorite moments of the season, share the story behind the podcast intro song, and talk about one of the most important places to find wonder: in marriage.

Feat. special guest Joe Wistrcill (aka Reverse Mechanic).

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Connect us to great guests for Season 2: [email protected]

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Send in your WOW wonder moments! What stood out to you from our guests this season? What new appreciation for wonder have you experienced? What moments of awe have transpired in your life lately? Send them to us! [email protected]. We will share a few on our season finale next week!

Within our experience of wonder, when we encounter something beautiful, there is almost something transcendent about it. On this week's episode, we explore with Fr. Brian Larkin, host of the Gregorian Rant podcast, the spiritual components to beauty and wonder, and how it can speak to our deepest desires.

"Just like we know in our world that if you stand for truth, there's going to be a battle. If you stand for goodness, there's going to be a battle. We oftentimes don't think we have to battle for beauty…but we do. There's a lot of ugliness in the world, and we don't just have to appreciate beauty, we actually have to fight for it. We have to be willing to sacrifice for it." -Fr. Brian Larkin

Send us a wonder moment or connect us to guests: [email protected]

Website: www.awaketowonder.com

We are the first generation to have access to our genome data. Our genomes make up the story and wonderment of who we are as human species.

Combining information from human genomes with poetic visualization, Lynn Fellman combines art and story to illuminate the beauty and benefit of evolutionary science.

In this episode we learn:

• How some genes have codes for extra sensory powers and could reveal rare life-enhancing mutations that only you possess
• The story and evolution of "jumping genes" and how this can be used as a tool for gene discovery in cancer.

"There is grandeur in this view of life from so simple a beginning. Endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved." - Charles Darwin

• Lynn Fellman: LynnFellman.com and shop her work: https://lynnfellman.com/shop/
• National Institute of Health's free "All of Us" program: https://allofus.nih.gov
• Genetic variations for synesthesia: https://www.pnas.org/content/115/12/3168

Send in a wonder moment or connect us to a guest: [email protected]

Website: www.awaketowonder.com

"The laws of nature remind us that no matter how long, seeds do grow. Push through long enough to see your seeds grow." - Andrena Sawyer

See all Wonder Wednesday content: www.awaketowonder.com

Send us your wonder moments: [email protected]

Meet Ava through the eyes of her sister, Ashlyn Frederick, Executive Director at The Mission Project for adults with developmental disabilities. Ava has Down Syndrome, the most common chromosomal disorder in the U.S. Ava lives life with constant wonder, teaching us to celebrate our achievements and never give up.

"We should all have courage to do something that we want to, regardless of how small it seems—and find joy in that and be brave. That's what Ava and other children and adults with disabilities have taught me."

Send in a wonder moment or connect us with a guest: [email protected]

Website: www.awaketowonder.com

As your end of the month recap and reflection, special guest Joe Wistrcill joins us to dive into the future of Space Tourism, Mangrove Trees, and our WOWs from the week.

We take a look at the future of space travel which YOU can reserve a front row seat to! With recent news coming out from Worldview Aerospace Company, a gentle ride through the stratosphere to see the wonders of the world from the edge of space, will soon be possible.

Tune in for this World of Wonder segment.

Send in a Wonder Moment or connect us to guests: [email protected]

Website: www.awaketowonder.com

"Oh no, a bee!" You may not have a very positive association with bees…don't they sting? Fun fact: not all bees do. And without their help, our entire planet's terrain would look different, and many of your favorite foods would be essentially nonexistent. Think you know all the buzz on bees? Learn more wonders of these amazing creatures and how they can even teach us how to be more selfless and contribute to the common good. In this podcast episode we're chatting with Tierney Monahan, Beekeeper and Author of "Beyond Honey."

In this episode, we explore:

• "The flight of the bumblebee": The wonderful and necessary "symphony" of pollination
• What's actually going on in a beehive?
• What health and wellness properties do honey and other beehive products bring us?
• What can bees teach us humans?

Don't forget to subscribe and comment!

"Beyond Honey" book: https://www.tierneymonahan.com/

Send in a wonder moment or connect us with a guest: [email protected]

Website: www.awaketowonder.com

On this episode, our guest Dan Purkapile, cabinetmaker to casket designer, takes us through why he decided to beautify his mother's casket when she became ill, and what the designs he chose represent about his beliefs around death and hope. Earning his title - "Cabinet-making Philosopher on Beauty" - we expand beyond cabinets to Roman art, space exploration and why caskets make us so uncomfortable.

Capstone Woodworking: capstonewoodworking.com

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Send us a potential guest or a wonder moment: [email protected]

Through the eyes is how many of us begin the incredible encounter with the wonders of the world. The miracle of vision is one of the greatest gifts we have as humans; and yet, our eyes do much more than simply see things. Dr. Charles Yancey takes us through the wonders of one of the most complex organisms in our body.

We'll learn why:

• The eye is the fastest muscle in our body
• How visual eye puzzles and tricks work
• Why so much of our brain is devoted to our eyes
• What being nearsighted or farsighted and 20/20 vision actually means
• Whether everyone has blindspots in their vision
• How the brain compensates for those who have sight impairments

"The eye is so complex and it has so many different disciplines in it. Let's just say it has physics with optics. It has incredibly complex neurobiology. It is integrated with so many different systems in our body. And it's just so complex that I can't imagine how that would ever have come without design." -Dr. Charles Yancey

Send in a wonder moment or connect us to guests! [email protected]

Website: www.awaketowonder.com