Compassiviste Dialogues

Welcome to Compassiviste Dialogues. I'm Ali, your host, and my mission with this podcast is to shed light on critical social and environmental issues worldwide, exploring avenues for positive change.

Today’s guest is Peter Andersen, a marriage and family therapist and somatic movement specialist who bridges dance and therapy to help people heal and connect more deeply.

In this episode, Peter shares his journey navigating identity, trauma, and social division, while challenging us to rethink success and the purpose of capitalism. Through his unique perspective, we explore how movement expresses what words often cannot and why compassion is essential for healing.

ABOUT GUEST:

A love story rooted in movement, healing, and play.

Before The Playful Couple came into existence, Peter Andersen spent 25 years as a contemporary dancer and choreographer. For him, movement was a first language—one that taught him how to be present in the body, trust its internal rhythms, and explore the rich, creative ways humans relate to themselves and to one another.

Later, Peter’s path led him to the world of comedy improvisation in New York City. He became the founder and director of an improv company, where, night after night, he stepped into the unknown—discovering how play, trust, and connection could transform not only performance, but also relationships.

Alongside his artistic work, Peter immersed himself in deep personal development. He became certified in NLP, Timeline Therapy, Thai Massage, Craniosacral Therapy, and earned a Master’s in Leadership and Change. He studied Polyvagal Theory, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Nonviolent Communication (NVC), mindfulness, and the wisdom of the nervous system. Each modality provided him with a new lens on what it means to be in relationship—with the body, with ingrained patterns, and with others.

But Peter’s journey wasn’t purely professional. For many years, he struggled in long-term relationships—grappling with fear, loneliness, and disconnection. The turning point came when he began to understand his own needs, honour his nervous system, and trust what he was authentically drawn to. This internal work eventually led him into the most loving, secure, and joyful relationship he could have imagined.

What began as a personal healing journey now unfolds in the relationship he shares with his partner—their playful love story is the living, breathing proof of this work.

And that is how The Playful Couple was born.

KEY NOTES:

Navigating biracial identity and the search for belonging

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Episode Trailer

THINGS MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:

https://www.theplayfulcouple.co.uk/plans

TO LEARN MORE AND STAY CONNECTED:

🌐 Visit our website: https://compassivistedialogues.com/

CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Compassiviste/61555898333856/

Tune in, follow, and embark on this insightful journey with us. Your vision's transformation begins now. 🚀🌟

Welcome to Compassiviste Dialogues. I'm Ali, your host, and my mission with this podcast is to shed light on critical social and environmental issues worldwide, exploring avenues for positive change.

This conversation explores the remarkable journey of Lyubim Kogan, a five-time first-generation immigrant, Winter Olympian, and founder of WingsForHeroes.org. Lyubim shares his experiences of resilience, cultural integration, and the relentless pursuit of dreams, emphasizing the importance of heart in decision-making and the lessons learned from both failure and success. The discussion also highlights the significance of compassion and shared experiences in overcoming life's challenges. In this conversation, the speakers explore themes of generosity, fulfillment, and the social contract we hold with those who protect us. 

They discuss personal experiences of wealth and dissatisfaction, the inspiration drawn from adversity, and the importance of collective action in supporting veterans through initiatives like Wings for Heroes. The dialogue emphasizes the need for compassion in action, confronting societal hypocrisy, and the responsibility of individuals to contribute to meaningful change.

ABOUT GUEST:

Winter Olympian. 9/11 WTC survivor. NYU Stern graduate. Bestselling author and co-author with Steve Forbes. Former Wall Street trader turned humanitarian. Vanished for 10 years to rebuild what war had torn apart. Now leading Wings4Heroes.org — helping amputee veterans rediscover purpose through flight and camaraderie. I am inspired by Henry Dunant and Mother Cabrini.

With hard work, dedication, and careful planning, all clients of Kogan Financial avoided losses in the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

KEY NOTES:

How Lyubim’s childhood in the Soviet Union taught him resilience and purpose

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Intro  

THINGS MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:

TO LEARN MORE AND STAY CONNECTED:

🌐 Visit our website: https://compassivistedialogues.com/

CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Compassiviste/61555898333856/

Tune in, follow, and embark on this insightful journey with us. Your vision's transformation begins now. 🚀🌟

Welcome to Compassiviste Dialogues. I'm Ali, your host, and my mission with this podcast is to shed light on critical social and environmental issues worldwide, exploring avenues for positive change.

Today we’re joined by Dr. John DeGarmo, an international foster care expert, author, TEDx speaker, and the founder of the Foster Care Institute. With a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, Dr. DeGarmo has dedicated his life to transforming the lives of vulnerable children in foster care. He’s the founder of the Foster Care Institute and Never Too Late, a residential home for foster boys.

This episode features John DeGarmo, a foster care expert, discussing the urgent need to protect vulnerable kids and the connection to human trafficking. He shares his personal journey into foster care and highlights the alarming number of missing persons. Learn about foster children and child exploitation in this important discussion.

ABOUT GUEST:

Dr John DeGarmo is the leading international foster care expert and consultant. He and his family have won multiple awards like the Good Morning America Ultimate Hero Award, Citizens of the Year, and that's just the beginning. Dr DeGarmo and his wife have been a foster parent to over 60 children over the years in their area. Tune in now to learn more about Dr DeGarmo and his work now!

KEY NOTES:

Lessons from raising 60 foster children

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Episode Trailer

THINGS MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrJohnDeGarmo/?ref=bookmarks

TO LEARN MORE AND STAY CONNECTED:

🌐 Visit our website: https://compassivistedialogues.com/

CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Compassiviste/61555898333856/

Tune in, follow, and embark on this insightful journey with us. Your vision's transformation begins now. 🚀🌟

Welcome to Compassiviste Dialogues. I'm Ali, your host, and my mission with this podcast is to shed light on critical social and environmental issues worldwide, exploring avenues for positive change.

I’m honored to welcome Sarah Templeton, a passionate advocate for ADHD awareness, author, and campaigner driving systemic change across education, mental health, and the criminal justice system. Sarah’s work sheds light on the often overlooked crisis of undiagnosed ADHD, especially within prisons, addiction centers, and homeless shelters, where some of society’s most vulnerable people fall through the cracks.

As the author of How Not to Murder Your ADHD Kid and a key voice within the UK government’s APPG for ADHD, Sarah fights for mandatory ADHD screenings in prisons and police stations to help break the cycle of unnecessary incarceration. In this episode, we delve into her journey, the urgent reforms required, and how early intervention can transform lives.

ABOUT GUEST:

Sarah Templeton is a passionate advocate for adolescents and adults with either unrecognised, and therefore undiagnosed, or late diagnosed ADHD. 

Purely because nobody including teachers, CAMHS, GPs, probation, the police and prison services and charities working in the sectors haven’t spotted it.

KEY NOTES:

What is ADHD, and Why Is It Overlooked in Prisons?

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Episode trailer

THINGS MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:

Sarah's Website: https://sarahtempleton.org.uk/

🌐 Visit our website: https://compassivistedialogues.com/

CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Compassiviste/61555898333856/

Tune in, follow, and embark on this insightful journey with us. Your vision's transformation begins now. 🚀🌟

Welcome to Compassiviste Dialogues. I'm Ali, your host, and my mission with this podcast is to shed light on critical social and environmental issues worldwide, exploring avenues for positive change.

Today we’re joined by Susan M. Stevens, an award-winning novelist whose work bravely explores mental health, race, immigration, and gender identity through deeply human storytelling.

ABOUT GUEST:

After many years as a business writer, S.M. Stevens found the time to pen her first novel when a pelvis broken in 3 places absolved her from housework and chauffeuring the kids around for several months. The result was her middle-grade novel Shannon's Odyssey, written for adventurous animal-lovers.

A year later, while in treatment for cancer, she wrote the first of the Bit Players series to fill the void of fiction for music and theatre-loving teens. The YA series now has three books, and appeals to all teens not just drama-loving ones.

Her first adult novel (thankfully not prompted by another health crisis!) was Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, published in 2019. The story is a coming-of-age tale about two young women starting their careers in Boston while dealing with past and present demons. 

Her latest novel, Beautiful and Terrible Things, was released by Black Rose Writing in Summer 2024 and has won numerous awards, including Indies Today Best Literary Book of 2024. The same characters are featured in her award-winning novelette, The Wallace House of Pain (available on Amazon). 

KEY NOTES:

- From Business to Fiction: Can Writing Be a Path to Healing?

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Episode Trailer

THINGS MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:

Beautiful and Terrible Things book: https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Terrible-Things-S-M-Stevens/dp/1685134475

TO LEARN MORE AND STAY CONNECTED:

🌐 Visit our website: https://compassivistedialogues.com/

CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Compassiviste/61555898333856/

Tune in, follow, and embark on this insightful journey with us. Your vision's transformation begins now. 🚀🌟

Welcome to Compassiviste Dialogues! I’m your host, Ali, and today we’re joined by Francis Hulbert-Powell a multidisciplinary artist, author, poet, and curator whose work spans cultures, genres, and generations.

In this episode, we explore how art can serve as healing, how surreal storytelling can reveal deeper truths, and why Francis believes in supporting grassroots action—like Road to Recovery, an Israeli–Palestinian initiative that helps transport wounded patients to receive life-saving care.

This conversation also supports our Indiegogo campaign for the upcoming anthology We All Live Under the Same Sky, raising funds for peace-building efforts and featuring voices from around the world.

ABOUT GUEST:

Born in England and now based in France, Francis has lived a life shaped by creativity, empathy, and activism. From teaching English in Austria to writing powerful prose and poetry, his journey is one of connection, between people, places, and perspectives.

 His published works include The Fish King, Two Wise Ghosts, and Together Behind Four Walls, a pandemic-era anthology created to raise funds for Marie Curie nurses.

How Art Becomes a Bridge in a Divided World

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

THINGS MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:

Franci's X: https://x.com/Dreamheadz

TO LEARN MORE AND STAY CONNECTED:

🌐 Visit our website: https://compassivistedialogues.com/

CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook:   / 61555898333856  

Tune in, follow, and embark on this insightful journey with us. Your vision's transformation begins now. 🚀🌟

Welcome to Compassiviste Dialogues. I'm Ali, your host, and my mission with this podcast is to shed light on critical social and environmental issues worldwide, exploring avenues for positive change.

Today we’re joined by Robert Kesten, an international human rights advocate and executive director of the Stonewall National Museum, Archives, and Library in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Since 2022, Robert has been leading one of the most important LGBTQ+ history institutions in the world, preserving over 50 years of queer legacy and confronting growing anti-LGBTQ+ attacks across the U.S.

Robert’s global work includes contributing to Ghana’s constitution, advocating for LGBTQ+ rights in Ukraine, supporting human rights movements across the Arab world, and producing an award-winning Holocaust documentary.

In this powerful episode, Robert shares a visionary call to action rooted in collective memory, compassion, and human rights. If you've ever wondered how your voice, your story, or your presence can shape the future—we invite you to listen in.

ABOUT GUEST:

Robert Kesten, President/CEO, Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library. Mr. Kesten leads one of the world’s largest and most significant historical institutions of its kind; for 50+ years, Stonewall National Museum has fought tirelessly to preserve history and culture by fearlessly releasing powerful messages, hosting dynamic weekly events, launching a solutions-driven task force in Washington DC, creating dynamic national traveling exhibitions, mobilizing educators in its national education project, recognizing leaders and heroes, and providing an inexhaustible historic record of achievements, even in the face of prejudice and hate.  

Prior to Stonewall National Museum, Kesten’s human rights advocacy took many forms, including writing and producing an award winning documentary on the Holocaust at Concentration Camps in Poland, working on the Ghanaian Constitution, coordinating and producing events leading to Ukrainian independence, producing events for the first AIDS day treatment center in the nation, pushing for the decriminalization of homosexuality in Ukraine (the first Soviet Republic to do so), challenging book banning, LGBTQIA+ inclusion in schools and navigating anti-LGBTQ sentiments. Kesten also worked on the West Bank during the Intifada and was brought into Egypt and Tunisia during the Arab Spring to try and establish human rights cities. 

Robert Kesten often shares his expert perspective with national and local media, including Reuters, Associated Press, ABC Miami, Philadelphia Inquirer, Miami Herald OpEds (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), South Florida Sun Sentinel OpEds (1, 2, 3),  The Advocate, National Geographic, South Florida PBS, Global Peace Alliance, Washington Press, Herald-Tribune, CBNation ,CBSMiami and many more.

Stonewall National Museum, Archives, & Library houses millions of pages of records and materials drawing direct lines from our nation’s history to today.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Episode trailer

THINGS MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:

Robert’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertkesten/

🌐 Visit our website: https://compassivistedialogues.com/

CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Compassiviste/61555898333856/

Tune in, follow, and embark on this insightful journey with us. Your vision's transformation begins now. 🚀🌟

Welcome to Compassiviste Dialogues. I'm Ali, your host, and my mission with this podcast is to shed light on critical social and environmental issues worldwide, exploring avenues for positive change.

In this powerful interview, counselor and author Sabrina Trobak reveals how unconscious core beliefs like “not good enough” or “not valued” are passed down generationally—and how they create the foundation for lifelong anxiety. Learn about the holistic therapy model that changed Sabrina’s life and is helping thousands find peace, healing, and emotional freedom. If you're struggling with self-doubt, overthinking, or fear of rejection, this video will help you shift from survival to self-acceptance.

ABOUT GUEST:

Sabrina Trobak, a lifelong resident of Fort St. John, returned to her hometown in 2010 after completing her education. She holds a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology and has received extensive training in family violence,  and resolving past trauma utilizing a holistic therapy approach focused on the core belief not good enough, not important. Additionally, Sabrina is a published author of various psychology-based papers, contributing to the field.

Prior to her counselling career, Sabrina earned a Bachelor’s degree in Education and dedicated over 20 years to the public school system. During her tenure, she taught across all educational divisions—elementary, junior high, and senior high—and served as a learning assistance teacher, vice principal, and school counsellor.

In 2023, Sabrina published her book, "Not Good Enough: Understanding Your Core Belief & Anxiety," which serves as a valuable resource for individuals seeking to enhance their mental health, particularly those who may not have access to counselling services.

Since founding Trobak Holistic Counselling in 2010, Sabrina has provided counselling services and has been a Clinical Supervisor since 2012, guiding both clients and fellow professionals in their journeys toward healing and personal growth.

KEY NOTES:

What core beliefs are and how they’re formed

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 – Intro

THINGS MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:

Trobak Holistic Counselling - https://www.trobakholistic.org/

TO LEARN MORE AND STAY CONNECTED:

🌐 Visit our website: https://compassivistedialogues.com/

CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Compassiviste/61555898333856/

Tune in, follow, and embark on this insightful journey with us. Your vision's transformation begins now. 🚀🌟

Welcome to Compassiviste Dialogues. I'm Ali, your host, and my mission with this podcast is to shed light on critical social and environmental issues worldwide, exploring avenues for positive change.

Today, I’m joined by Jeff Garner, an award-winning sustainable fashion designer and founder of Prophetik. Jeff’s mission is bold: expose the hidden toxins in everyday clothing and transform the fashion industry from the inside out.

ABOUT GUEST:

Jeffrey Brian "Jeff" Garner is an American fashion designer and film-maker known for his sustainable, plant-dyed red carpet gowns. His designs are sold online and in luxury boutiques across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and China. 

KEY NOTES:

What shaped Jeff’s vision and commitment to sustainable fashion

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Intro Trailer

THINGS MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:

🌐 Jeff’s Site: https://prophetik.com

TO LEARN MORE AND STAY CONNECTED:

🌐 Visit our website: https://compassivistedialogues.com/

CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Compassiviste/61555898333856/

Tune in, follow, and embark on this insightful journey with us. Your vision's transformation begins now. 🚀🌟

The Truth About Political Division You’ve Never Heard w/Shannon Watson

Welcome to Compassiviste Dialogues. I'm Ali, your host, and my mission with this podcast is to shed light on critical social and environmental issues worldwide, exploring avenues for positive change.

Today I’m joined by Shannon Watson, founder and Executive Director of Majority in the Middle. With over 20 years of experience in bipartisan politics, Shannon challenges us to rethink how we engage with politics beyond partisan extremes.

ABOUT GUEST:

Shannon Watson is the Founder and Executive Director of Majority in the Middle.

Shannon has also worked in policy and public affairs roles for Casper Corcoran, Medical Alley Association, St. Paul Area Chamber, U.S. Bank, the Minnesota Senate, and the National Conference of State Legislatures. She has 20+ years of experience in electoral politics, advising candidates and working on campaigns on both sides of the aisle in Kansas, Colorado, and Minnesota. 

Shannon is a frequent op-ed writer and speaker, presenting on topics like "Why we're divided and what you can do about it" and "How to make your advocacy bipartisan (and why you should)." She was a member of the MYALP cohort in 2022 and a Humphrey Policy Fellow 2020-2021. In recognition of her work, Shannon has been named an #MNCivicLeader by the Citizens League and awarded a MinneInno 50 On Fire.

Shannon holds a bachelor's degree in English, Theatre, and Psychology from Wichita State University and a master's degree in Advocacy and Political Leadership from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. She lives in Minneapolis.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Intro  

THINGS MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:

Website: www.majoritymiddle.org

TO LEARN MORE AND STAY CONNECTED:

🌐 Visit our website: https://compassivistedialogues.com/

CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Compassiviste/61555898333856/

Tune in, follow, and embark on this insightful journey with us. Your vision's transformation begins now. 🚀🌟

The Truth About Political Division You’ve Never Heard with Shannon Watson 

In this episode, Shannon Watson discusses how money in politics can be used to create a  racial divide and perpetuate division. She also touches on the impact of campaign finance on human relationships. Watson emphasizes the difference between big P politics and little p politics.